Many have highlighted the need for equity and justice in the field of foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. Local civil society organizations (CSOs) or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are the frontline workers, risking their lives to access areas that well-funded international NGOs or even UN agencies cannot access. However, critics of the current system claim that the local NGO is often the sub-contractor and not a real partner that is allowed to contribute to the design of the project. If something goes wrong in the process, that local NGO is blacklisted, not the UN agency or the international NGO that received the funding. 

There are also other concerns. For example, the local NGO rarely receives a decent overhead rate or adequate funds to cover operational expenses. Local NGO staff are also often poached by multilateral institutions and international NGOs. All of this, some claim, results in a serious and systematic erosion of capacity in the Global South. And local knowledge and organizational capacity are often undervalued.

Degan Ali has for long spoken out against systematic racism ‚Ästthe systemic structure of power, money, and decision-making that goes into the design of the¬†international¬†humanitarian and aid architectures. She¬†has campaigned for a more just and dignified aid system that allows recipient countries to take back power. In a recent op-ed, she argued that ‚ÄúTalking about racism is not enough‚ÄĚ and that ‚ÄúWe can‚Äôt afford another 50 years of apathy in the international system.‚ÄĚ

Degan Ali is the Executive Director of Adeso, an organization that has been a leader globally and in Somalia for its work on cash transfers and environmental justice. She has been a passionate advocate at the global level on the mainstreaming of cash as the primary response mechanism to humanitarian crises

Resources

• "'We are demanding change': the Somali woman taking on international NGOs", The Guardian, March 2016
• "Is it finally time for the localization agenda to take off?", Devex, June 2020
• "Opinion: 'Accelerate your commitments' during COVID-19‚ÄĒ an open letter to donors", Devex, April 2020
• YOUTUBE VIDEO: Imagining and creating a decolonized world with racial and economic justice at its core, webinar hosted by Intersectional Feminist Foreign Policy(IFFP) and Adeso
• Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR)
• Degan Ali on Twitter
• Dan Banik on Twitter
• In Pursuit of Development podcast on Twitter

Questions, comments and suggestions: [email protected]

 

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Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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Although India faces numerous challenges ‚Äď a huge population, rising unemployment, growing environmental vulnerabilities ‚Äď there is general agreement that, despite many odds, democracy has not only survived but is now firmly entrenched in the social and political fabric of the country.¬†

In recent months, however, the country has been rocked by nationwide protests following the enactment of the Citizen Amendment Act in December 2019. 

And then Covid struck. 

On the 24th of March, Prime Minister Modi announced that the country was going into a three-week lockdown. The sheer scale of this nationwide lockdown affecting 1.3 billion people, was unprecedented. 

In subsequently extending the lockdown beyond the initial 3 weeks, the Prime Minister noted: ‚ÄúIndia didn‚Äôt wait for the problem to escalate. Instead, as soon as the problem appeared, we tried to stop it by making swift decisions. I can‚Äôt imagine what the situation would have been had such quick decisions not been taken‚ÄĚ.

In the initial weeks and months, the lockdown appeared to be working well but once it was gradually lifted, there was a surge in Covid cases. 

And many within India remain worried that the country’s healthcare system may not be able to tackle a crisis of such magnitude. 

But there is also growing evidence of how India has radically stepped up its Covid-testing capacity. And last year, an ambitious new health insurance plan was launched ‚Äď the¬†Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which aims to provide free health coverage to large groups in the country,¬†

Joining me to discuss India’s Covid response, health insurance policies, center-state relations in the country’s federal set-up, the role of political parties in promoting development and reducing poverty, and much much more is Mr. Tathagata Sathpathy. 

Tathagata Satpathy served four terms as Member of Parliament, representing the Dhenkanal constituency of the state of Orissa (also known as Odisha). Until recently,¬†he was a member of the¬†Biju Janata Dal¬†(BJD) political party and was the party‚Äôs¬†chief whip¬†in the¬†Lok Sabha ‚Äď the lower house of the Indian parliament. In addition to being a politician, Mr. Satpathy is the owner and editor of the daily¬†Odia¬†newspaper,¬†Dharitri, and the¬†English¬†daily,¬†Orissa¬†Post.¬†

• Follow Tathagata Satpathy on Twitter
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• In Pursuit of Development on Twitter

 

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For decades, the mantra of globalization supported increased foreign aid to, and trade with, low-income countries. The proclaimed goal was to reduce poverty and promote economic growth and development. But aid policies have increasingly become both complex and fragmented. Some argue that there is an unprecedented international policy overload when it comes to aid and development. Indeed, some even claim that we are witnessing aid fatigue. Many traditional donors are also revisiting the role and impact of aid. 

In a world which was already struggling to cope with numerous crises even before the Covid pandemic struck ‚Äď inadequate finance, food insecurity, climate change ‚Äď the pattern and flow of aid to low-income countries in the near future is potentially going to change in fundamental ways.¬†

Bård Vegar Solhjell is Director General of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). He has substantial political experience having served as a member of Parliament and Party Secretary for the Socialist left Party in Norway and subsequently also as Norway’s Minister of Education and Minister of Environment. He was also CEO of WWF Norway.

Resources

• This is how Norwegian development aid funds were spent in 2019 (Norad)
• Norwegian Aid Statistics (Norad)
• From Knowledge to Implementation, Norad's Evaluation Department, Annual Report 2019/2020
• Follow B√•rd Vegar Solhjell on Twitter
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China is on everyone‚Äôs mind these days. It is not just related to the origins of Covid. There is considerable global attention on Beijing‚Äôs tense relations with Washington, Ottawa, New Delhi, Tokyo, and even many European capitals. But¬†China wields great influence in large parts of the world, including in low and medium incomes countries, through its investments and aid. And in recent years, Beijing has steadily expanded its global influence through its signature foreign policy project ‚Äď The Belt and Road Initiative ‚Äď which is a¬†long-term plan to undertake a series of large investments in roads, bridges, gas pipelines, railways, ports and power plants in over 70 countries.¬†

Joining me today to discuss the role and impact of China’s aid and investments around the world is Marina Rudyak.

Marina is an assistant lecturer at the Institute of Chinese Studies at Heidelberg University in Germany. She studied Modern and Classical Chinese Studies and Public Law at Heidelberg University and Shanghai International Studies University. In her recently completed Ph.D. dissertation, Marina focuses on Chinese foreign aid policies and Beijing’s evolving role in international development.

Before re-joining Heidelberg University in 2014, Marina was a policy advisor with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Beijing where she managed a multi-country project on regional economic cooperation. 

Resources:

• The Ins and Outs of China‚Äôs¬†International¬†Development Agency
• Marina Rudyak's China Aid blog
• Follow Marina on Twitter

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Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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There have been numerous news reports in recent weeks pointing to how Covid will damage Latin America more severely than many other world regions. Several commentators and scholars have argued that the pandemic will wipe out several decades of social progress, pushing millions back into poverty. To discuss economic growth and poverty and inequality reduction in Latin America both before and after Covid, in addition to key political trends in the region, I am joined by my colleague Benedicte Bull. 

Benedicte Bull is a professor of political science and head of the Norwegian Latin America Research Network (NorLARNet) at the Centre for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo. Her research has focused on the relationship between politics, state building and development, and how international relations influence the possibilities for establishing good institutions that can produce positive societal change.

Resources:

• "Latin America ‚Äėto lose 20 years of progress‚Äô in poverty reduction" (Financial Times, 29 June 2020)
• Inequality in Latin America?
• The crisis in Venezuela: Drivers, transitions, and pathways
• Peace-building and business elites in Guatemala and El Salvador: explaining the discursive ‚Äėinstitutional turn‚Äô
• Chinese engagement in Africa and Latin America: does it matter for state capacity?
• Covid in developing economies (E-book, edited by Simeon Djankov and Ugo Panizza)
• Benedicte Bull on Twitter
• Follow the In Pursuit of Development podcast on Twitter

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Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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Our world is facing considerable challenges, not just in relation to the Covid crisis, but also in terms of our desire to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and address the adverse impacts caused by climate disruption.

Despite such challenges,¬†we cannot underestimate the numerous developmental successes that the world has witnessed in recent decades. In relation to health, prosperity, safety, peace, and happiness, humanity is much better off today than ever before in history. And although such achievements have not been equally replicated in all arenas (e.g. the environment), this should deter us from asking what ‚Äúsuccess‚ÄĚ means in practice, and how such ideas can be mobilized¬†by national governments and the international community in pursuit of sustainable development.

To discuss the relationship between development and the environment, the need to change consumer behavior and the future role of China, India, aid and the United Nations in a post-Covid world is my guest this week ‚Äď Erik Solheim ‚Äď a veteran Norwegian diplomat, who has previously served as the leader of Norway‚Äôs Socialist Left Party (1987-1997) and was Norway‚Äôs Minister for International Development and Minister of Environment (2005-2012). He ¬†also served as Chair of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) (2013-2016) and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations¬†and Executive Director of the¬†United Nations Environment Programme (2016-2018).¬†

Resources:

• Erik Solheim, UNEP website
• How Can We Better Understand ‚ÄúSuccess‚ÄĚ in International Development?
• Follow Erik Solheim on Twitter
• Follow Dan Banik on Twitter

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Malawi is my second home. Every year, for the past fifteen years, I have made numerous trips from Norway to this beautiful country in Southern Africa to conduct research and to teach at the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College. During this time, I have been privileged to strike up many friendships with Malawians from all walks of life. I miss my friends. With borders closed all over the world, I worry that I may not be able to return to this beautiful country for a very long time. 

My initial interest in Malawi was spurred by two Masters students of political science at the University of Oslo who were studying health policy and local perceptions of the impact of democracy in Malawi in 2004-2005. While supervising these students, I began to learn about a country that did not normally elicit much international attention. The more I read, the more intrigued I became. The narrative then, as is also often the case now, was of Malawi struggling to achieve economic growth and address poverty reduction while undergoing democratic consolidation. The social science literature on Malawi then was limited. And the few good books that offered nuanced analyses explaining Malawi’s underdevelopment highlighted a dysfunctional political system, pervasive corruption, and the general lack of trust in democratic institutions. Hence, many questioned the added value of democracy and whether hard fought democratic freedoms have provided citizens with improved livelihoods. 

Many of these issues remain as relevant today as they were fifteen years ago.¬†I have tried to decode the ‚ÄúMalawi paradox‚ÄĚ ‚Ästi.e.¬†despite peace, political stability and consistent support for democracy, most Malawians have not witnessed radical improvement in their living standards and the country continues to perform poorly on most development indicators. And high levels of corruption, administrative inefficiency and political inaction and the lack of foresightedness continue to dominate the development landscape. Malawi lags behind its neighbours, and hence the international development discourse is frequently characterised by the perception that ‚Äúthere are developing countries, and then there is Malawi‚ÄĚ. Such statements imply a sense of hopelessness about the country‚Äôs development trajectory.¬†

We address many of these issues in a book that I edited with Professor Blessings Chinsinga in 2016 entitled Political Transition and Inclusive Development in Malawi: The Democratic Dividend (open access). In this book, we concluded that democracy does not necessarily always foster or guarantee development when the desire to win the support of the electorate results in the adoption of populist policies. Indeed, although the overarching policy goals of the various governments in Malawi since 1994 have been poverty alleviation, the empirical evidence suggests that the impact of democracy on poverty reduction and socio-economic development has been negligible. Will the upcoming elections usher in a new age for Malawi? Only time will tell. 

My guest in this episode is Dr. Boniface Dulani,¬†who studied at York and Sussex universities in the UK and has a¬†doctorate in political science¬†from Michigan State University in the United States. He is the¬†Director of Survey at Afrobarometer¬†‚Äď a¬†non-partisan, pan-African research institution conducting public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, the economy and society in¬†over¬†30 countries¬†on the African continent. Dr. Dulani is senior lecturer at the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at Chancellor College, University of Malawi.

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Much of Africa is experiencing high birth rates and certain countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria are projected to witness massive increases in their populations in the next few decades. An explosive growth in population will in turn pose major challenges for government policies aimed at promoting development and well-being of citizens. Are governments reluctant to talk about birth control. If so, why? And what can policymakers learn from the Indian and Chinese experiences? The current discourse on birth control is polarized. Some scholars argue that despite its adverse impacts on the climate, the population question is largely neglected by the climate community. Others highlight the importance of better protecting reproductive rights, improved access to contraceptives, strengthening gender equality, improved educational opportunities and increasing the living standards of the world’s poorest people. Still others believe that people in rich countries should reduce their consumption levels in order to protect the environment.

Blog:

• "The population question"
• "A room full of elephants?¬†Population, consumption and sustainability"

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Please send me your questions, comments and suggestions by¬†e-mail:¬†[email protected]

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Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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In this episode, I begin by discussing India's achievements in improving access to electricity before providing a brief overview of electricity access at the global level. I then go on to identify some of the major challenges that hundreds of millions of people on the African continent face in trying to access electricity. Most countries on the continent are struggling to promote clean and renewal forms of energy, but there are certain exceptions, such as Rwanda and Ethiopia. And then there are countries like Kenya and Malawi who have pinned their hopes on highly polluting coal-fired power plants. What type of strategy should policymakers in these countries pursue to generate clean energy and increase access to electricity, especially in rural areas? 

Blog:

• "Dreaming of electricity"

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Please send me your questions, comments and suggestions by¬†e-mail:¬†[email protected]

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Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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Covid-19 has confronted leaders with a crisis that they probably never expected in their lifetime. With the growing demand for, and resistance against, strict quarantines and national lockdowns, which entail severe restrictions on the freedom of movement and assembly of citizens, democracies as well as non-democracies around the world are being tested. There is also growing frustration, especially among the youth in Africa on the inability of the current political system to provide them with better representation and a stronger say in how their countries are governed. Many of Africa’s leaders are also accused of not adequately adapting to the demands of the global economy and largely ignoring the adverse impacts of climate change within their borders. A crisis tends to get citizens to rally around their leaders and their governments. But good leaders are not just effective during crises, they are also effective in non-crisis times. 

Blog:

• "Leadership for sustainable development"

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Please send me your questions, comments and suggestions by¬†e-mail:¬†[email protected]

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Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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