How good is aid for institution building in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Katoka, Ben

doi:10.1177/1468018118789810

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 2 publications

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“…ECORYS, 2017;ICAI, 2011ICAI, , 2012ICAI, , 2014House of Commons, 2016). DFID's refusal to work with the federal government in Nigeria may have not only weakened the "ownership" of some aid initiatives but also undermined the existing federal institutions in place (Katoka, 2018). In Kenya, DFID worked more closely with the government but its desire to build "democratic stability" in a country that already had nominally democratic institutions in place has been queried (Hellsten, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Securitized” UK aid projects in Africa: Evidence from Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan

Lazell¹,

Petríková

2021

Development Policy Review

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Motivation:In 2020, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) was merged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). This policy move strengthens the trend to "securitize" development, whereby the provision of aid is motivated by national security concerns. Purpose: Many researchers have raised concerns about the securitization of aid and its consequences for development, but little research has examined its impact on aid-recipient countries. Approach and Methods: This study evaluates 144 securitized aid projects implemented by DFID between 2000 and 2018 in Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan, using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) evaluation criteria of relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. Findings: Our analysis finds that although most of the projects assessed were "relevant", i.e. formally aligned with recipient and funders' objectives, many struggled to achieve their intended outputs ("effectiveness"). Few of the projects had a positive "impact". We conclude that the securitized projects reviewed did not significantly strengthen the recipient countries' institutions, stability, or security but had some negative side effects. Policy Implications: In view of the merger of DFID with the FCO and the decision to reduce aid from 0.7% to 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI), the UK is likely to draw an even closer connection between domestic security priorities and its development aid. In view of our empirical findings, the UK government needs to be more aware of the limitations of development interventions undertaken in the name of security and consider other means of enabling development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Securitized” UK aid projects in Africa: Evidence from Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan

Lazell¹,

Petríková

2021

Development Policy Review

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Fifty years of capacity building: Taking stock and moving research forward¹

Kacou

Ika

Munro

2022

Public Admin & Development

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This paper assesses the literature on "capacity building" through a systematic literature review. Taking concepts as the ontological building blocks of theories, we ask: what is known about the evolution of capacity building as a concept and what can that history tell us about its strengths and weaknesses? To this end, we dig into the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of capacity building. Through this Foucauldian "archaeological description", we show that capacity building discourse has evolved dialectically, with each new concept emerging to address the failings of earlier concepts. The paper suggests the "new pragmatism" as a theoretical framework to guide a more rigorous and relevant theory and practice of capacity building especially for public administration. Rooted in sensitivity to context and methodological pluralism, the new pragmatism embraces complexity, delivers "bestfit" rather than "best practice" solutions, and involves researchers and practitioners in decolonial knowledge co-creation to tackle capacity building challenges.

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'The State' as a securitising concept: Statist norms and crisis in the Congo

Jakwa¹

2021

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How good is aid for institution building in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

“Securitized” UK aid projects in Africa: Evidence from Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan

“Securitized” UK aid projects in Africa: Evidence from Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan

Fifty years of capacity building: Taking stock and moving research forward¹

'The State' as a securitising concept: Statist norms and crisis in the Congo

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How good is aid for institution building in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

“Securitized” UK aid projects in Africa: Evidence from Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan

“Securitized” UK aid projects in Africa: Evidence from Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan

Fifty years of capacity building: Taking stock and moving research forward1

'The State' as a securitising concept: Statist norms and crisis in the Congo

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Fifty years of capacity building: Taking stock and moving research forward¹