The UK government and the 0.7% international aid target: Opinion among Conservative parliamentarians

Abstract

This paper exploits a detailed dataset of the parliamentary

A missing link in understanding Party policy change? Conservative Party international volunteering projects and UK development policy (2007–2017)

“…It is, however, clear from the interviews that the experience of volunteering is valued by MPs, whether in facing down aid critics or supporting the UK position as a global player in international development. This finding complements recent research by Heppell et al (2017) on attitudes towards aid among the 2010–2015 Parliamentary Conservative Party. They demonstrate quantitatively that Cameron was very successful in transforming opinion towards aid among parliamentarians, and our study contributes one previously hidden explanatory factor behind this transformation.…”

“…Crucially, she also proposes that change alone is insufficient: modernisation must make a clear link between modern conditions and concrete change (Dommett, 2015: 250, emphasis added). International development as a policy issue fits these criteria, and is one where scholars of Conservatism suggest significant and lasting change to Party policy and attitudes of Conservative MPs is observable (Heppell and Lightfoot, 2012; Heppell et al, 2017).…”

The 2016 EU Referendum: Explaining Support for Brexit Among Would-Be British MPs

“…Clarke et al, 2017;Goodwin and Milazzo, 2017;Hobolt, 2016;Vasilopoulou, 2016). Similarly, existing studies of the supply side find very little evidence that socio-economic characteristics had a systematic effect on the voting behaviour of the members of the parliamentary Conservative Party at the EU referendum (Heppell et al, 2017a;Lynch and Whitaker, 2018;Moore, 2018). 11.…”

“…Cowley and Stuart, 2010; Norton, 1975) and, therefore, are increasingly less likely to ‘toe the party line’ on big issues. Other studies show that social conservatism and Euroscepticism, rather than demographic characteristics, predict voting on issues such as spending on international aid (Heppell et al, 2017a) and party leadership elections (Jeffery et al, 2018).…”

More Equitable Britain-Africa Relations Post-Brexit: Doomed to Fail?

“…This applies particularly to London's focus on "aid for trade," "trade, not aid," and private sector development as outlined above. Although Prime Minister Theresa May has on several occasions in 2017 and 2018 reaffirmed the British government's commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) on aid (enshrined in law in 2015, see Heppell, Crines, and Jeffery 2017), it is likely that Brexit could result in a decrease in UK aid for Africa, for the following reasons.…”