Summer School on New Development Cooperation: Breaking the
Chains of Poverty
(Prague, 5-12 July 2014)
Global Development Cooperation Programme
Lecturer: Franklyn LISK
Description
This programme is structured to provide the participants with an understanding of the
notion, concept and orientation of global development cooperation since the 1960s and the
ability to think critically about the underlying theory, concept and practice. The
presentations will allow for interactive discussions, rather than the ‘lecture-followed-byquestions’ format. The programme will largely follow a ‘political economy of development’
approach that focuses on the role of global and regional institutions, state capacity and
development policy space; relationship between rich and poor countries; political
participation; and other salient aspects of economic transformation, social development
and political alteration.
Global development cooperation is defined within the wider framework of international
economic and political relationships. Conceptually, it involves the formulation and
implementation of strategies, policies and actions that seek to find long-term solutions to
national, regional and international development problems and challenges. The process is
mainly through the transfer of developmental resources and technical assistance from rich
to poor countries and more recently, through cooperation among developing countries
themselves, in order to create the necessary capacity needed to achieve sustainable
improvements in human well-being and lasting changes in economic and social conditions.
The programme will be delivered over 5 sessions of 1 hour and 15 minutes each including
workshops (including ‘role play’) as appropriate. The first three sessions will deal with
motives, trends and challenges of international development cooperation and the
remaining two will explore new dimensions and an agenda for action in terms of the future
prospect for ‘improved’ global economic relations and development partnerships.
Overall, the programme will elaborate and appraise different forms of development
cooperation, highlighting the changing international landscape of the multilateral system
and the roles of traditional ‘Western’ donors and the emerging powers, such as China, South
Korea, India, Brazil, Turkey, etc. The respective comparative advantage of each type will be
assessed in relation to development results as measured by ‘aid/development effectiveness’
criteria. The programme will cover issues of poverty and inequality (income, opportunity,
mobility and capabilities), globalization of economic markets, and the implications for the
developing world; differences among countries in economic power on trade, capital,
international migration, climate and other global regimes; the role of global economic
institutions; and the consequences of the changing global order for economic political
institutions in developing countries. It will also address important questions in global
development cooperation such as: Why should rich countries be interested in poor
countries? How do rich countries engage poor countries? How do global partners with
divergent understandings of sustainable development concur and coordinate development
efforts at country and regional levels. Furthermore, it will look at global governance systems
from the standpoint of global rules that apply to international trade, finance, investment
and environmental protection. Finally, the programme will explore the future status of
global development cooperation, including the next iteration of the UN strategy for
international development as outlined in the United Nations Post-2015 Development
Agenda ( the successor to the Millennium Development Goals), which points to the need for
‘mutual accountability’, ‘shared responsibility’ and ‘transformative and innovative
partnership’ in global development cooperation.
Content (presentations and interactive discussions)
Global Development Cooperation: Trends and Challenges (1st Session):
1. The architecture of global development cooperation: definition and conceptualisation
The Actors

Main classification of developing countries: Toward a taxonomy of developing countries
with heterogeneous levels of development as recipients and beneficiaries; a new multidimensional conceptualisation of development cooperation to support structural
transformation, human development, democratic/popular participation, and environmental
sustainability objectives of national development.

Approaches to classifying donors - responding to development needs in a changing global
context: concerning a range of state and non-state actors that work alone and/or in concert
through formal and informal channels – multilateral development institutions, bilateral
donors (traditional and emerging), international development NGOs, private sector and
philanthropic foundations and international volunteers -; balance between bilateral and
multilateral aid.
The Institutional Context

The changing global aid landscape: development cooperation arrangements that have
characterized the global economic order in the period following the Second World War to
the present time – multilateral institutions charged with fostering economic development
and global externalities/ challenges facing the international development community;
complex interactions and multiple linkages; indications of how development cooperation
has adapted to changes in both the landscape and the political economy of aid.

Major economic and political groupings that attempt to steer multilateralism and influence
global development cooperation: the G8 and the G20; the BRICS; EU; ASEAN, AU, etc.
2. Rationale, motivation and objectives of global development cooperation

Securing economic growth and sustainable development.

Fighting poverty and reducing global inequality.

Furthering political interests: world order; regionalism; nationalism.

Peace and security

Trade considerations: economic liberalisation and opportunities created by globalization.

Global commitment to development: the Millennium Development Goals; the UN Post-2015
Development Agenda.
3. Targets for global development cooperation initiatives

Key variables: improvements in living standards; productivity enhancement; human security
and political freedom

Sub-variables: life expectancy; infant and maternal mortality; human capital accumulation;
labour force participation and productive employment; social protection; justice, rule of law
and rights; open and accountable public institutions
4. Shifts in global economic and political power and implications for development
cooperation

Recalibration of development cooperation in response to changes in the global economic
order and political constellation: the rise of the G20 and the emergence of the BRICS as
political opportunity for development cooperation.

Global trends influencing development cooperation: rise of emerging powers; technology;
demographic dividend; food security; natural resources
Global Development Cooperation: Trends and Challenges (2nd Session)
1.

New forms of development cooperation
The state and emerging powers in Africa: China, India, and Brazil; multiple impacts of
emerging powers on economic development and political evolution in Africa; recalibrating
development cooperation for a beneficial impact for recipient countries.

South-South cooperation: trends, patterns and challenges – bilateral and inter-regional
initiatives; policy space dimensions and tools - trade, investment and development
assistance (aid) flows.

Trilateral development cooperation: creating more inclusive and effective partnerships
which reflect the changing geographies of development agency, and in ways which promote
mutual benefits.
2.

Assessing the impact of foreign aid
Drivers of foreign aid allocation and outcomes: donors’ interests versus recipients’
preferences – toward a convergence? aid policy and performance; toward rationalization in
international aid; new actors and new challenges

Foreign aid and value-for-money: The Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda –aid
effectiveness: The road to Busan and afterwards - shift in focus from aid effectiveness to
development effectiveness; narrowing the gap between commitments versus
disbursements; aid predictability

International development partnerships: innovative international development assistance
modalities and transformative partnerships; emerging partners

Governance systems: representation; transparency; legitimacy and accountability; public
choice and public goods
3.
Workshop: Aid – Burden or Benefit?

Who benefits more from aid – recipients or donors?

Does aid reduce poverty and reduce inequality?

Can aid contribute significantly to economic transformation and social development in
Africa?

Does aid contribute to the erosion of national identity – culture, norms, traditional systems
and history – and at what cost to sustainable development?
Global Development Cooperation: Agenda for Action (3rd Session)
1.
Reforming global development cooperation for responding to the challenges and
opportunities of globalisation: improving international architecture for global governance economic (finance, aid, trade, employment), social (health and migration), political (conflict,
security), and environmental (climate change, natural resource management); industrial
upgrading; international competitiveness .
2.
Role of public institutions: provision of public goods; representing public interests;
strengthening domestic institutions and policies
3.
Private sector partnerships for development and corporate governance: the private
sector and global development cooperation; trans-national and multinational corporations,
examples from the extractive industries; global value chains; entrepreneurship development
4.
Role of NGOs and civil society: promoting inclusiveness and local level development,
focusing on the impact of development cooperation on vulnerable groups and issues (e.g.
gender inequality, migrant labour)
5.
Multi-polar global development agenda: shared spaces and responsibilities; developing
peer relations in international cooperation (e.g. of EU and Africa relations)
6. Workshop: Case analysis - How does international development cooperation affect
economic performance and development outcomes?

Globally, why are some countries rich and others poor?

Why have some developing countries/regions succeeded (e.g. East Asia) and others (e.g.
most of sub-Saharan Africa) failed in reducing poverty and inequality, as required for
achieving development on a sustainable basis?
Global Development Cooperation: Future Prospect - Scenarios (4th Session):
1. Global challenges for development cooperation in the twenty-first century

Human security: demographic trends; basic human needs (health, food, shelter, etc.);
environmental pressures (climate change); trans-border diseases.

Economic security: globalization; the gap between rich and poor societies; technological
explosion; international financial system - stabilizing the world economy.

Political security: evolving world order (multipolar or unipolar? super power); regionalism;
international security problems (conflicts, arms, weapons of mass destruction, nuclear
power).

Governance challenges: governing the world - international coordination, cooperation and
collective decision making through global institutions; world regulative policy; rule of law at
global level; superpower governance versus global governance?
2. Towards sustainable international development: interconnections between economic
growth, social development; institutions; development strategies and priorities; capacitybuilding and local ownership of development process, knowledge-sharing; mutual
accountability; shared responsibility; connections between security and development.
3. Towards a new development cooperation dynamics: beyond aid – a new consensus on
development assistance and development effectiveness; reframing mutual accountability
and shared responsibility; North-South global relations and partnerships
4. Towards global inclusiveness: need for a level playing field; collective multilateral action
and broad-based participation; innovative and transformative international development
partnerships
5. Post-2015 international development agenda: highlights from the proposed UN Post-2015
Development Agenda and initial commitments and reactions at global, regional and national
levels.
Global Development Cooperation: Future Prospect – Reality Check and the
Way Forward (5th Session):
1. Competing claims on attention and resources of international development/donor
community: climate change and environmental protection; food security; international
security and combatting global terrorism; water management; (youth) unemployment;
girls education
2. Globalisation and international development cooperation – key issues: responding to
challenges and seizing opportunities; role of global markets; has globalisation been good
for developing countries? global rules on trade and migration; management of natural
resources and appropriation of resource rent for development at national level; aid
versus capital flight – tax evasion and illegal financial outflows; global politics and global
governance
3. Workshop: What is the future of international development cooperation – beyond aid
and ‘breaking the chains of poverty’?
Promoting inclusive growth and sustainable development

Facilitating integration into the global economy: promoting economic diversification
and exports and capturing gains from trade; enhancing productivity

Engaging the private sector and strengthening incentives

Fostering regional integration

Developing global partnerships

Ensuring political stability: peace and prosperity
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