Aid and international cooperation: Read and reflect
Suggested readings and resources related to the lectures in part 5. Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
Does aid work? (Øyvind Eggen)
Related readings:
Students interested in learning more about aid evaluation can read the following texts suggested by Dr. Eggen:
- Riddell, R. (2014) “Does Foreign Aid Really Work? An Updated Assessment”, Development Policy Centre Discussion Paper: 33 (Summary available, but access to full paper requires registration).
- Glennie, J. and Sumner, A. (2014) "The $138.5 Billion Question: When Does Foreign Aid Work (and When Doesn’t It)?", Center for Global Development Policy Paper.
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
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In the talk by Dr. Eggen, he discusses some of the ideas we can draw from using rigorous statistical methods to evaluate aid programs. What are some of the important lessons about international aid that you gained from his talk?
- What do you think about the value of aid evaluation?
- Do you have any experiences to share about aid programs and how we evaluate them?
Chinese aid and investments (Dan Banik)
Related readings:
Prof. Banik recommends the following readings for more information about Chinese development assistance:
- Banik, D. and Bull, B. (2018) "Chinese engagement in Africa and Latin America: Does it matter for state capacity", Third World Thematics 3(4).
- Banik, D. (2019) "Coordinating aid in a globalized world", Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy.
- Banik, D. and Hegertun, N. (2017) "Why do nations invest in international aid?", The Washington Post.
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- Discuss why European and American donors ought to prioritize infrastructure development on the African continent
- The Madaraka Express in Kenya offers numerous lessons for other countries wishing to invest heavily in infrastructure projects with Chinese assistance. What would you consider to be the most important lessons?
China's agricultural investments in Zimbabwe (Lixia Tang)
Related readings:
For different perspectives on Chinese agricultural investment in Africa, see the following resources:
- Tran, M. (2013) "Brazil and China scramble for agricultural influence in Africa", The Guardian.
- Albright, M. (2014) "Africa and China Agriculture: The New Breadbasket", National Geographic.
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- What does China expect in return from Zimbabwe?
- Since this lecture was recorded, Zimbabwe's long-time ruler, Robert Mugabe, has passed away. Do you think China views Zimbabwe differently now?
Private sector enthusiasm for the SDGs (Dan Banik)
Related readings:
If you want to learn more about the SDGs and the role of the private sector, Prof. Banik recommends the following resources:
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Banik, D. and Lin, K. (2019) "Business and morals: Corporate strategies for sustainable development in China", Business and Politics 21(4).
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Banik, D. and Miklian J. (2017) "New Business: The Private Sector as a New Global Development Player", Global Policy Journal.
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Business and Sustainable Development Commission (2017) “Better Business, Better World: Executive Summary”.
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
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How and to what extent can businesses contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals? What would you highlight as crucial for businesses to play a more constructive role in global and national development?
- Based on Prof. Banik’s talk, can you highlight additional areas for improvement?
- If you were to provide advice to large, media and small-scale companies, what would your advice be?
A Chinese perspective on global governance (Baocheng Liu)
Related readings:
See additional resources on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) below:
- CCIEE and UNDP (2017) "The Belt and Road Initiative: A new means to transformative global governance towards sustainable development".
- Banik, D. (2018) "Can China's Belt and Road Initiative help achieve the SDGs?", Oslo SDG Initiative Blog.
- Banik, D. (2019) "China's BRI and the future of globalization", Oslo SDG Initiative Blog.
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- How will the Covid-19 crisis affect China's Belt and Road Initiative? Do you think countries around the world will be more skeptical of Chinese-financed infrastructure projects?
China's growing interest in trilateral cooperation (Christine Han)
Related readings:
To learn more about trilateral cooperation and Chinese development assistance, you can read more in the resources provided below:
- UNDP (2017) "China-UNDP south-south and global partnerships 2016 highlights", Beijing: UNDP China.
- Grimm, S. (2011) "Engaging with China in Africa - Trilateral cooperation as an option?", EDC2020 Policy Brief.
- You may also visit UNDP China's resource pages for trilateral partnerships.
Development in Malawi (Dan Banik)
Related readings:
For more information about development in Malawi, we recommend the following resources:
- Banik, D. and Chinsinga, B. (eds.) (2015) Political Transition and Inclusive Development in Malawi: The Democratic Dividend, London: Routledge (Open access book).
- Banik, D. (2018) "The Malawi Paradox", Oslo SDG Initiative Blog.