Aid and trade : From policy discourses to development practices
Set within a broader mainstream 'aid effectiveness' debate and embedded in a neo-liberal discourse, the new Dutch 'Aid and Trade' development policy shifted towards poverty eradication jointly with economic growth and prosperity for Dutch companies abroad. Throughout this agenda, the Netherlands is seeking to reduce the aid provided to its recipient countries and eventually move toward purely trade relationships, focusing on the Dutch top sectors where it might be easier to achieve the worldwide success of Dutch businesses. Self-interest was the main incentive for this reformed approach, casti... Mehr ...
Verfasser: | |
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Dokumenttyp: | Thesis Master of Science
UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education Delft; |
Erscheinungsdatum: | 2016 |
Verlag/Hrsg.: |
Delft : UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education;
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Schlagwörter: | development aid / policy / trade / the Netherlands / Kenya |
Sprache: | unknown |
Permalink: | https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27587377 |
Datenquelle: | BASE; Originalkatalog |
Powered By: | BASE |
Link(s) : | https://doi.org/10.25831/wzx9-r616 |
Set within a broader mainstream 'aid effectiveness' debate and embedded in a neo-liberal discourse, the new Dutch 'Aid and Trade' development policy shifted towards poverty eradication jointly with economic growth and prosperity for Dutch companies abroad. Throughout this agenda, the Netherlands is seeking to reduce the aid provided to its recipient countries and eventually move toward purely trade relationships, focusing on the Dutch top sectors where it might be easier to achieve the worldwide success of Dutch businesses. Self-interest was the main incentive for this reformed approach, casting aside the moral motive and solidarity that used to characterise the past Dutch development policies. Moreover, by merging aid and trade, the Dutch agenda for development appears to focus mainly on fostering Dutch business opportunities rather than facilitating the entry of low income countries in global economics. Steered by this policy shift, yet concerned about the consequences of its implementation, this research essentially aims to understand "what the policy means in practices". By unravelling the everyday practices of WASH development practitioners in Kenya it allows for a better cognizance of the policy itself and of the process that result from its implementation. Abiding by the Rein and Schön definition of policy frame, this study firstly describes the policy discourses that frame problems, normalize ideas and select certain solutions. The new agenda was driven by the perception that aid was not effective and that only market based policies would offer the necessary opportunities for development. At the same time, the geography of power and poverty that characterises the world today, encouraged the shift toward trade and gave priority to Dutch economic interests. This research found that 'Aid and Trade' basically implies leaving room for the private sector, increasing opportunities for the Dutch companies, privileging productive activities and lastly, provide leverage for additional investments. In particular ...