Call for papers: Conference jointly organized by UNU-WIDER and the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation
United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), on behalf of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co- operation (GPEDC) and with the support of the European Union, is organizing an international research conference on the effectiveness of development co-operation.
The conference will provide a forum for presentation and discussion of high-quality research that speaks to the relationship between development aid and development outcomes, including the factors that constrain and influence aid effectiveness and performance. Given current trends in aid allocations and development co-operation, we are particularly interested in papers focused on fragile and conflict-affected countries and in low-income countries, but also welcome research conducted elsewhere, including in countries where the dependence on external concessional finance is less.
The conference will be held in November 2022 (dates TBC) in Brussels. Key findings of the conference will be compiled to provide evidence-based input into the work of the GPEDC and in particular the 2022 GPEDC High-Level Meeting to be held in Geneva. Four principles of ‘effective development co-operation’ form the basis of GPEDC’s work:
(1) ownership of development priorities by developing countries
(2) focus on results
(3) inclusive partnerships, and
(4) transparency and accountability to each other.
About the conference
The two-day conference will provide a forum to discuss innovative, theoretical, and empirical research and its policy take-aways. We welcome submissions of individual papers, as well as of panels. Panels will include 3–4 papers and may include a discussant. We welcome qualitative and quantitative analyses; analysis drawing on new primary sources or existing data; single or multiple case studies; as well as high-quality reviews of the literature and research findings. We are particularly interested in submissions that speak to questions such as the following:
• What is the relationship between the implementation of development effectiveness principles and development outcomes, including progress on Sustainable Development Goals targets and Leave No One Behind? What factors influence this relationship?
• What is the relationship between the implementation of development effectiveness principles and access to and use of development finance (bilateral, multilateral, global funds, climate finance)?
• What factors and conditions facilitate or hamper the practical implementation of aid effectiveness principles (whether collectively or in terms of particular principles such as local ownership)?
• How do the politics and policies of aid-recipient countries matter to aid effectiveness? What are the implications of this for aid policy?
• What works or does not work in development aid and development co-operation in fragile and conflict-affected contexts? How is this different or similar to other contexts, such as countries for whom external aid is less important?
• What is the relationship between development co-operation, governance, and democracy? What does ‘ownership’ mean and how can ownership be fostered in nondemocratic contexts?
Please, find here the link to the Call for Papers.
Please note that the deadline for submissions is 19 April 2022.
