Paper short abstract:

A reflection on the ways the global development paradigm impinges on Northern donor policies and institutions, including what may be gained or lost in the process.

Paper long abstract:

I will likely raise more questions than provide definitive answers in my remarks. Nevertheless, my aim is to bring this discussion on global development into dialogue with ongoing policy reflections about the changing role and functions of Northern providers of concessional finance (ie "donors").

Some of the questions I would like to reflect on:

Does global development point to dissolution, reform or radical transformation of donors? What does it imply for the allocation of concessional aid? How does it shift the locus of engagement across government actors? What kind of knoweldge and expertise might be required and where should it sit? What channels and interlocutors become more relevant?

Drawing attention to such questions can help identify new topics for research that straddle the academic-policy divide.