Europe’s Twin Continent Retroliberalism in EU Development Policy targeting Africa – a Narrative Study
(2020) STVM23 20201Department of Political Science
- Abstract (Swedish)
- This study analyses the constitutive power of narratives in relation to a retroliberal paradigm shift in EU development policy by focusing on blended finance targeting sub-Saharan Africa. This study builds on the claims of Mawdsley (2015) that a reconfiguration of global development policy has challenged the North ontologically, which have been accompanied with the emergence of retroliberalism. The study contends that as the EU’s routine actions in development policy has been disrupted; it has also challenged the EU’s ontological security. This has required the EU to shift its narratives on development policy, away from its purpose for atonement, towards one underscoring mutual benefit. It highlights 2015 and the migrant crisis as... (More)
- This study analyses the constitutive power of narratives in relation to a retroliberal paradigm shift in EU development policy by focusing on blended finance targeting sub-Saharan Africa. This study builds on the claims of Mawdsley (2015) that a reconfiguration of global development policy has challenged the North ontologically, which have been accompanied with the emergence of retroliberalism. The study contends that as the EU’s routine actions in development policy has been disrupted; it has also challenged the EU’s ontological security. This has required the EU to shift its narratives on development policy, away from its purpose for atonement, towards one underscoring mutual benefit. It highlights 2015 and the migrant crisis as particularly seminal events to this shift. Through a narrative analysis, the study reveals the constitutive power of the narrative shift. It argues that the shifting of the setting of the narrative to the global stage, allowed EU to envision its own gains from development policy. Furthermore, by undermining character distinctions between Europe and Africa, it legitimised the exportation of blended finance from a European context to an African context. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9009643
- author
- Söndergaard, Frederik LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- STVM23 20201
- year
- 2020
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Development Policy, European Union, Africa, European External Action Service, Ontological Security, Narrative, Identity
- language
- English
- id
- 9009643
- date added to LUP
- 2020-08-14 12:27:23
- date last changed
- 2020-08-14 12:27:23
@misc{9009643,
abstract = {{This study analyses the constitutive power of narratives in relation to a retroliberal paradigm shift in EU development policy by focusing on blended finance targeting sub-Saharan Africa. This study builds on the claims of Mawdsley (2015) that a reconfiguration of global development policy has challenged the North ontologically, which have been accompanied with the emergence of retroliberalism. The study contends that as the EU’s routine actions in development policy has been disrupted; it has also challenged the EU’s ontological security. This has required the EU to shift its narratives on development policy, away from its purpose for atonement, towards one underscoring mutual benefit. It highlights 2015 and the migrant crisis as particularly seminal events to this shift. Through a narrative analysis, the study reveals the constitutive power of the narrative shift. It argues that the shifting of the setting of the narrative to the global stage, allowed EU to envision its own gains from development policy. Furthermore, by undermining character distinctions between Europe and Africa, it legitimised the exportation of blended finance from a European context to an African context.}},
author = {{Söndergaard, Frederik}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Europe’s Twin Continent Retroliberalism in EU Development Policy targeting Africa – a Narrative Study}},
year = {{2020}},
}