Decoloniality in Germany's foreign aid? Exploring the case of the 'Marshallplan with Africa' and the role of public personnel in official development assistance
(2023) SIMV29 20231Department of Political Science
Graduate School
Master of Science in Development Studies
- Abstract
- This thesis examines the role of public servants in official development assistance (ODA), a form of foreign aid administered by states. While research on foreign aid highlights its potential to improve living conditions, it also reveals issues of ineffectiveness and overconfidence within the aid sector. Moreover, certain forms of foreign aid continued and can still continue to perpetuate colonial legacies within public service structures. The primary objective of this thesis is to explore the potential for decolonial praxis among public servants in the context of ODA. Employing an exploratory and qualitative research design, this study utilizes a least-likely-case study logic to shed light on this underexplored topic. Historical... (More)
- This thesis examines the role of public servants in official development assistance (ODA), a form of foreign aid administered by states. While research on foreign aid highlights its potential to improve living conditions, it also reveals issues of ineffectiveness and overconfidence within the aid sector. Moreover, certain forms of foreign aid continued and can still continue to perpetuate colonial legacies within public service structures. The primary objective of this thesis is to explore the potential for decolonial praxis among public servants in the context of ODA. Employing an exploratory and qualitative research design, this study utilizes a least-likely-case study logic to shed light on this underexplored topic. Historical Institutionalism is included as a theory to better understand the institutional dynamics in public administration. Specifically, this thesis empirically examines the German ODA-policy 'Marshallplan with Africa'. It argues that despite the structural challenges within public administration, public servants can act as agents of decolonial change within ODA policies. Bureaucratic autonomy and the role of intentions have been identified as two crucial factors influencing the strategic choices made by public servants. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9142682
- author
- Lindemann, Jens LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SIMV29 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- decoloniality, Historical Institutionalism, Official Development Assistance, foreign aid, public administration, qualitative elite interviews
- language
- English
- id
- 9142682
- date added to LUP
- 2024-02-01 10:03:30
- date last changed
- 2024-05-07 12:36:38
@misc{9142682, abstract = {{This thesis examines the role of public servants in official development assistance (ODA), a form of foreign aid administered by states. While research on foreign aid highlights its potential to improve living conditions, it also reveals issues of ineffectiveness and overconfidence within the aid sector. Moreover, certain forms of foreign aid continued and can still continue to perpetuate colonial legacies within public service structures. The primary objective of this thesis is to explore the potential for decolonial praxis among public servants in the context of ODA. Employing an exploratory and qualitative research design, this study utilizes a least-likely-case study logic to shed light on this underexplored topic. Historical Institutionalism is included as a theory to better understand the institutional dynamics in public administration. Specifically, this thesis empirically examines the German ODA-policy 'Marshallplan with Africa'. It argues that despite the structural challenges within public administration, public servants can act as agents of decolonial change within ODA policies. Bureaucratic autonomy and the role of intentions have been identified as two crucial factors influencing the strategic choices made by public servants.}}, author = {{Lindemann, Jens}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{Decoloniality in Germany's foreign aid? Exploring the case of the 'Marshallplan with Africa' and the role of public personnel in official development assistance}}, year = {{2023}}, }