A conversation with Prof Dirk-Jan Koch on his new book Foreign Aid and its Unintended Consequences.
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This seminar will take the form of a public conversation with Dirk-Jan Koch about his new book Foreign Aid and its Unintended Consequences (open access). We will discuss the key premise of the book, that foreign aid and international development frequently bring with it a range of unintended consequences, both negative and positive. We will consider how the book delves into these consequences, and its theoretical framework based on complexity thinking.
The author will share some key insights that the book offers regarding the ten most prevalent kinds of unintended effects of foreign aid: backlash effects, conflict effects, migration and resettlement effects, price effects, marginalization effects, behavioural effects, negative spill-over effects, governance effects, environmental effects, and ripple effects.
The author will also refer to some of the book’s case studies that analyse the mechanisms underpinning the unintended effects and proposing ways in which policymakers, practitioners, and evaluators can tackle negative side effects and maximize positive side effects. Based on these examples, we will open up a discussion with the audience on the book’s recommendations about side effects to anticipate when planning, executing, and evaluating aid and what might contribute towards a “radical reboot” of foreign aid.
Speaker
Dirk-Jan Koch is Chief Science Officer of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is Special Professor of International Trade & Development Cooperation at Radboud University, the Netherlands.
Chair
Peter Taylor, Director of Research, IDS.
How to read the book
The book can be downloaded for free from the publisher Taylor and Francis.
If you wish to purchase a copy of the book then you can use this discount code: EFL03 for 20% off.
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Accessibility
If you are attending in person, then the IDS Convening Space is located on the first floor of the IDS Building. For those that need a lift, please press floor 1A to access the venue.
If you have any accessibility needs for this event, email: [email protected].
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