My degree
I know this probably only interests me, but since I had to write a short summary of the project for my masters thesis in English, I thought I´d post it so you all could finally know just what it is I´m working on. I, polite as always, place it beneath a cut so you don´t have to read it if you don´t want to.
”With a unique understanding of local relations”
-Non-governmental organizations´ unique position in Norwegian development aid
Introduction:
During the 1970s, the Norwegian budget for development aid grew decisively and became a considerable expence post both measured in Norwegian kroner and in percentage of GNP. The budget grew extensively, from 690 million kroner in 1974 to 2,4 billion kroner in 1980, a considerable amount measured by other OECD countries transfers to developing countries. During this same period, the Norwegian Agency for development Cooperation (Norad) developed an extensive cooperation with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) dealing with development aid both inside Norwegian borders and out in the field. The idea that NGOs were particularly well prepared to reach local populous and that they were more flexible and had better contacts in the less developed countries (LDCs), appeared in the written sources from early in 1970 and can be found more frequently throughout the 1970s and 1980s. This paper will attempt to trace these assumptions and decipher why it became an assumed truth that NGOs were better equipped to run developmental aid in the period of 1970-1990.
Problem:
Both Rolf Tamnes, Arild Engelsen Ruud and Kirsten Alsaker Kjerland devote some space of their respective books addressing the work of NGOs in Norwegian development aid and while both works support the view that the NGOs had both the experience, the knowledge and the will to be more efficient in their work in LDCs than their state counterparts, neither book has much support for these statements. It seems that the idea of the NGOs particular forte in the war on powerty is present in contemporary history, but that it is largely unsupported. The aim of this paper is thus to attempt to pinpoint the point of origin of this view in the written sources of the period, to try to discern the reasons behind the idea and to scetch out the ramifications of this view in modern development aid. An interesting point that will be addressed in the paper is the question of why one can trace a parallell development of collaboration with NGOs at the same time as the state keeps stressing the importance of political and economical conditionality in development aid.
Method:
Development aid and the politics around it is an area ripe with emotion and biases. It will therefore be especially important for me to keep an eye out for personal agendas when I read the sources. In addition to that I will focus on the use of language in the debates and how certain words are used to forward certain views in development aid. Argumentational analysis will therefore be central to my work.
In addition to this, I will attempt to analyse the structures around the politics of development aid. There were several structural prerequisites influencing which areas and modes of work and organization that were possible to choose in the period, and I wish to ascern what these were. At the same time some focus must remain on single players of the system. After all, there weren´t that many players in development aid in Norway in my period so one person could be able to influence a rather large part of the politics. So far I will keep the possibility of linking this paper to a general transnational trend, if time allows me to compare the situation in Norway with other countries.
When it comes to sources I will base my work on Norwegian archives. I will look at the debates from the Norwegian parliament (Stortinget), Norads reports and the State department´s archives. In addition I will attempt to research the larger NGOs archives from the period. In addition to this I will base my study on some interviews of central players from the period.
”With a unique understanding of local relations”
-Non-governmental organizations´ unique position in Norwegian development aid
Introduction:
During the 1970s, the Norwegian budget for development aid grew decisively and became a considerable expence post both measured in Norwegian kroner and in percentage of GNP. The budget grew extensively, from 690 million kroner in 1974 to 2,4 billion kroner in 1980, a considerable amount measured by other OECD countries transfers to developing countries. During this same period, the Norwegian Agency for development Cooperation (Norad) developed an extensive cooperation with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) dealing with development aid both inside Norwegian borders and out in the field. The idea that NGOs were particularly well prepared to reach local populous and that they were more flexible and had better contacts in the less developed countries (LDCs), appeared in the written sources from early in 1970 and can be found more frequently throughout the 1970s and 1980s. This paper will attempt to trace these assumptions and decipher why it became an assumed truth that NGOs were better equipped to run developmental aid in the period of 1970-1990.
Problem:
Both Rolf Tamnes, Arild Engelsen Ruud and Kirsten Alsaker Kjerland devote some space of their respective books addressing the work of NGOs in Norwegian development aid and while both works support the view that the NGOs had both the experience, the knowledge and the will to be more efficient in their work in LDCs than their state counterparts, neither book has much support for these statements. It seems that the idea of the NGOs particular forte in the war on powerty is present in contemporary history, but that it is largely unsupported. The aim of this paper is thus to attempt to pinpoint the point of origin of this view in the written sources of the period, to try to discern the reasons behind the idea and to scetch out the ramifications of this view in modern development aid. An interesting point that will be addressed in the paper is the question of why one can trace a parallell development of collaboration with NGOs at the same time as the state keeps stressing the importance of political and economical conditionality in development aid.
Method:
Development aid and the politics around it is an area ripe with emotion and biases. It will therefore be especially important for me to keep an eye out for personal agendas when I read the sources. In addition to that I will focus on the use of language in the debates and how certain words are used to forward certain views in development aid. Argumentational analysis will therefore be central to my work.
In addition to this, I will attempt to analyse the structures around the politics of development aid. There were several structural prerequisites influencing which areas and modes of work and organization that were possible to choose in the period, and I wish to ascern what these were. At the same time some focus must remain on single players of the system. After all, there weren´t that many players in development aid in Norway in my period so one person could be able to influence a rather large part of the politics. So far I will keep the possibility of linking this paper to a general transnational trend, if time allows me to compare the situation in Norway with other countries.
When it comes to sources I will base my work on Norwegian archives. I will look at the debates from the Norwegian parliament (Stortinget), Norads reports and the State department´s archives. In addition I will attempt to research the larger NGOs archives from the period. In addition to this I will base my study on some interviews of central players from the period.