The relationships between stakeholders engaged in development assistance: towards an analytical framework

This working paper combines and systematizes general and specific approaches to studying aid relationships to better understand the relationships between stakeholders engaged in development assistance. Using the actor-centred institutionalism as an epistemological foundation, it emphasizes the role of actors and institutions. In terms of actors, this paper focuses on relationships between providers of development assistance (donor-donor), providers and countries receiving aid (donor-recipient state), and relationships of donors and recipient states with civil society organizations (donor/recipient state – CSOs). In terms of institutions, it elaborates on the role of underlying issues in development aid, such as power dynamics (including aid-dependence and capacity), aid volatility, and its (non) flexibility. The paper introduces ‘interaction’ as a generic term encompassing various forms of aid relationships and defines the following ideal types of interaction between the actors: non-coordination, coordination, unequal and equal types of cooperation. Based on practical examples, this working paper illustrates the complexity of aid structure and the multiplicity of actors engaged in development assistance. The paper problematizes the use of aggregated approaches to actors in understanding their relationships with each other.