Jonathan Glennie writing in The Guardian reports that South-South Co-operation is making a comeback, but it's time for an aid model that does away with such outmoded categories.
Some extracts are below. The full article is linked here.
One of the many revolutions taking place in the world of international aid and co-operation is the rebirth of a movement that challenges what is now generally described as the "traditional" aid model. Instead of a vertical donor-recipient approach to aid giving, south-south cooperation (SSC) emphasises horizontality and mutuality.
It is one of the big ideas on the development landscape and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), to its credit, is fully supporting it – despite the challenging critique of OECD donor practices at its heart.
SSC has been revitalised recently as the hegemony of the west has faltered, allowing other powers and theories to enter the fray.
SSC is much more than just another aid modality. As well as financing, SSC consists of exchange of experts, technical assistance, goods and services (in kind), information on best practices, and initiatives to increase joint-negotiation capacities.
But its political significance may be as important as its anticipated concrete impacts.
At its most radical, SSC challenges a form of development that has served northern interests more than those of the "recipients" of aid.
While northern development models favour words like growth and poverty reduction, SSC emphasises jobs and institution building. While aid givers in the north are infatuated with "results" (short-term targets being reached), SSC sees the importance of processes and longer-term capacity development. Read more here.
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