Frames of self-reliance: an analysis of evolving international development discourse

Abstract

Self-reliance has been advanced by policy actors as an aspirational objective by and for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with evolution in framing over time. Most recently, it has been advanced by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in an organisational strategy titled the Journey to Self-Reliance (J2SR). This paper identifies why self-reliance has evolved over time, how actors have supported its use, and implications for development practice. We identify self-reliance frames using peer-reviewed and grey literature and key informant interviews. Thematic analysis using framing theories was conducted. Self-reliance originates from a historical legacy of postcolonial scholarship, but it has been transformed from an emancipatory paradigm to a strategy championed by international donors. Three frames were identified: (1) the emancipatory frame, led by LMIC actors; (2) the reformist frame, led by donor agencies; and (3) the J2SR frame, led by USAID. We argue that while the J2SR frame is the most visible in today’s discourse, the emancipatory frame continues to influence policy and rhetoric. This phenomenon reflects the importance of strategic ambiguity and the ability of the frame sponsor to exert power through ideas. It also represents the limits of donor agencies in instrumentalising frames to meet their institutional interests.

Keywords:

• Framing
• power and politics
• Global South
• foreign aid
• discourse analysis

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Johns Hopkins Welch Medical Library librarian Rachael Lebo for her assistance in developing and executing the comprehensive search strategy for this study, and Dr Adam Koon for reviewing an early version of the manuscript draft and providing constructive comments. The authors also thank the anonymous reviewers for helping to substantively improve the paper.

Disclosure statement

The first author was an independent consultant for MOMENTUM on a different topic during a portion of this study.

Additional information

Funding

This study was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of the Cooperative Agreement #7200AA20CA00002, led by Jhpiego and partners. The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Notes on contributors

Rachel Neill

Rachel Neill is a health policy and systems researcher in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research analyses both the technical components and political economy implications of health systems reforms, particularly in the areas of health governance, financing and service delivery. Her work has been published in the BMJ, BMJ Global Health, Health Policy and Planning and other peer-reviewed journals. She received her MA from Stanford University and her BA from the University of Georgia.

Yusra Ribhi Shawar

Yusra Shawar, MPH PhD, is Assistant Scientist in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and holds a joint courtesy appointment at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Her research concerns the global governance of health and the politics of health policy processes. Her work has been published in multiple journals including The Lancet, Lancet Global Health, and the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. She has been involved in three Lancet series, as well as a WHO–UNICEF–Lancet commission on child well-­being. She is a section editor at Health Policy and Planning. She received her undergraduate and MPH degrees from the University of Virginia and her doctorate from the Department of Public Administration and Public Policy at American University, and she was a post-doctoral fellow in the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Kunnuji

Michael Kunnuji is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He has led several studies in adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, humanitarian contexts, child health, global health and health systems, and social policies in Nigeria and internationally. His research addresses social problems through evidence-building for programming and policymaking. His works have been published in several peer-reviewed international journals.

Malvikha Manoj

Malvikha Manoj, MSPH, is Research Associate in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research interests include the politics of health policy, health governance and leadership, and youth mental health systems and policy research. She also works as Consultant at UNICEF, working for both UNICEF’s Headquarters and the Middle East and North Africa Regional Office. Prior, she was a Youth-Systems Engagement Manager at citiesRISE, a global platform committed to transforming the state of mental health policy and practice in cities and beyond to meet the mental health needs of populations across the world.

Jeremy Shiffman

Jeremy Shiffman is Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Global Health Policy at Johns Hopkins University. A political scientist by training, his research focusses on the politics of health and social policymaking in low-income countries and in global governance. His research has been funded by the Gates, MacArthur, Rockefeller, GHR, Oak and Open Societies foundations, among other organisations. He received the Gary and Stacey Jacobs Award for excellence in health policy research. He has served on multiple technical advisory committees for organisations working in global health, and is on the editorial board of several health policy journals.