The EU, the United States and Partnership in Development Cooperation: Bridging the Gap?

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates the degree to which EU and United States development policies reflect partnership, meaning that aid is based on negotiations on an equal basis. It finds that, while the EU has traditionally been more focused on partnership than the United States, in recent years the gap is narrowing. The EU is increasingly providing aid based on a security rationale and has become reluctant to give budget support, while the United States is starting to work more with local actors. Changes in public support for aid, the EU’s growing role as a security provider and institutional changes can explain this trend.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (Stanford University) and the Center for Transatlantic Relations (Johns Hopkins University) for hosting me during this study and for helping me to find contacts in Washington, DC. Furthermore, a sincere word of gratitude to all the interviewees who took the time to help me gain more insight in EU and US development policies. Also thanks to Thomas Risse and Nelli Babayan and other participants of the workshop at the FU Berlin in July 2014 for their insightful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. See, for example, Kagen (2002) on diplomacy, Magen, Risse, and McFaul (2009) on democracy promotion, Steets and Hamilton (2009) on humanitarian aid, Babarinda and Faber (2007) on trade, Kelemen and Vogel (2009).

2. The European Development Fund is the EU’s main instrument for providing development aid to ACP countries.

3. For a recent analysis of the EU as a global security provider see the recent Special Issue ‘Theorising the European Union as an International Security Provider: Actors, Processes, Outcomes and Impact’, Global Society, 29(2), 2015.

4. Devex, USAID: A history of US foreign aid: https://pages.devex.com/usaid-history.

5. Devex, USAID: A history of US foreign aid: https://pages.devex.com/usaid-history.

6. https://www.usaid.gov/results-and-data/planning/country-strategies-cdcs (last accessed 13 February 2016).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Belgian American Educational Foundation; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; US-UK Fulbright Commission.