Debate

All published articles in this category.

Extreme poverty can be fought - now!

Of: Olof Hesselmark

With its investment in subsidies, fertilizers and seeds for poor farmers, Malawi has shown that hunger and poverty can be combated effectively if only the will exists. The Western world's view that subsidies disrupt the market and that fertilizers lead to eutrophication is not true in Africa because the increased production goes to self-sufficiency and that the fertilizers do not have to be concentrated as much as in Europe. That is the opinion of Olof Hesselmark, a retired economist and computer scientist.

December 6, 2011, Debate

Lack of knowledge in development assistance structures!

Of: Lisa Roman

REPLY Joakim Stymne paints a very positive picture of the government's reforms of development aid and Fredrik Segerfeldt interprets development aid research too ideologically. Sida has been underdeveloped in terms of follow-up and analysis of results, while Minister for Development Aid Gunilla Carlsson's mistrust of the aid's implementers has hampered constructive improvements. What is missing is a management culture that systematically takes advantage of knowledge. That is the opinion of Lisa Román, freelance writer and former head of Sida's unit for development analysis.

October 17, 2011, Debate

Have adequate faith in the assistance

Of: Joakim Stymne

In just a few years, Aid Minister Gunilla Carlsson (M) has successfully challenged dominant special interests in the aid debate and pushed through the biggest aid policy reforms ever. What made this possible and what has it resulted in? Joakim Stymne, former State Secretary for International Development Cooperation, believes that significant improvements have been made but that we cannot expect aid to create growth.

October 10, 2011, Debate

Doubtful handling of EU consulting services

Of: Olof Hesselmark

Most people believe that development assistance activities should be conducted in an efficient manner, so that as much of the resources as possible reach the recipients. With regard to the EU's management of consulting services, there is a long way to go before this desire is met. This is the opinion of the debater Olof Hesselmark, who here talks about his experiences as a consultant in the development assistance industry.

September 28, 2011, Debate

How commercial export business in the 1970s in Africa was transformed into "budget support" for Sweden in 2011

Of: Bertil Odén

This summer, there has been a debate about the fact that write-offs of overdue but unpaid loans to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo will reduce the development assistance budget by the corresponding amount, in this case just over SEK XNUMX billion. How did this reduction in the development aid budget actually go? Bertil Odén leaves here his picture of the step-by-step transformation.

August 24, 2011, Debate

Think further or continue to let the transfer axiom rule?

Of: Johan Åkerblom

Sida has been commissioned by the government to propose a concentration of Swedish bilateral development assistance. But when Sida is to "concentrate" again, it should start by asking the questions: Why should we have bilateral aid at all? Why do we not send the money through the EU or the World Bank, when the majority of the money is still to be put in a common donor pot? What exactly is the raison d'être of bilateral aid?

April 26, 2011, Debate

Land focus: The major development aid reform?

Of: Goran Holmqvist and Mats Hårsmar

One of the more talked about reforms of Swedish development assistance during the past term of office was the decision to focus on a smaller number of partner countries. It was a reform that was welcomed not least by the development assistance administration. Increased focus enables increased efficiency and thus probably better results from development assistance. Three years later, it can be stated that the geographical fragmentation of Swedish development assistance is largely unchanged.

November 24, 2010, Debate