Global Aid Rethink
Global Aid Rethink
Podcast Description
Global Aid Rethink aims to rethink the current global aid landscape; politically, historically and ideologically. With funding for development aid at its lowest for decades and the sustainable development goals related to aid significantly off-track, the question of whether we should give aid at all remains divisive as ever – and this podcast is not afraid to ask the difficult questions. Hosted by Ivica Petrikova, an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Melita Lazell, Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development at the University of Portsmouth, delivers in-depth conversations with policymakers, practitioners and academics.Key themes up for discussion in the series include recent developments in the UK and US, aid as soft power, as neocolonialism, as extraction and in practice.Global Aid Rethink publishes fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 22nd April 2025 to 1st July.This podcast was generously funded by the ESRC-funded Royal Holloway Social Science Impact Accelerator Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast addresses a range of pressing themes related to global aid, including political frameworks, historical perspectives, and ideological critiques. Specific episodes explore topics like the recent shifts in UK and US aid policies, the role of aid as a form of soft power, perceived neocolonial aspects of aid, and the practical implications of aid delivery in current contexts.
Global Aid Rethink aims to rethink the current global aid landscape; politically, historically and ideologically. With funding for development aid at its lowest for decades and the sustainable development goals related to aid significantly off-track, the question of whether we should give aid at all remains divisive as ever – and this podcast is not afraid to ask the difficult questions.
Hosted by Ivica Petrikova, an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Melita Lazell, Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development at the University of Portsmouth, delivers in-depth conversations with policymakers, practitioners and academics.
Key themes up for discussion in the series include recent developments in the UK and US, aid as soft power, as neocolonialism, as extraction and in practice.
Global Aid Rethink publishes fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 22nd April 2025 to 1st July.
This podcast was generously funded by the ESRC-funded Royal Holloway Social Science Impact Accelerator
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the final episode of Global Aid Rethink, hosts Ivica Petrikova (Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London) and Melita Lazell (Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development at the University of Portsmouth) engage in a comprehensive discussion on the future of aid.
With global aid funding at its lowest in decades and the Sustainable Development Goals significantly off-track, this concluding episode synthesises insights from across the series, reflecting on the profound shifts in the global aid landscape. It examines the implications of recent aid cuts in the UK and US, the evolving geopolitical context, and the challenges of rebuilding the moral and political case for international assistance.
Joining Ivica and Melita for this concluding conversation is Dr. Jack Taggart, a researcher in critical approaches to international political economy, the politics of international development, and the dynamics of global governance, based at Queen’s University Belfast. They explore the historical precedents for aid retrenchment and revival, the rise of national self-interest and financialisation in aid agendas, and the potential for a more fragmented, unilateral future for aid provision. The discussion also addresses the barriers to implementing more effective, recipient-owned development approaches and the crucial need for improved public communication regarding aid’s impact and purpose.
Global Aid Rethink publishes fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 22nd April 2025 to 1st July.
- Read the transcript here
This is a Research Podcasts production.
Episode credits:
Presenters: Ivica Petrikova, Royal Holloway, University of London and Melita Lazell, Portsmouth University
Guests: Jack Taggart
Producer: Catherine McDonald, Research Podcasts
Music: MFCC via Pixabay
Artwork and Audiograms: Krissie Brighty-Glover and Lauren White, Research Podcasts
This podcast was generously funded by the ESRC-funded Royal Holloway Social Science Impact Accelerator
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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