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.
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.
In the second epiosde of the series, Ivica and Melita lead the discussion on aid as soft power.
Joining them to discuss this are Stephen Brown, Professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, where he is also affiliated to the School of International Development and Global Studies; and Rose Worden, a Senior Analyst, and Public Affairs and Policy Advisor.
Global Aid Rethink publishes fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 22nd April 2025 to 1st July.
- Read the transcript here
Episode credits:
Presenters: Ivica Petrikova, Royal Holloway, University of London and Melita Lazell, Portsmouth University
Guests: Professor Stephen Brown and Rose Worden
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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