Journal Article

Peculiar timing for cutting down on Nordic aid

Cuts can hit Nordic countries like a boomerang

Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden all cut down on development cooperation: Denmark and Finland mainly to save money, Norway and Sweden to make room for additional spending on receiving refugees within the aid budget.

As the allocation of resources for humanitarian relief is maintained at the existing level or increased, long-term development cooperation suffers an exceptional cut not seen in 50 years of Nordic aid. In this article in Development Today,Lars Engberg-Pedersen discusses the implications.

The timing is peculiar, he writes, as the need for broad development cooperation increases given the serious global crises these years including climate change, civil wars, pandemics, etc. As small open economies dependent on a stable and peaceful world, the Nordic countries risk that their cuts will hit them as a boomerang.

DIIS Experts

Lars Engberg Petersen
Sustainable development and governance
Head of unit, Senior researcher
+45 3269 8695
The end of Nordic aid
Development today, 2015, 2015-11-08T01:00:00