The future of development agencies

The changing context for global development cooperation provides a stimulus for considering the fitness of development agencies in facing future challenges. In a new article, DIIS researchers Erik Lundsgaarde and Adam Fejerskov argue that debates on future directions for these organizations should be informed both by a clarification of the functions they are expected to serve and by a recognition that bureaucratic adaptation to external challenges can involve a drift away from core areas of competence. Some will be ready for future challenges, while other must perish to avoid ineffective development cooperation.

Agencies will need to consider their organizational specialization within a domestic and international division of labour. Today, these assume a variety of roles, and pursue varied areas of thematic and geographical specialization. In the future, not all those functions and roles are needed, and governments must reinforce mandates of organizations whose core functions respond to emerging challenges rather than encouraging all agencies to expand to areas where they lack expertise and will be unable to deliver.