Contributions to Political Science

Development cooperation has long been a subject of controversy. Which approaches produce lasting results? Where do persistent challenges remain? And when must we acknowledge outright failure? Such questions are plentiful, yet reliable answers remain scarce. This book delivers a rigorous and nuanced assessment of development cooperation’s effectiveness. Its analysis is grounded in a wide-ranging review of independent evaluation reports and several hundred expert interviews. Detailed examples from more than 50 donor and recipient countries on five continents, spanning over two decades, offer a uniquely broad evidence base. Special attention is given to European Union and German initiatives. The focus lies on the effectiveness of good governance - widely regarded as the cornerstone of global development in the 21st century. First published in German, this English edition was facilitated by artificial intelligence and subsequently revised, expanded, and updated by the authors for accuracy and relevance.