The potential winds of change blowing through UK international development

There are potential winds of change blowing through UK international development, as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) changes how it thinks about and does development. ‘Development’ should not be just about money, nor about a donor 'doing development to' a recipient.

An effective new country partnership model offers an opportunity. Innovative UK country engagement and support for policymakers’ priorities can leverage policy reform for development impact – and help mitigate the impact of the cut to UK aid – in the four FCDO focus areas, including growth and jobs.

Growth and jobs

Most countries with which the FCDO works want growth and jobs. As the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, told the Foreign Affairs Select Committee: 
“I was with President Ruto [of Kenya] just two weeks ago. He is not raising development with me…. 'We want trade, investment, jobs—the same things you want in your poorest constituencies.' That is what they say to us.”

African policymakers want growth and jobs for good reasons. In the last 15 years economic growth has slowed, and more people are living in poverty. By 2050 there will be 600 million more people in the African labour force – a near doubling – that’s nearly three-quarters of the net increase in the global labour force. Half the growth of working-age people in Africa will be in just six countries (Figure 1).

Making a new country partnership model effective

UK engagement with what countries want would make a new country partnership model work. When innovative UK technical assistance (TA) contributes to the reforms countries want it can be leveraged into significant development impact. UK TA can also be aligned with UK foreign policy priorities, and it can be rigorously assessed for value for money.

Where will the jobs come from?

“Where will the jobs come from?” is one of the most pertinent policy questions. It is a good example of an ambitious country policy challenge that innovative technical assistance (TA) can support. 

The short answer is that jobs will come from economic growth. 

The longer answer is that jobs will come from a mix of changes including: more trade and investment; strengthened health outcomes and foundational learning; and the array of initiatives and investments which help ensure that rapid urbanisation, which will be driven by fast-growing working age population, has strong connectivity and spurs productivity growth – and job creation – rather than producing the congested urban sprawl that fuels youthful protest in Kenya.

The ingredients for accelerating or sustaining growth are well-established. But because policy is political, the recipe for growth, and other ambitious policy objectives, is different in different places at different times. It’s not off-the-shelf solutions or 'what works' blueprints, but innovation beyond 'smart TA' to support reforms in unique political settings.

Innovation beyond ‘Smart TA’

The first innovation is a foundation of deep, careful diagnostics. A growth diagnostic identifies economic distortions, but a 'thicker' diagnostic goes deeper to understand the political context, the ‘elite bargains,’ and the institutional dynamics which shape policy reform, and which make it feasible and sustainable. Founded on such an understanding of political reality, innovative TA programs can support the areas of policy reform across key ingredients for growth which are both likely to happen and contribute to transformation.

Second, innovative TA programmes are designed with two characteristics:

• Trust-based relationships: Effective TA is delivered by localised teams that earn the trust of their government counterparts. This means building relationships where the government is assured that the programme delivery team understands their unique challenges and their interests. Then specific technical expertise is effective. This localised, trust-based, approach can be a core part of a new partnership model. It is also good for broader long-term UK diplomatic relationships.
• Spotting and acting on ‘windows’ of opportunity: An innovative approach to TA moves away from rigid, predetermined work plans. It sets ambitious impact objectives and remains flexible in delivery to adapt as political and economic circumstances shift. This requires co-creation with government counterparts and a high-frequency Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework that allows for rapid adjustments. If a workstream isn't working, it is stopped; if a new opportunity arises, the programme pivots to capitalise on it. That’s how rigorous MEL mitigates delivery risk against ambitious objectives for transformative change.

A new country partnership model offers an opportunity: with innovation, TA can contribute to transformative development impact. 

There is more detail to set out on growth, including on ingredients, institutions and institutional change, and thicker diagnostics; and on the ways to design and deliver top-flight research so that it is rigorous and publishable, and relevant for reform.