Promising development: The future of aid in an uncertain world

The postwar international order is breaking down – and with it, the international aid system. In particular, important donor countries, including the US and UK, have reduced the amount of development support they provide.

The shock of this moment has prompted an explosion of thought on how to meet it. This collection of essays brings together leading politicians – past and present – and NGO leaders to answer the question we face: what is the future of international development? The contributors explore both how we can maximise the impact of aid investment in the short term and how we might be able to rebuild political support for international development in the long term. 

Baroness Chapman – the minister for international development – argues that we need to move beyond defining our value by how much we spend. She sets out four shifts – from donor to investor, service delivery to system support, grants to expertise, and international intervention to local provision – which she hopes will improve the impact we can deliver in straightened times.

Produced in collaboration with Labour Campaign for International Development, with the kind support of Save the Children and the Betterworld Foundation.