Ao longo do último século, o Brasil foi basicamente um receptor de ajuda internacional. Nas últimas décadas, entretanto, o país se firmou como um doador de recursos para países em desenvolvimento por meio de suas ações de Cooperação Internacional ao Desenvolvimento (CID). Embora o país não se considere um doador, na medida em que essa ajuda prestada pelo país se inscreveria no contexto da Cooperação Sul-Sul, o país ganhou proeminência no regime de CID nos últimos anos. A influência dos países emergentes na arquitetura da CID trouxe profundas mudanças ao panorama da cooperação. Ao mesmo tempo, os países emergentes, geralmente classificados como países de renda média, ainda permanecem com altos níveis de pobreza, estimulando um debate sobre se tais recursos utilizados na cooperação internacional não teriam um melhor destino no ambiente doméstico. Assim, por que um país em desenvolvimento com graves problemas socioeconômicos forneceria cooperação no cenário internacional? Por um lado, o discurso oficial durante esse período, especialmente entre 2003 e 2014, era o de que a cooperação fornecida pelo Brasil, sobretudo em sua vertente técnica, se sustentaria em ideais de solidariedade e no intercâmbio de experiências comuns não possuindo interesses materiais. Por outro, analistas apontam para os interesses políticos e econômicos na sua execução. Essa pesquisa busca contribuir com esse debate por meio de uma análise empírica inédita acerca dos padrões de alocação dos gastos com projetos de Cooperação Técnica (CT) realizados pelo Brasil entre os anos de 2000 e 2016. Dialogando com a literatura acerca dos determinantes de ajuda externa, foi analisada a relação entre os gastos com CT por parte do governo brasileiro e variáveis econômicas e políticas referentes aos interesses geopolíticos do Brasil no cenário internacional e variáveis socioeconômicas referentes às necessidades dos países recipientes. Assim, a proposta dessa pesquisa foi analisar quais os determinantes para a alocação dos gastos em projetos de CT brasileira. Os resultados indicam uma relação entre a cooperação técnica brasileira e variáveis referentes aos interesses econômicos e políticos, como empréstimos subsidiados via BNDES, exportações e apoio político dos receptores ao Brasil em Organizações Internacionais; e variáveis referentes às necessidades dos receptores, como nível de desenvolvimento socioeconômico e qualidade democrática. / Over the last century, Brazil was basically an international aid recipient. In the last decades, however, the country has established itself as a donor of resources for developing countries through its actions of International Development Cooperation (IDC). Although the country does not consider itself a donor, to the extent that the country\'s aid is inscribed in the context of South-South Cooperation (SSC), Brazil has gained prominence in the IDC regime in recent years. The influence of emerging countries on IDC architecture has brought profound changes to the cooperation landscape. At the same time, emerging countries, generally classified as middle-income countries, still remain at high levels of poverty, stimulating a debate on whether such resources used in international cooperation would not have a better destination in the domestic environment. Therefore, why would a developing country with serious socio-economic problems provide international cooperation? On the one hand, the official discourse at the time, especially between 2003 and 2014, was that the Brazilian cooperation, particularly in its technical modality, was based on ideals of solidarity and on the exchange of common experiences having no material interests. On the other, analysts point to the political and economic interests in its execution. This research contributes to this debate through an empirical analysis of the Brazilian Technical Cooperation (TC) allocation patterns between 2000 and 2016. Departing from the literature on foreign aid determinants, this study analyzes the relationship between TC expenditures by the Brazilian government and economic and political variables related to Brazil\'s geopolitical interests in the international scenario and socioeconomic variables related to the recipient needs. Thus, this research analyzes the determinants of Brazilian TC projects expenditures allocation. The results indicate a relationship between Brazilian technical cooperation and variables related to economic and political interests, such as subsidized loans through BNDES, exports and political support of recipients to Brazil in International Organizations; and variables related to the recipients\' needs, such as socioeconomic development and democratic quality.

Les projets d’aide internationale au développement sont extrêmement divers. Ils visent des objectifs multiples, prennent des formes variées, atteignent des dimensions très différentes et se déroulent dans des contextes très contrastés. Cette extraordinaire diversité suscite un discours méthodologique extrêmement normatif. En effet, concernant l’évaluation de la performance des projets, un seul dispositif est conçu dès le démarrage des projets et de façon invariante pour toute la durée de l’action. Les outils et les techniques de ces dispositifs sont censés collecter et traiter un grand nombre d’indicateurs également identifiés dès la création des projets à partir du « cadre logique ». Ces outils et techniques sont conçus par des instances éloignées du terrain, et redevables à l’égard de bailleurs de fonds. Dans la réalité, on constate cependant que même les projets dotés de moyens conséquents peinent à maîtriser le processus d’évaluation de la performance. Rares sont les praticiens qui réussissent à mener de bout en bout une évaluation de la performance. Plus rares encore sont les projets dont les comités de pilotages utilisent réellement les données issues de tels dispositifs d’évaluation pour éclairer leur décision. Pourtant, les évaluations de la performance sont systématiquement réalisées au sein de chaque projet d’aide internationale au développement. Cette thèse se propose d’expliquer les raisons d’un tel paradoxe. / International development assistance projects are extremely various. They have multiple objectives, take various forms and take place in contrasted contexts. This diversity causes a normative methodological discourse. Indeed, concerning the project’s performance evaluation, a single and unchangeable management tools is designed from the start to the end of project.This management tools is supposed to collect and process a large number of indicators also designed at the beginning, according to the project « logical framework ». Tools conceives far away from the project and accountable to the donors. In reality, it can be seen that even projects with substantial resources struggle to master the process of evaluating performance. Few practitioners are successful in leading an evaluation of performance. Even few are the projects whose committee leaders use, for making decision, data from such evaluation. However, performance evaluation are systematically carried out within each international development aid project. This research proposes to explain the reasons of such paradox.

Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, ob und inwiefern Mikrokreditprogramme zum Frauenempowerment beitragen. Diese Frage wird anhand des Fallbeispiels des türkischen Grameen Programms im westanatolischen Eskişehir mit qualitativen Methoden empirisch untersucht. Die theoretischen und methodischen Annäherungen an das Konzept des Empowerment bedienen sich dabei des Capability Ansatzes, des soziologischen Konzepts der alltäglichen Lebensführung sowie der Literatur zu Gender und Entwicklung und zum Patriarchat in der Türkei. Im empirischen Feld identifiziert die Arbeit drei unterschiedliche Zugänge zum Frauenempowerment durch Mikrokredite, die miteinander verglichen und diskutiert werden: Neben den Perspektiven der Kreditnehmerinnen selbst, deren Empowermenterfahrung als verbesserte Lebensführung definiert wird, steht zum einen das Empowermentverständnis der Autorin, das auf einer feministisch-liberalen und gleichzeitig globalisierungskritischen Perspektive fußt, und das Empowermentverständnis der Mitarbeiter des Mikrokreditinstituts, die dieses Verständnis an die Kreditnehmerinnen weiterleiten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Kreditnehmerinnen die Mikrokredite trotz für sie problematischer Aspekte eher mit positiven Erfahrungen in Zusammenhang bringen. Des Weiteren betrachten die Mitarbeiter das Programm unkritisch, nach ihrer Ansicht bedeutet Frauenempowerment die Stärkung der Frauen, damit diese die Bedürfnisse ihrer Familien besser erfüllen können. Aus der Perspektive der Autorin bedeuten die Ergebnisse hingegen eine überwiegend unveränderte Fortdauer der Geschlechterungleichheit, die durch die Marginalisierung der Frauen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt und in der Gesellschaft gekennzeichnet ist. / This thesis deals with the question whether or not and to what extent microcredit programmes contribute to women’s empowerment. A qualitative analysis of the Turkish Grameen programme in Eskişehir, Western Anatolia, provides the empirical case study to address the question. The theoretical and methodological approaches to the concept of empowerment adapt and build on the capability approach, the sociological concept of ‘conduct of daily life’ and on the literature on gender and development and patriarchy in Turkey. In the empirical analysis, the study identifies three different approaches to women’s empowerment through microcredits that are compared, contrasted and discussed. In addition to the perspective of the participants themselves for whom empowerment is defined as an improved conduct of everday life, there is the author’s understanding of empowerment which is rooted in a perspective that is liberal-feminist yet critical of globalization. The third perspective is that of employees working for the microcredit institution who transmit their understanding of empowerment to the participating women. The results show that participants overall connect microcredits with positive experiences in spite of a number of problems that arise in the course of the programme. Moreover, employees see the programme very uncritically as women’s empowerment from their point of view consists primarily in enabling women to better provide for their families’ needs. From the author’s perspective, however, the results indicate a largely unchanged persistence of gender inequality marked by women’s marginalization on the labour market and in society as a whole.

As Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and social enterprises become drivers of economic growth, the nexus provides opportunities for new models of business to bring benefits to communities in developing countries. Recognising the complex dynamics and range of actors in this diverse and emerging sector, this study chooses to document the external influences, use and impact of ICT on social enterprises. The problem investigated is the potential gap between the rhetoric of the 'promise of e-business' versus the dynamics of enactment and impacts of ICT in practice in the social enterprise sector. The methodology consists of a mixed-method data collection strategy to triangulate data sources from a diverse cross-section of organisations in the social enterprise sector in Cambodia. These include a cross-sectional survey, interviews, observations, document analysis and review of artefacts. It is unclear whether the Cambodian social enterprise sector represents a unique case or is representative of other countries. Regardless, the rich dynamics of the sector and the current lack of understanding of ICT use by this sector in developing countries per se warrant such a study. It fills a significant gap in the field of ICT and development by providing an in-depth overview of the social enterprise sector in one developing country, which may also be applicable in other developing country contexts. The research maps the e-business status of Cambodian social enterprises along a continuum from precursor activity to fully integrated e-services. It finds that Cambodian social enterprises believe ICT adds value to their operation; however access to affordable and reliable local ICT resources is an important factor determining long-term uptake. It also shows that external support is seen as vital to the success of ICT uptake by social enterprises in Cambodia. Donors have the most significant influence on social enterprises' framing of ICT, whilst NGOs, associations and the private sector are also important institutional players in shaping understanding and uptake of ICT. The main contribution of the research is to identify the real development impact of ICT use by social enterprises by measuring the role of ICTs in achieving their goals. Its major finding is that social and business missions are inextricably linked within these organisations, so to measure one in isolation of the other denies the new paradigm that social enterprises present. The most active sub-sector explored that best reflects this unique value proposition is the emerging social outsourcing potential of the IT services sub-sector. The handicraft and processing sub-sectors have yet to fully engage and use ICT to their maximum benefit. The outlook for these sub-sectors is likely to require further support to best harness the potential that ICT can bring developing countries.

The thesis examines how the social construction of African women in development discourse transformed from the 1970s to the 2000s, focusing in particular on the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). From the 1970s to the 1990s representations of African women were based on women’s economic potential. The mainstreaming of gender in the 1990s resulted in women being represented as agents of change. This approach gave women an opportunity to play roles in decision-making but led to policies that failed to challenge the established institutions. The emphasis on women as agents of change opened doors to some African women but with implications for the women’s movement. Only some middle-class women appear to benefit but their gains have been marginal in comparison to the gender inequalities that persist. The thesis uses secondary sources and interviews with development practitioners in Ottawa to understand the representation of African women as agents of change.

L’entreprise qui se développe à l’international est confrontée à la nécessité d’acquérir des informations sur les nouveaux marchés, grâce notamment à des études export. Cette recherche s’intéresse au processus d’identification du chargé d’étude, appelé mode d’acquisition de l’information. Elle démontre que celui-ci fait partie d’un système d’acquisition d’information qui a pour objectif la réduction contrôlée de l’ambigüité des marchés. Elle décrit l’émergence de ce système, son fonctionnement et le processus d’identification du chargé d’étude. Les caractéristiques du système variant avec le niveau d’internationalisation et le degré d’apprentissage de l’organisation, le choix du mode d’acquisition de l’information évolue lui aussi avec le stade de développement international de l’entreprise. / When an organization develops on foreign markets, it has to collect information on that market. Export research is one way to acquire that information. This research focuses on the identification process of the export market researcher, designated as information acquisition mode. We aim to demonstrate that this acquisition mode is part of a system whose objective is to reduce the perceived ambiguity of markets in a controlled fashion. We describe the emergence of the system, its functioning and the identification process of the information acquisition mode. Since the characteristics of the system vary according to the level of internationalization and learning of the organization, we show that the choice of the acquisition mode is also impacted by the international development stage of the company.

Policy makers in education and international development have lately gravitated toward the randomized controlled trial (RCT)—an evaluation design that randomly assigns a sample of people or households into an intervention group and a control group in order to measure the differential effect of the intervention—as a means to determine program impact. As part of federal regulations, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Agency for International development explicitly declared a preference for the RCT. When advocating for adopting the RCT model as the preferred evaluation tool, policy makers point to the success story of medical trials and how they revolutionized medicine from Medieval charlatanry to a modern life-saving discipline. By presenting a more nuanced account of the role of the RCT in medical history, however, this study finds that landmark RCTs were accompanied with challenges, Evidence-Based Medicine had rightful critics, and opportunistic biases in drug trials apply equally to education policy and international development. This study also examines the recent privileged role of the RCT in education and international development, concluding that its initial promise was not entirely born out when put into practice, as the national Reading First Initiative exemplifies. From a comparative perspective, the RCT movements also encountered major RCT critics, whose voices were not initially heard. These voices, however, seem to have contributed to a swing of the pendulum away from RCT primacy back towards greater methodological pluralism. A major conclusion of this study is that policy makers should exercise great caution when using RCTs as a policy evaluation tool. This conclusion is arrived at via considering RCT biases, challenges, and limited generalizability; understanding its interpretive-qualitative components; and broadening the overall methodological repertoire to better enable evaluations of macro-policy interventions. / text

In Malawi, an estimated 202 000 children are out of school and of those in school, less than 50 percent reach grade five. Increasingly, alternatives to the formal school system are gaining traction as a means to reach these excluded children. Recognizing the necessity, the Malawian government recently stipulated a non-formal provision in its education plan. As demand increases, it is important to consider what makes these programmes appealing and sustainable. Using qualitative interview methods, this study explores the lives of ten rural Malawian youth who are participating in an alternative initiative and investigates factors that have influenced the students to initially join and remain in the programme. The study sheds light on experience with alternative education initiatives as seen from the student perspective and provides insight into influences, motivation and successful non-formal programming by linking the theoretical framework to the findings.

In Malawi, an estimated 202 000 children are out of school and of those in school, less than 50 percent reach grade five. Increasingly, alternatives to the formal school system are gaining traction as a means to reach these excluded children. Recognizing the necessity, the Malawian government recently stipulated a non-formal provision in its education plan. As demand increases, it is important to consider what makes these programmes appealing and sustainable. Using qualitative interview methods, this study explores the lives of ten rural Malawian youth who are participating in an alternative initiative and investigates factors that have influenced the students to initially join and remain in the programme. The study sheds light on experience with alternative education initiatives as seen from the student perspective and provides insight into influences, motivation and successful non-formal programming by linking the theoretical framework to the findings.

Thesis (M.M.S.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references.