The EU as an emerging coordinator in development cooperation: perspectives from sub-Saharan Africa

• Main Author: Delputte, Sarah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Gents Afrika Platform, Afrika Brug 2013-06-01
• Series: Afrika Focus
• Subjects: EU development policy; aid effectiveness; coordination; pragmatism; interview research
• Online Access: http://www.gap.ugent.be/africafocus/pdf/2013vol26nr1_Delputte.pdf
• ISSN: 0772-084X; 2031-356X

This report presents the proceedings of the field research conducted in the framework of a doctoralresearch on the European Union (EU) as an emerging coordinator in development cooperation.This research aims to seek in-depth and interpreted understanding of the paradox betweenthe EU’s ambitions on the one hand and practice on the ground on the other by investigating theEU’s role in four sub-Saharan African countries (Tanzania, Zambia, Burkina Faso and Senegal).As such, it aims to add empirical evidence to the debate on the role of the EU as a developmentactor. More specifically, it investigates how the ambitions of the EU are translated at country leveland in which situations the EU is more/less likely to act as a coordinator, making use of a pragmatistresearch approach. This approach is especially suited to problem-driven research that aims tounderstand a complex phenomenon. The article introduces the research question and the rationale,gives an overview of the research approach and the methodological considerations and endswith a summary of the research process and the preliminary findings of the field research.