‘Ontwikkelingssamenwerking 2.0.': 'Vooruitzien door terug te kijken’

Abstract

Does it make sense to maintain development cooperation as a recognizable policy area when public support, like the aid budget have declined and the most recent policy memorandum 'Doing what the Netherlands is good at' more openly than ever promotes the now equally dwindling aid budget as an instrument to promote well-understood self-interest? Yes, it does. But that does not imply that this article advocates a return to a bygone era when development experts professed the gospel of poverty alleviation by trying to keep the merchant and the diplomat out of the door. On the contrary, this article wishes to emphasize that isolating development cooperation from political and economic interests does not make sense because is not possible and therefore has never been successful. Anyone who dares to face this will also more easily come to the conclusion that, under certain conditions, the fight against poverty can indeed go hand in hand with the promotion of other goals and interests.