Desperately Seeking Policy Coherence

In their search of policy coherence for development, international donors often fall into rhetorical traps. The claim that non-aid policies should contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals is noble, but often unrealistic. This paper looks at how the European Union, treated here as a single development actor, addresses the needs of fragile states, in the context of its search for better coherence between aid and security.

The argument is that the division of labour and joint programming, together with the commitments on volume of aid, represent a turning point in the relations between the European Union and the developing world. In particular, if the implementation gap was closed, these commitments would address most of the challenges that fragile states face in the current aid regime.

Paper prepared for the Workshop on “Transforming Political Structures: Security, Institutions, and Regional Integration Mechanisms”, organised by the European Report of Development in Florence, Italy, 16-17 April 2009.

European Report on Development 2009

Supported by the European Commission and seven Member States (Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), the European Report on Development (ERD) is the main output of the "Mobilising European Research for Development Policies" initiative. This flagship report is published since 2009, with the aim of stimulating debate and research on topics of major relevance for development, as well as to enhance the European perspective in the international development arena.