Sustainability
MANAGING LEGACY
I t is more than four decades since Bob Geldof assembled a musical supergroup to fight famine with the charity single, Do They Know It’s Christmas? Since then, the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised nearly £150 million for life-saving projects. However, the decision to re-release the song to mark its 40th anniversary sparked controversy. Ed Sheeran – who appeared on an earlier re-recording of the song – was among the stars who sought to distance themselves from the track and the negative image it helped to perpetuate of Africa as a barren continent full of starving, helpless people. The response is symbolic of a wider shift within humanitarian aid and international development. We are more conscious of the power imbalances that exist and it is no longer taboo to discuss them. Despite this, there is a danger that decolonisation and localisation could become empty buzzwords unless the gap between theory and practice is addressed. Many organisations have ambitious goals for localising their spending, but transformative change is unlikely if they cannot change their practices. This begins with asking deeper questions. Have work norms changed? Have grant application and compliance systems been made inclusive? It is important to recognise that the pursuit of effectiveness and efficiency can exacerbate inequality. For example, impact evaluations can marginalise millions of small non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who struggle to compete with well-resourced organisations in the Global North. Another key question is, who
Ripping off the Band Aid Four steps to decolonialise international development
by Hamid Foroughi
Unless we acknowledge that legacy, we risk reinforcing the very structures of power that localisation aims to dismantle. A robust working definition of localisation should recognise it as an effort to “correct the historical exclusion of local actors in decision-making and funding”. This frames localisation as a fundamental shift of power, rather than a technical adjustment. 2 Make agendas truly inclusive Localisation and decolonisation aim to benefit actors in the Global South, but are often led by international donors and international NGOs based in the Global North. These organisations may have good intentions, but their dominance undermines the heart of localisation and decolonialisation. For this agenda to succeed, it is imperative to include diverse voices from the Global South and to elevate those who will be most affected by any initiatives. This means creating spaces where local actors can lead the dialogue on what localisation should look like and how it can be implemented. Putting local views and knowledge
leads the localisation agenda? History shows that previous change movements led by the sector’s power brokers have often been diluted by managerial control. When that happens, localisation risks becoming a box-ticking exercise that camouflages control with a veneer of equality. Initiatives such as knowledge sharing and strategic partnerships can even increase the power of large organisations, transferring risk to stakeholders in the Global South without the strategic, operational, or financial independence to manage it. To overcome this, it is critically important that international actors relinquish their ‘old power’ as gatekeepers of the humanitarian club and learn new ways of working. 1 Define localisation Localisation should be defined and pursued as a transformative shift from existing norms. Generic definitions that highlight broadly positive outcomes, such as “increasing international investment and respect for local actors”, fall short because they do not acknowledge the legacy of colonialism in aid.
Warwick Business School | wbs.ac.uk
wbs.ac.uk | Warwick Business School
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