UK Foreign Aid Policy In Africa Since 1997

This dissertation studies the UK foreign aid policy in Africa since Blair's New Labour government took office in 1997.Official Development Assistance(ODA)is an important subject in international political economy;it is also a significant part in countries' foreign policies.Out of varies reasons and purposes,such as pursuing on political,economical and cultural interests,consideration on diplomatic strategy,or corresponding to international development assistance regulations,donor countries provide certain manual,material and financial assistance to recipient countries,to make some difference in recipients' development.At present,the Realism holds the dominant position in this field of research,and this dissertation also takes a realist stance,delivering a series of analyses on the reasons,aims and policy changes of the UK foreign aid to Africa.Under the support of realism theory,the dissertation also tries to analyse foreign aid policy continuity among different political parties in Britain.It discusses in detail the domestic and international factors that contributed to Cameron's decision on increasing instead of cutting down foreign aid budget in the aftermath of international financial crisis.Further more,the dissertation explains the significance of the UK foreign aid to Africa according to analysis on the newest development.The UK foreign aid policy has experienced a series of reforms and changes since Blair's New Labour government took office,and it achieved further development under Cameron's Coalition government.Although the furfher development seems to be contrary to the traditional foreign aid policy of the Conservative Party,it demonstrates the inner continuity in the UK foreign policy-making,as well as pursuit of national interests and the status of major power after the Cold War.Apart from the continuity,changes and adjustment also happened in two periods.The UK foreign aid policy is influenced by four major factors:1)historical relations with recipients,2)changes on international community,3)personal will of political elites,4)and pursuit on national interests.Its foreign aid policy in Africa since 1997 is also influenced by the four factors.The UK foreign aid in Africa is closely related to historical relationship between the UK and Africa.Historically,British aid to Africa is a by-product of the British colonial rule in Africa.After the decolonisation movement,former UK colonies became independent sovereign states,and most of them became Commonwealth countries,continued to achieve foreign aid from the UK.Since Blair's New Labour government took office in 1997,international law in development assistance area such as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals(MDGs)influenced the UK policy makers on the choice of recipients and making of aid forms.Based on MDGs framework,the UK increased aid volume in non-Commonwealth poor Africa countries,at the same time abolished most of tied aids.Aid to Africa has always been a priority in the UK foreign aid policy,and the UK benefit a lot from delivering foreign aid to Africa.Through delivering foreign aid,it pursues international influence and frontline role in international affairs.It also strengthens soft power output,as well as maintains commercial relations with recipient countries.For recipient countries,their infrastructure development and sanitary conditions do achieve some improvement through receiving foreign aid from the UK.When emergency happens,foreign aid helps them tackle difficulty better.However,in other fields such as solving local conflicts,apart form peacekeeping operations,the UK acts the same as the rest Western donor,showing over-interference tendency on recipient countries' internal affairs.And such interference can hardly reach the expectation.The first part of the dissertation points out the significance of the study,provides an introduction on relative theories and concepts,research conditions as well as the innovative significance of the dissertation.The second part reviews the history of the UK foreign aid in Africa,provides a better understanding on the background of the UK foreign aid policy before Blair's reform.The third and fourth part respectively analyses reforms and changes during Blair's period and Cameron's period,including the creation and development of the UK Department of International Development(DFID),the MDGs,anti-terrorist movement after the 911 terrorist attacks,as well as inheritance and changes since the Coalition government took office.The fifth part delivers case studies on development assistance,orderly governance promotion and crisis management,which are categorised by purpose of foreign aid.The last part serves as conclusion part.It summarises policy changes and related influencing factors in the UK foreign aid in Africa since Blair's period,and combines with the major impact brought by the UK's referendum on EU membership,to make a forward-looking forecast on challenges and influencing factors that the future UK foreign aid policy will confront with.