The meaning of ‘revolution’ in development aid : an exploration into the perceptions of unconditional cash transfers within a continuously changing aid industry
Master thesis
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3034431Utgivelsesdato
2022Metadata
Vis full innførselSamlinger
Sammendrag
This thesis looks at the use of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) in the aid industry
as a tool to alleviate poverty. UCTs are built on the idea of just giving money to the
poor instead of setting up large-scale development projects. UCTs have been growing
in popularity in the aid industry and the tool is described as revolutionary because it
allows recipients instead of donors to decide what they need to escape poverty. This
thesis sets out to examine the role of UCTs in the development aid industry by
considering the perceptions of UCTs and the position of UCTs in relation to the shifts
in development aid discourses. The NGO GiveDirectly serves as a case study to
research the use of UCTs in aid and to examine the role of NGOs within the aid
industry. Interviews were conducted and a thematic analysis of texts was carried out
to gain insights into the use of UCTs and the NGO GiveDirectly. The sources represent
the donor perspective and include representatives from the media, NGO employees,
development experts, and academic scholars. The findings suggest that UCTs are
perceived very positively but that they are not as revolutionary as they are made out
to be. Additionally, the discussion on the role of NGOs in the aid industry proposes
that GiveDirectly does not offer alternatives to dominant understandings of aid.
Moreover, the contextualization of UCTs within the aid industry suggests that the tool
fits well within broader shifts in thinking about aid. Lastly, this thesis argues that UCTs
illustrate the ongoing cycle of hyper optimism over new methods of delivering aid
followed by a realization that results are limited. In conclusion, this thesis argues that
UCTs represent ongoing continuities in aid discourses rather than alternatives.