Contemporary Development Debate: Rethinking Development Cooperation in a Multi-Polar World

Duration: 23.10.–24.10.2026, plus 1 preparation day

Teaching format: Classroom

Course objective:

There are growing calls for aid to be more effective, more responsive to local demands, and more aligned to the often short-term interests of high-income donor countries — all against a backdrop of shrinking budgets.

This course, complemented by self-study, examines how these forces are re-shaping traditional modes of development cooperation, and asks how development actors can adapt to stay relevant in a climate of scarcity and uncertainty.

Participants will dive into sector-specific Best-Buys in development and learn about the limitations of cost-effectiveness approaches. They will examine the merits and risks of locally-led development, and assess new innovations and financing avenues that are central to securing the future of global cooperation.

Key topics:

• Value for money and sector-specific Best-Buys
• Locally-led development: what can we learn from the humanitarian sector?
• Innovations and new sources of finance
• Future of development cooperation

ECTS points: 2

Examination: Written assignments completed during the course

Course fee: CHF 570

Lecturers:

• Shruti Patel, NADEL