Salma Ma­hamed suc­cess­fully de­fen­ded her PhD dis­ser­ta­tion: The Polit­ic­al Eco­nomy of Aid Al­loc­a­tion

Across three empirical studies, this dissertation investigates aid allocation during a period increasingly defined by the institutionalization of economic interests and a shift toward market-based aid practices among OECD-DAC donors. The thesis shows the changing nature of donor motives, how industrial interests in development cooperation affect the use of specific aid instruments, and how private-sector actors respond to commercially motivated aid. Overall, the dissertation examines the changing political economy of aid in the 21st century, illuminating how political and economic forces and actors shape contemporary aid practices, and how these dynamics affect the distribution of billions of dollars in development assistance worldwide.

The thesis will be available from research.cbs.dk

Primary Supervisor:
Associate Professor Mads Dagnis Jensen
Department of International Economics, Government and Business
Copenhagen Business School

Secondary Supervisor:
Professor MSO Edward Ashbee
Department of International Economics, Government and Business
Copenhagen Business School

Assessment Committee:
Professor Ari Kokko (Chair)
Department of International Economics, Government and Business
Copenhagen Business School

Professor Anne Mette Kjær
Institut for Statskundskab
Aarhus University

Professor Dan Banik
Department of Political Science
University of Oslo