More donors, more choice? Challenging notions that the Zambian government can secure greater policy space in the changing aid landscape

在向多极全球秩序的转变和发展援助流动的变化的背景下审查非洲机构方面，目前的知识基础存在差距。这项研究将批评一种流行的观念，即不断变化的援助格局使非洲国家在它们接受的资金方面有了更多的“选择”，并扩大了它们在与经合组织-发展援助委员会发展伙伴打交道时的回旋余地。它将调查和分析非洲国家在与经合发组织-发展援助委员会发展伙伴的关系中发挥作用的程度，以及由于非经合发组织-发展援助委员会发展伙伴的（重新）出现，它们的回旋余地扩大到何种程度。该报告将特别关注赞比亚，该国历史上曾获得经合组织-发展援助委员会发展伙伴的高水平援助，但也与（重新）崛起的非经合组织-发展援助委员会发展伙伴（如中国）有着重要的历史和当代联系。它将研究赞比亚国家的不同部分如何在谈判中制定机构，他们的回旋余地是否正在扩大，以及由此提供了哪些增加政策空间的机会。此外，它将考虑政府与西方发展伙伴之间关于其他参与者活动的信息不对称，以及政府是否能够利用这些信息来创造回旋余地。这些问题对于考虑援助制度是否以及如何由于非经合发组织-发援会捐助国的（重新）出现而发生变化是很重要的。为了回答研究问题，将在赞比亚的海外实地调查中获得定性数据。数据将通过采访赞比亚政府官员和发展伙伴获得。访谈将特别侧重于他们谈判一揽子财政方案的经验以及对这些谈判中发展伙伴和政府优先事项的看法。他们还将关注赞比亚官员与非西方发展伙伴合作的经验，以及西方官员对赞比亚非西方行为体的了解。这些数据将与文件证据，包括档案，记录关于赞比亚与发展伙伴的国际关系的公开声明和有关具体谈判的内部文件进行三角测量。

There is a gap in the current knowledge base in relation to examining African agency in the context of the move to a multipolar global order, and the shifting flows of development assistance. This research will critique the prevalent notion that the changing aid landscape gives African states more 'choice' in the finance they accept, and expands their room-for-manoeuvre when dealing with OECD-DAC development partners. It will investigate and analyse the degree of agency African states exercise in relationships with OECD-DAC development partners, and to what extent their room-for-manoeuvre is expanding as a result of the (re-)emergence of non-OECD-DAC development partners. In particular it will look at Zambia, a country which has historically received high levels of aid from OECD-DAC development partners but which also has significant, historical and contemporary, links to (re-)emerging non-OECD-DAC development partners such as China. It will examine how different parts of the Zambian state enact agency in negotiations, whether their room-for-manoeuvre is expanding, and what opportunities to increase policy space are made available by this. Furthermore, it will consider information asymmetries between the government and Western development partners about the activities of other actors and whether the government is able to instrumentalise these to create room-for-manoeuvre. These questions are important in considering if and how the aid system is changing as the result of the (re)emergence of non-OECD-DAC donors.To answer the research questions, qualitative data will be obtained during overseas fieldwork in Zambia. Data will be obtained through interviewing officials from the Zambian government and development partners. Interviews will particularly focus on their experiences of negotiating financial packages and perceptions of development partner and government priorities within those negotiations. They will also focus on the experiences of Zambian officials working with non-Western development partners, and the knowledge that Western officials have of non-Western actors in Zambia. This data will be triangulated with documentary evidence, including archival, recording both public statements about Zambia's international relations with development partners and internal documents relating to specific negotiations.