PROIECTE DE CERCETARE IDC | IDC RESEARCH PROJECTS

New Actors & Mechanisms of Democratic Accountability in International Development: Reputation Building of ODA Emergent Donors | Noi actori & mecanisme de responsabilizare democratică în dezvoltarea internaţională: Construcţia reputaţiei donatorilor emergenţi de asistenţă oficială (demoAID)

This section of the IDC website is dedicated exclusively to the project New Actors & Mechanisms of Democratic Accountability in International Development: Reputation Building of ODA Emergent Donors / Noi actori & mecanisme de responsabilizare democratică în dezvoltarea internaţională: Construcţia reputaţiei donatorilor emergenţi de asistenţă oficială (demoAID) and was developed as part of work supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Education, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-2851.

$: 549 988 RON / 122 000 EUR (UEFISCDI: PN-II-RU-TE- 2014-4-2851, contract no. 323/2015, 01/10/2015 - 30/09/2017)

EN: The project aimed to contribute to the global academic and policy debate on emergent donors and democratic accountability in international development through (1) the first non-ideological mapping of the donor-recipient space currently covered by emergent donors worldwide and (2) through a pilot study on how reputation affects the mechanisms of democratic accountability for emergent donors. Through big data mining techniques applied to public databases such as those offered by OECD, UNDP and the World Bank, it builds a map of all emergent donors and their aid target by country and subject. In this way it can create taxonomies that transcend the usual regional or big power logic and provide the first step towards understanding the entire space of those that can claim external accountability from these donors. Then, based on results from the first world analysis of all EU emergent donors conducted previously by the PI and through field research in the three emergent donors from Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Mexico), it tests through quantitative and qualitative data analysis the hypothesis according to which recent democratic countries are more likely to be perceived as partners in development aid principal-agent relations.

RO: Proiectul și-a propus să contribuie la dezbaterea globală academică şi de politici publice despre responsabilizare democratică şi donatori emergenţi,(1) prin realizarea primei cartografieri non-ideologice a spaţiului donator-recipient acoperit actualmente de donatorii emergenţi din toată lumea, precum şi (2) printr-un studiu pilot privind modul în care reputaţia afectează mecanismele de responsabilizare democratică ale donatorilor emergenţi. Prin metode de investigare a datelor de mari dimensiuni („big data”) disponibile public în baze deschise precum cele ale OECD, PNUD şi Banca Mondială, proiectul construieşte mai întâi harta tuturor donatorilor emergenţi şi a statelor recipiente, în funcţie de stat şi domeniu de asistenţă. În acest mod pot fi generate taxonomii care transced logica uzuală a grupărilor regionale sau de tip mari puteri şi poate astfel fi făcut un prim pas empiric pentru înţelegerea întregului spaţiu de responsabilizare externă a acestor donatori. Apoi, folosind o parte din rezultatele primei analize existente a tuturor donatorilor emergenţi din UE realizată printr-un proiect anterior al directorului de proiect, şi cu ajutorul investigaţiei de teren în cele trei state donatoare emergente din America Latină (Brazilia, Chile, Mexic), testează prin analiză calitativă şi cantitativă ipoteza conform căreia statele recent democratizate sunt mult mai frecvent percepute ca parteneri în relaţii de tip agent-principal în asistenţa de dezvoltare.

ECHIPA| TEAM

Principal Investigator (PI) | Coordonator proiect: Luciana Alexandra GHICA (University of Bucharest)


Postdoctoral researchers | Cercetători postdoctorali: Florin FEȘNIC (Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca), Bogdan Mihai RADU (Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca), Claudiu TUFIȘ (University of Bucharest)


Doctoral researchers | Cercetători doctorali: Paula BEUDEAN (Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca), Andreea VORNICU (Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca), Csongor Ernő SZŐCS (Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca)



Initial vacant positions: 1 advanced doctoral researcher (filled in in early March 2016 through public contest by Andreea VORNICU

Former members: Teodora DAGHIE (1.10.2015-3.10.2016, resigned, vacant position submitted to public contest, filled in in early January 2017 through public contest by Csongor Ernő SZŐCS), Carmen GREAB (on maternity leave, resigned, replaced with Paula BEUDEAN, following public contest).



Our gratitude also goes to

  • Adrian LĂZĂRESCU (UTC Cluj-Napoca), who provided invaluable research assistance throughout the project, especially for our fieldwork and data collection in Spanish;

  • Oana CIORTAN, the project officer at the University of Bucharest, and the team at the university's Research and Technological Transfer Department, who provided the much necessary administrative support to implement and finalize this project;

  • all the voluntary students from Bucharest (Romania), Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Austin (USA) who contributed to data collection.

OUTPUT

EVENIMENTE ȘTIINȚIFICE / SCIENTIFIC EVENTS



Conferință științifică internațională / International conference

  • DEMOCRACY IN DEVELOPMENT: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON THE GOVERNANCE OF THE PUBLIC GOOD, 4th international interdisciplinary conference of political research, Bucharest 26-28.05.2017 (www.scienceofpolitics.eu)


Participări la evenimente științifice internaționale / Participation to international scientific events


Prelegeri / Guest lectures


2017

  • GHICA, Luciana Alexandra. Reputation-Building of ODA Emergent Donors from Europe and Latin America, Department of International Development, University of Oxford, 27 February (details).

  • GHICA, Luciana Alexandra & Bogdan Mihai RADU. New Actors, Old Habits? Democratic Accountability and Reputation-Building of Emergent Official Development Aid Donors, Department of Political Science, University of California Irvine, 5 September.


Conferințe internaționale / international conferences


2017

  • BEUDEAN, Paula M., Martin BALOGH, Natalia BALOGH, Claudia PETRESCU. 2017. Internal functioning of Romanian nonprofit organizations – a new governance model and its effects on services and community relations. 2017 European Group of Public Administration (EGPA) Annual Conference, 30.08-01.09.2017, Milan, Italy. [program]

  • GHICA, Luciana Alexandra. 2017. Romania’s Government Social Media Presence in Development Cooperation. 113th American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting & Exhibition, 31.08-3.09.2017, San Francisco, US. [program]

  • GHICA, Luciana Alexandra, Bogdan Mihai RADU, Florin FEȘNIC, Claudiu D. TUFIȘ. 2017. iMAD @demoAID: A New Digital Instrument for the Study of Democracy & Foreign Aid. 113th American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting & Exhibition, 31.08-3.09.2017, San Francisco, US. [program]

  • GHICA, Luciana Alexandra, Paula M. BEUDEAN, Florin FEȘNIC, Bogdan Mihai RADU, Csongor Erno SZOCS, Claudiu D. TUFIȘ, Andreea VORNICU. 2017. Mapping Contemporary Emergent Donors of Development Aid and their Role in Promoting Democratization: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges. SCOPE: Science of Politics - 4th International Interdisciplinary Conference of Political Research, University of Bucharest, 26-28.05.2016, Bucharest, Romania. [program]

  • VORNICU, Andreea. 2017. Determinants of low educational performances for 15-year-old pupils in Romania. 13th Conference of the European Sociological Association, 29.08-01.09.2017, Athens, Greece. [program]


2016

  • FEȘNIC, Florin. 2016. Support for Domestic Socio-economic and Political Equality and Support for Development Aid: Mutually Exclusive or Virtuous Circle? SCOPE: Science of Politics - 3rd International Interdisciplinary Conference of Political Research, University of Bucharest, 27-28.05.2016, Bucharest, Romania [abstract]

  • FEȘNIC, Florin. 2016. Institutional Inequality and Democratic Backsliding in Post-Communist Countries. 24th World Congress of Political Science of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), 23-28.07.2016, Poznan, Poland [program]

  • FEȘNIC, Florin. 2016. Institutional and societal determinants of democratic backsliding in postcommunist countries: Comparing Hungary and Romania. "Social transformations: new challenges, practices and critique" - European Sociological Association Research Network 36 Midterm Conference, 28-29.09.2016, Sibiu, Romania [program]

  • FEȘNIC, Florin. 2016. Popularity versus Prestige in the Evaluation of Academic Publications Quality: An “Eastern European” Impact Factor?. New Societies, Old Minorities/ New Minorities, Old Societies? - The 4th International Conference of the Romanian Sociological Society (RSS), 29.09-01.10.2016, Sibiu, Romania [program]

  • GHICA, Luciana Alexandra. 2016. An Unsolved Puzzle: Contemporary Assessments of the Relation between Democracy and Development. SCOPE: Science of Politics - 3rd International Interdisciplinary Conference of Political Research, University of Bucharest, 27-28.05.2016, Bucharest, Romania.

  • GHICA, Luciana Alexandra. 2016. Discursive Patterns and Political Agendas in the Representation of the Profession and Study of Political Science in Europe (1945-2015). 24th World Congress of Political Science of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), 23-28.07.2016, Poznan, Poland [program]

  • GHICA, Luciana Alexandra. 2016. Discourses on Democracy and Conditionality in Foreign Policy-Making: Official Development Aid Commitments of Central and East European states within EU and UN in comparative perspective. Effects of Conditionality and Post-Conditionality on the Quality of Democracy in EU Member States and Beyond, Central European University, 8.11.2016, Budapest, Hungary

  • RADU, Bogdan Mihai. 2016. The relation between civic education and democratization in Central and Eastern Europe (keynote). Embedding Democratic Values: The Role of Civic Education and Media in Democratization, international workshop. 21.03.2016, Chișinău, Rep.Moldova [program]. (also with support of an international project funded by the Visegrad Fund)

  • RADU, Bogdan Mihai. 2016. The statute of tolerance in recent democracies (keynote). Embedding Democratic Values: Tolerance and transparency, international workshop. 16.05.2016, Kiev, Ukraine [program] (also with support of an international project funded by the Visegrad Fund).

  • RADU, Bogdan Mihai. 2016. Support for Democracy in Traditional and Emergent Donor Countries. SCOPE: Science of Politics - 3rd International Interdisciplinary Conference of Political Research, University of Bucharest, 27-28.05.2016, Bucharest, Romania [abstract]

  • RADU, Bogdan Mihai, TOFALVI, Zselyke. 2016. The refugee issue and public opinion: worrying trends. Refugees' trajectories in the EU in the context of recent developments in Turkey: Where do we stand now?, Central European University, 28.09.2016, Budapest, Hungary. [program] (also with support of an international project funded by the Visegrad Fund).

  • RADU, Bogdan Mihai, VEGH, Zsuzsanna. 2016. Embedding democratic values: Lessons learned. Effects of Conditionality and Post-Conditionality on the Quality of Democracy in EU Member States and Beyond, Central European University, 8.11.2016, Budapest, Hungary [program] (also with support of an international project funded by the Visegrad Fund).

  • TUFIȘ, Claudiu. 2016. Correlates and Determinants of Political Participation: A Sensitivity Analysis. 24th World Congress of Political Science of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), 23-28.07.2016, Poznan, Poland [program].

  • TUFIȘ, Claudiu. 2016. The reinvention of radical right in post-communist Romania. "(Dis)locating Europe : Conflicts, challenges and changes" - 4th Midterm Conference of the European Sociological Association’s Research Network 32, 28-29.10.2016, Bruxelles, Belgia [program].

  • VORNICU, Andreea. 2016. Dilemmas in Defining Rule of Law and Its Implications in Implementing and Measuring SDG16 - Peaceful and Inclusive Societies for Sustainable Development. SCOPE: Science of Politics - 3rd International Interdisciplinary Conference of Political Research, University of Bucharest, 27-28.05.2016, Bucharest, Romania [abstract]

  • VORNICU, Andreea. 2016. Dilemmas in Defining Rule of Law and Its Implications in Implementing and Measuring SDG 16 (Peaceful and Inclusive Societies for Sustainable Development). "Contemporary social transformations : Reflecting inter-cultural encounters" - 8th Slovenian Social Sciences Conference, 15-17.09.2016, Piran, Slovenia [program]

2015

  • TUFIȘ, Claudiu. 2015. Becoming Citizens: The Coagulation of Grassroots Movements in Post-Accession Romania. Effects of elections in CEE countries on EU governance. Joint international conference of the Center for EU Enlargement Studies - Central European University & Friedrich Erbert Stiftung, 30.11.2015, Budapest, Hungary (detalii / details)


Ateliere în cadrul unor evenimente științifice / Panels within scientific events

  • WS4.3 Size and Institutional Change in International Politics: Neglected Cases, Emerging Topics within SCOPE: Science of Politics - 3rd International Interdisciplinary Conference of Political Research, University of Bucharest, 27-28.05.2016, Bucharest, Romania (detalii / details)

  • WS5.3 Democracy, Accountability & Support for International Solidarity: Current Trends and Theoretical Challenges within SCOPE: Science of Politics - 3rd International Interdisciplinary Conference of Political Research, University of Bucharest, 27-28.05.2016, Bucharest, Romania (detalii / details)


Articole & studii / Articles & studies


Studii pentru beneficiul mediului de politici publice / Policy papers


GHICA, Luciana Alexandra (2017) The Use of Social Media for Communicating the National Agenda and Governmental Activity in Matters of International Cooperation for Development: The Case of Romania. University of Bucharest: Centre for International Cooperation and Development Studies


Rapoarte de țară | Country reports


Rapoarte științifice anuale / Annual scientific reports


Programări studii de teren / Fieldwork schedule

  • Argentina (10-14.09.2016)

  • Brazil (25.08-5.09.2016)

  • Chile (5-10.09.2016)

  • Cuba (9-14.02.2017)

  • Mexico (30.01-8.02.2017, 14-16.02.2017)


Seminarii de cercetare / Research seminars

  • Întâlnire metodologică | Methodological meeting 3 (Cluj-Napoca 22-23.06.2017)

  • Seminar de cercetare | Research seminar demoAID 6 (București 21-24.05.2017)

  • Seminar de cercetare | Research seminar demoAID 5 (Cluj-Napoca 6-7.05.2017)

  • Seminar de cercetare | Research seminar demoAID 4 (Cluj-Napoca 16-18.12.2016)

  • Seminar de cercetare | Research seminar demoAID 3 (Cluj-Napoca 23.09.2016)

  • Întâlnire metodologică | Methodological meeting 2 (Cluj-Napoca 16-19.07.2016)

  • Seminar de cercetare | Research seminar demoAID 2 (București 25.05.2016)

  • Întâlnire metodologică | Methodological meeting 1 (Cluj-Napoca 25-28.02.2016)

  • Seminar de cercetare | Research seminar demoAID 1 (București 14.12.2015)


Unele rezultate obținute cu sprijinul proiectului nu sunt încă publicate / some of the scientific output is still under review for publication: din motive de legate de anonimitate în timpul procesului de evaluare tip blind peer-review, titlurile nu sunt momentan publice (dar sunt vizibile în varianta din platforma UEFISCDI-EVoC) / due to anonymity requests during the peer-review process, the titles of the articles and journals are not yet publicly available (but are visible on the UEFISCDI-EVoC platform).