• Analyse the development over time in aid rhetoric, policy, strategy, management, practice and impact in relation to private sector driven development interventions.
• Outline and assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability - the 5 DAC evaluation criteria - of various types of private sector development interventions.
• Apply and assess analytical tools of development aid management, including planning, implementation and evaluation for inclusive and sustainable development.

Today the importance of the private sector dynamics and investments are recognized as an important mainspring to generate economic growth. But making the private sector contribute to sustainable and inclusive development does, on the other hand, not happen automatically.

The knowledge and competencies required assuring this are increasingly relevant for engaging the private sector in solving present and complex developmental challenges. To this end the course combines a business strategic approach with theory and tools for effective programming for inclusive and sustainable development. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are central reference frameworks in the course.  

This course aims to give a conceptual and theoretical overview of the private sector involvement in international development assistance as well as knowledge of various types of development interventions from direct business support, value chain development to Public Private Partnership models. 

Central in the course is to provide students with tools for the design and management of sustainable market and business driven development interventions. The course draws upon practical and theoretical experiences of course faculty. 

The course covers four overall and interrelated topics:

The first topic consists of an introduction to the trends in international development assistance, the evolution of policy aims, themes and strategies of donor countries in relation to recipient countries. It will examine the overall context of development interventions including current trends and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the focus will mainly be on OECD country-based donors, we will also look at the role of non-traditional donors that are increasingly important for developing countries.

The second topic is concerned with methodologies and tools for planning, implementing, evaluating and communicating development interventions. It draws on examples from developing countries and focus on management tools such as the Logical Framework Analysis (LFA), Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED), Theory of Change and evaluation methodology.

The third topic will address the cross cutting questions of impact of private sector driven development interventions and its adherence to UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The fourth is business sector or Private Sector Development (PSD) programmes. We discuss various modalities and new forms of international development cooperation with private actors like the Public-Private Partnerships. We outline and assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability - the 5 DAC evaluation criteria - of various types of private sector development interventions.

Literature list will be available on Canvas