From the paradigmatic to the practical battlefield: Southern development cooperation practices in a traditional aid hosting context

Abstract

This article discusses the effects of the introduction of South-South Cooperation (SSC) practices in a traditional aid-hosting context. Using a Bourdieusian approach, it shows that SSC practices encountered traditional aid practices embodied in host actors’ engagement within SSC initiatives. Such encounters engendered a practical mismatch that affected SSC projects. The effects of the practical battle on project implementation underscores the determining role of host actors in shaping development cooperation practices. Finally, this article argues that changes in development cooperation practice, in contrast to changes in development cooperation paradigms, depend more on the hosts than on the donors and providers’ agenda.