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2018_ACROPOLIS_EP_GovNet_Final.pdf
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Belgian development cooperation is undergoing multiple reforms towards more integrated actions intending to improve the effectiveness of its interventions. In line with international debates and engagements, more coherent approaches are promoted that include all different channels and actors and involve those best fitted to reach the objectives of Belgian foreign policy. In this context, the research group “Governance for Development” was asked by DGD to study two particular aspects: i) the trend towards a comprehensive approach that optimizes “horizontal” cooperation between Development, Diplomatic, Defense and Security and Justice actors (also known as 3D, 3D-LO or 3D - Rule of Law approach); ii) the implementation of an integrated country policy (or ICP) for development that optimizes “vertical” collaborations between all actors of Belgian development cooperation around a country intervention strategy. This paper addresses the issue of governance networks as a conceptual framework to better understand these multiple reforms. It argues that the multiple reforms in Belgian development cooperation are illustrations of a broader evolution towards network modes of governance. The basic idea behind governance networks is that many of the contemporary challenges of our world demand the collaboration of diverse public, private and civil society actors. In other words, governments have no longer the monopoly on public policy and more and more multi-stakeholder partnerships are put in place to deal with societal challenges. This is also the case in the policy domain of development cooperation. The paper will illustrate how the concept of governance networks can help to understand success and failure of such multi-stakeholder partnerships in development policy. More in particular, it will be argued that their added value lays in increasing both effectiveness and legitimacy of development policy. The paper consists of two parts. The first part briefly synthesizes the academic literature on governance networks. It presents historical, theoretical and empirical evidence and highlights the fact that although there is a large consensus that network modes of governance are on the rise, there is much less consensus on if and how they have positive effects. The second part presents the results of the survey carried out between June and September 2017 with Belgian actors (public, private and civil society) involved in Belgian foreign policy, from development sector to foreign affairs, trade, police, justice, etc. The survey focused on the perceptions, practices, and references of Belgian stakeholders on integrated approaches. Our analysis of the results is centered on a social network analysis that enables us to visualize collaboration and cooperation between different Belgian stakeholders as perceived by the survey respondents. Furthermore, we apply the conceptual framework on governance networks to better understand these different efforts to increase cooperation within the Belgian development sector. At the end of the paper some preliminary conclusions are presented.
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Klimis, E., Vervisch, T., Matagne, G., Leclercq, S., & Martini, J. (2018). Governance Networks for Belgian Development Cooperation. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/251778