-
Views
-
Cite
Cite
Rowan Wilkinson, The rise and fall of the Department for International Development, International Affairs, Volume 101, Issue 3, May 2025, Pages 1156–1157, https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiaf086
Close - Share Icon Share
Extract
In 2020, Boris Johnson combined the United Kingdom's international development department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to form the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Overnight, the globally recognized poster child for international development was merged, leaving civil servants deflated and NGOs regretful. The rise and fall of the Department for International Development marks its history. Sir Mark Lowcock and Ranil Dissanayake's book demonstrates that there are still those out there who tackle poverty reduction and deliver assistance to developing nations. Through first-hand accounts and in-depth interviews, this book offers a forensic, chronological account of the UK's Department for International Development (DFID).
The first part details the creation of the department, its initial policies and the leadership of Clare Short (who served as Secretary of State for International Development from 1997 to 2003). Lowcock and Dissanayake emphasize the values and goals that once resonated so strongly with those on the left and centre of British politics. Drawing on interviews, the authors expertly outline the flagship political decision to launch the DFID and reveal the internal politics that underpinned it. It is a useful narrative for those interested in institutional reform and altruistic governance. The second part covers the challenges of implementing the DFID's programmes. The analysis here is somewhat scattered. It starts with an exploration of the DFID's growing budget and then jumps to the key crises, including the Iraq war and the invasion of Afghanistan, the global financial crisis of 2008 and the climate crisis. It concludes with a commendation of the progress that the department made towards reducing global poverty. The authors carefully highlight how, leading its counterparts abroad, the DFID made substantial efforts towards UN Millennium Development Goal indicators. Given that the DFID operated in the context of the flourishing economic environment before the 2007–8 financial crash, it is difficult to ascertain whether there was a level of causation or correlation. However, the book uses data on health, education, private–public partnerships and social protection that illustrate the DFID's model of success and soft power.
