Circular cooperation, dignity, and listening: reframing international aid. Jonathan Glennie interviewed.

In this week’s episode, we talk to Jonathan Glennie, co-founder of Global Nation, about the insufficiency of global aid as a response to current global affairs.Jonathan introduces the idea of ‘global public investment’ in order to address aid reliance through a new form of accountability. We also talk about circular cooperation as a system in which all entities involved respond to the possibility of learning from each other.Jonathan speaks about the importance of dignity, listening, and ownership in aid projects, which are often overlooked in favour of material impact and development indicators. He advocates for “development with dignity”.Jonathan Glennie is a writer, researcher, campaigner and consultant on sustainable development, inequality and poverty. He recently co-founded a new thinktank, Global Nation, which recently published a report on global solidarity. His work examines the changing nature of international cooperation, as dominant paradigms and global economic relationships evolve. Jonathan has held senior positions in several international organisations, including Ipsos, Save the Children, ODI and Christian Aid and helped set up The Guardian‘s Global Development website, for which he was a regular columnist. As a consultant, he has worked with governments, international agencies and civil society organisations as they renew their strategies for a new era. Jonathan’s latest book, The Future of Aid: Global Public Investment, was published by Routledge in 2021. He lives with his family in Colombia.If you’re interested to find out more about Jonathan’s work, take a look here:LinkedInTwitterGlobal NationRecent work:Global Nation (2023) Global Solidarity Report 2023.Global Public Investment Network (2023) Time for Global Public Investment.Glennie, J. (2020) The Future of Aid, Routledge.Glennie, J. (2010) The Trouble with Aid, Zed Books.Relevant links:Damluji, H. (2021) The Responsible Globalist, Penguin Books.Sen, A. (2000) Development as Freedom, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.Shift the Power Global SummitAnderson, Mary B., Dayna Brown, and Isabella Jean (2012) Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of International Aid. Cambridge, MA: CDA Collaborative Learning Projects.ID Insight (2021) The Dignity Report.