ARC Future Fellowship explores emerging competition in international development financing

A study aiming to significantly improve Australia’s international development outcomes and help recipient states obtain appropriate financing is underway at The University of Queensland.

Associate Professor Shahar Hameiri from UQ’s School of Political Science and International Studies will use his Australian Research Council 2020 Future Fellowship to investigate what competition over development financing looks like in our globalised times, and develop better ways of providing it in the interests of both providers and recipient societies.

This study will be the first to explain which groups in recipient countries prefer particular providers, why, and whose interests are likely to prevail.

Dr Hameiri said we are living in a time of immense and rapid change in international politics, which the current pandemic will only catalyse.

“The rise of China is generating challenges to established foreign policy paradigms, but these challenges are not always well understood, increasing the risk of poor policy responses and deeper international and local conflict,” he said.

Research suggests that the intensifying competition between provider states is hindering providers’ capacity to achieve intended policy goals, despite spending vast sums.

“I have always been interested in how major transformations in international politics affect localised politics and conflict, and vice versa; how conflicts at the local level affect major international and global transformations.

“The issue investigated in this Fellowship is emerging and is an important area for competition and conflict at the global and local levels – therefore it deserves close scrutiny.”

Dr Hameiri’s research traverses the fields of security, development and aid, governance, political geography and international relations. He has explored issues of security governance, China’s rise, state-building, non-traditional security, risk and risk management, regional governance and Australian development and security policy.