Revisit ownership. An assessment of how Swedish foreign aid promotes National ownership of recipient countries; A case study of International development partnership between Tanzania and Sweden

Abstract: The subject of ownership is one of the most important topics under discussion in the realm of international development cooperation. After the introduction of structural adjustment programmes in Africa in the 1980s, the debate began. The SAPs era was a time when the imposition of externally driven policies regularly jeopardised recipient countries' control over their development goals. Following the shortcomings of the SAPs era, international policies were reevaluated, resulting in the creation of agreements like the Paris Declaration of 2005. By evaluating ownership of aid intervention and ensuring that recipient countries' interests and ownership are respected, the Paris Declaration aimed to rectify the flaws of preceding assistance paradigms. However, donor countries often bear significant power and influence over the design, management, planning and implementation of aid projects,  preventing the  realisation of the Paris Declaration’s objective of full ownership. The power to agenda-setting tends to be with donor countries or organisations, and as a result, aid interventions that may not be fully aligned with the priorities and needs of the recipient country. This study examines how Swedish foreign aid promotes national ownership of Tanzania by conducting a comprehensive literature review and in-depth analysis of both countries. Additionally, this study unearths the multifaceted dimensions that envelop the discourses on ownership, explicitly focusing on Swedish aid to Tanzania. The study uses  bottom-up theory criteria such as  empowerment of recipient countries, trust, sustainability and context-specific to understand how Swedish aid promotes ownership in Tanzania. Also, the study analyses perceptions of both sides, Sweden and Tanzania, by incorporating Beetham criteria of legitimacy, including consent, justification of rules and legal validity. As qualitative research, the study employs raw data from the semi-structured interviews and secondary data from existing research and publications to seek triangulations. Furthermore, the study acknowledges the substantial studies and cross-examinations that have been done on the ownership. Therefore this study expands on this knowledge by extending further into the realm of global policies and frameworks of aid effectiveness, such as the Paris Declaration.