LOCALIZATION AS A NEW FORM OF PATERNALISM: DIFFERENTIATED DONOR AID APPROACHES BASED ON GEOPOLITICAL CRITERIA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) AND BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA (BiH)

Abstract: Donor states use aid and grants to promote foreign interests, either directly or through international institutions. This thesis argues that the concept of localization is an emerging form of paternalism that donor states use to advance their domestic interests internationally. This study examines the effect of paternalism on aid localization in conflict zones. It emphasizes the differences between the global north and the global south. A qualitative case study design was applied. Two cases of paternalistic-based localization strategies were subjectively selected for this study considering their geographical locations: the global North and the global South. The cases include Bosnia and Herzegovina from the global north and the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the global south. This thesis used a qualitative methodology base on three main methods: case study method, narrative method and comparative method. Additionally, The data collected was mainly from secondary sources like peer-reviewed articles from journals, as well as resolutions, reports, and other Uppsala University library sources. The literature collected was extensively reviewed for analysis and discussion. Case study, comparative, and narrative methods were used to analyse the data on the selected cases of paternalism-based localization strategies. The thesis found that donor states' paternalism-based localization strategies in the global south reduce affected populations' agency and impede effective humanitarian interventions. The thesis then concluded that paternalism-based localization strategies are still common among donor states in humanitarian and other intervention aid, which has negative effects on interventions. Secondly, geographical, geopolitical, and geoeconomic factors influence paternalism-based localization strategies, affecting interventions negatively. Finally, paternalism-based differentiated localization approaches by donors based on geography have negative effects on the population and also prolonging the conflicts.