Global Aid Rethink aims to rethink the current global aid landscape; politically, historically and ideologically. With funding for development aid at its lowest for decades and the sustainable development goals related to aid significantly off-track, the question of whether we should give aid at all remains divisive as ever – and this podcast is not afraid to ask the difficult questions.
Hosted by Ivica Petrikova (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivicapetrikova/), an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Melita Lazell (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melita-lazell/), Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development at the University of Portsmouth, delivers in-depth conversations with policymakers, practitioners and academics.
Key themes up for discussion in the series include recent developments in the UK and US, aid as soft power, as neocolonialism, as extraction and in practice.
Global Aid Rethink publishes fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 22nd April 2025 to 1st July.
This podcast was generously funded by the ESRC-funded Royal Holloway Social Science Impact Accelerator (https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-education/industry/working-with-us/social-science-impact-accelerator/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Climate Finance and Social Justice: The Reality of a Just Transition
Hosts Ivica Petrikova and Melita Lazell interview Alex Beresford and Caner Sayan about how climate finance initiatives often neglect social justice in the Global South, advocating for reparative justice and debt relief.
15 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
Development Finance in a New Era: The Financialisation of Global Aid
Hosts Ivica Petrikova and Melita Lazell interview Paddy Carter and Luis Mah about the financialization of global aid and its implications for development.
1 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
Development Aid After the Cuts: Navigating a Post-Aid World
Hosts Ivica Petrikova and Melita Lazell interview Nilima Gulrajani and Nafisa Bedri about navigating development aid after significant funding cuts and shifting global paradigms.
30 Jun 2025
Global Aid Rethink: The Future of Aid
In the final episode of Global Aid Rethink, hosts Ivica Petrikova (Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London) and Melita Lazell (Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development at the University of Portsmouth) engage in a comprehensive discussion on the future of aid.
With global aid funding at its lowest in decades and the Sustainable Development Goals significantly off-track, this concluding episode synthesises insights from across the series, reflecting on the profound shifts in the global aid landscape. It examines the implications of recent aid cuts in the UK and US, the evolving geopolitical context, and the challenges of rebuilding the moral and political case for international assistance.
Joining Ivica and Melita for this concluding conversation is Dr. Jack Taggart, a researcher in critical approaches to international political economy, the politics of international development, and the dynamics of global governance, based at Queen's University Belfast. They explore the historical precedents for aid retrenchment and revival, the rise of national self-interest and financialisation in aid agendas, and the potential for a more fragmented, unilateral future for aid provision. The discussion also addresses the barriers to implementing more effective, recipient-owned development approaches and the crucial need for improved public communication regarding aid's impact and purpose.
Global Aid Rethink publishes fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 22nd April 2025 to 1st July.
Read the transcript here (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GAR-1.6-MIXED-LW_otter_ai.pdf)
This is a Research Podcasts (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/) production.
Episode credits:
Presenters: Ivica Petrikova (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivicapetrikova/), Royal Holloway, University of London and Melita Lazell, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melita-lazell/) Portsmouth University
Guests: Jack Taggart (https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/happ/find-a-phd-supervisor/dr-jack-taggart.html)
Producer: Catherine McDonald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathmcd11/), Research Podcasts
Music: MFCC via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/)
Artwork and Audiograms: Krissie Brighty-Glover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/krissie-brighty-glover-72268224b/) and Lauren White (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-white-1a585a41/), Research Podcasts
This podcast was generously funded by the ESRC-funded Royal Holloway Social Science Impact Accelerator (https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-education/industry/working-with-us/social-science-impact-accelerator/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
16 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT
Global Aid Rethink: Aid in Practice
Professors Ivica Petrikova and Melita Lazell interview Professor Tamsin Bradley and Olusola Adeyemo about the practical application of global aid and its impact on sustainable development.
2 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT
Global Aid Rethink: Aid as Extraction
Professor Emma Mawdsley examines how aid can function as a form of extraction, discussing the political dynamics of global development with hosts Ivica Petrikova and Melita Lazell in this interview.
19 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
Global Aid Rethink: Aid as Neocolonialism
Professor Sophia Price and Aude Darnal join hosts Ivica Petrikova and Melita Lazell to analyze global aid through the lens of neocolonialism in this interview episode.
5 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
Global Aid Rethink: Aid as Soft Power
Ivica Petrikova and Melita Lazell interview Professor Stephen Brown and Rose Worden, who analyze aid as a tool of soft power, exploring its political and ideological implications in the global landscape.
21 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
Global Aid Rethink: The End of Aid?
Global Aid Rethink aims to rethink the current global aid landscape; politically, historically and ideologically. With funding for development aid at its lowest for decades and the sustainable development goals related to aid significantly off-track, the question of whether we should give aid at all remains divisive as ever – and this podcast is not afraid to ask the difficult questions.
Hosted by Ivica Petrikova, an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Melita Lazell, Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development at the University of Portsmouth, delivers in-depth conversations with policymakers, practitioners and academics.
In this, the first episode in the series, Ivica and Melita respond to the aid cuts announced in the UK and the US in the Spring of 2025 and ultimately ask is this the end of aid as we know it?
Joining them to discuss this are Helen Stawski, Head of Policy at Oxfam GB and Tamsyn Barton, who was recently Chief Commissioner at the Independent Commission for Aid Impact and currently sits on the Boards for the Institute for Development Studies and the Centre for Global Development.
Global Aid Rethink publishes fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 22nd April 2025 to 1st July.
Read the transcript here (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Global-Aid-Rethink-S1-E1-Transcript.pdf)
Episode credits:
Presenters: Ivica Petrikova (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivicapetrikova/), Royal Holloway, University of London and Melita Lazell, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melita-lazell/) Portsmouth University
Guests: Helen Stawski (https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-stawski-16647113/?originalSubdomain=uk) and Tamsyn Barton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsyn-barton-b6053250/?originalSubdomain=uk)
Producer: Catherine McDonald, Research Podcasts (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/)
Music: MFCC via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/)
Artwork and Audiograms: Krissie Brighty-Glover and Lauren White, Research Podcasts (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/)
This podcast was generously funded by the ESRC-funded Royal Holloway Social Science Impact Accelerator (https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-education/industry/working-with-us/social-science-impact-accelerator/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
14 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
Global Aid Rethink - Series Trailer
Global Aid Rethink aims to rethink the current global aid landscape; politically, historically and ideologically. With funding for development aid at its lowest for decades and the sustainable development goals related to aid significantly off-track, the question of whether we should give aid at all remains divisive as ever – and this podcast is not afraid to ask the difficult questions.
Hosted by Ivica Petrikova (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivicapetrikova/), an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Melita Lazell (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melita-lazell/), Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development at the University of Portsmouth, delivers in-depth conversations with policymakers, practitioners and academics.
Key themes up for discussion in the series include recent developments in the UK and US, aid as soft power, as neocolonialism, as extraction and in practice.
Global Aid Rethink publishes fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 22nd April 2025 to 1st July.
Read the transcript here (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Global-Aid-Rethink-Series-Trailer-Transcript.pdf)
This podcast was generously funded by the ESRC-funded Royal Holloway Social Science Impact Accelerator (https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-education/industry/working-with-us/social-science-impact-accelerator/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Inside a recent episode
Climate Finance and Social Justice: The Reality of a Just Transition
Published 29 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] So African populations have contributed round about 4% to global emissions, but nonetheless comprise around 17% of the world's population. And if you think in terms of 10%, the richest 10% of the global population have contributed 50% to global emissions, you can see the stark contrast here in terms of responsibility for the climate crisis in the first place. So this inherently really provokes these bigger political questions about responsibility and about the kinds of action and justice that are required in these transitions. And sometimes there are trade-offs. There are some areas, for example, where we can see green energy and the transitions as being actually married to developmental goals in terms of affordability and the abundant potential of green energy. […]
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
