Zunera Rana
Biographic Data
| ID | 2211284 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Zunera Rana |
| GIVEN NAMES | Zunera |
| FAMILY NAME | Rana |
| SIGNATURE | RANA Z |
| AFFILIATIONS | Radboud University Nijmegen |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0457-7977 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The Blind Spots of Aid Evaluation
This study examines why some evaluation agencies and departments of bilateral aid donors report more unintended effects than others. It does so by analysing Belgian, Dutch and German evaluation practices. Using a comparative political economy approach, it evaluates the rigour and independence vis‐à‐vis implementers of their systems. Findings show that evaluation systems designed to actively detect unintended effects do identify more of them. Depa…
The Political Economy of Receiving Aid
In this introduction to the special issue, ‘The Political Economy of Receiving Aid’, we argue for moving beyond disciplinary silos and the narrow question of whether foreign aid is effective. Instead, we argue for better theorizing the political and economic impacts of the aid system on receiving societies. By aid system, we mean the complex network of relationships, norms and incentives between a broad constellation of actors and institutions, b…
From Catastrophe to Escape
This paper examines how individuals experience and respond to personal debt, arguing that debt is not merely a financial problem but a systemic issue that affects social relationships, moral worth, and health. Drawing on online forum posts, and grounded in Bourdieu's theory of capital, the paper introduces an expanded framework of ‘assets’ and ‘liabilities’—including economic, social, cultural, moral, and health aspects—to better understand debt …
Progress and pitfalls when evaluating the unintended effects of public policy
The study of unintended effects of policies is a key debate among evaluation scholars. Through complexity theory, we argue that unintended effects of (international) public actions are inevitable and question the reliability of evaluations in providing a correct and complete picture of public policy. We use a machine-learning-assisted text-mining case study approach, examining 254 programme evaluations of German international development cooperat…
Navigating the shift
This paper tackles the challenge of translating rhetoric into tangible actions within the Shift the Power debate, which advocates for greater decision-making authority, funding, and leadership for Southern organisations and aims for more equitable partnerships. The Power Awareness Tool (PAT) was developed to facilitate structured conversations in organisations on prevailing power inequalities and potential solutions. The PAT operates on the premi…
What happens to aid fungibility when the recipient government takes control? Effects of aid ownership in Rwanda
Why fungibility of development aid can be good news
This study investigates the link between fungibility and international aid effectiveness by combining quantitative and qualitative methods; using state-of-the-art statistical analysis with in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, it provides deeper insights into fungibility and its drivers. It uses a different starting point than most studies on fungibility, namely that fungibility might actually be quite positive to achieve Sustainable Develop…
Is it time to ‘decolonise’ the fungibility debate
Recent literature has established that development assistance is often fungible and that this is undesirable. In line with current efforts to ‘decolonise development studies’, we critically reflect on the underlying assumptions of this line of thinking. We establish a framework that differentiates between potential positive and negative fungibility. We hypothesise that recipient governments can redirect their own funds and achieve positive fungib…
Is it time to ‘decolonise’ the fungibility debate
Recent literature has established that development assistance is often fungible and that this is undesirable. In line with current efforts to ‘decolonise development studies’, we critically reflect on the underlying assumptions of this line of thinking. We establish a framework that differentiates between potential positive and negative fungibility. We hypothesise that recipient governments can redirect their own funds and achieve positive fungib…
Why fungibility of development aid can be good news
This study investigates the link between fungibility and international aid effectiveness by combining quantitative and qualitative methods; using state-of-the-art statistical analysis with in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, it provides deeper insights into fungibility and its drivers. It uses a different starting point than most studies on fungibility, namely that fungibility might actually be quite positive to achieve Sustainable Develop…
Is it time to ‘decolonise’ the fungibility debate
Recent literature has established that development assistance is often fungible and that this is undesirable. In line with current efforts to ‘decolonise development studies’, we critically reflect on the underlying assumptions of this line of thinking. We establish a framework that differentiates between potential positive and negative fungibility. We hypothesise that recipient governments can redirect their own funds and achieve positive fungib…
What happens to aid fungibility when the recipient government takes control? Effects of aid ownership in Rwanda
Progress and pitfalls when evaluating the unintended effects of public policy
The study of unintended effects of policies is a key debate among evaluation scholars. Through complexity theory, we argue that unintended effects of (international) public actions are inevitable and question the reliability of evaluations in providing a correct and complete picture of public policy. We use a machine-learning-assisted text-mining case study approach, examining 254 programme evaluations of German international development cooperat…
Navigating the shift
This paper tackles the challenge of translating rhetoric into tangible actions within the Shift the Power debate, which advocates for greater decision-making authority, funding, and leadership for Southern organisations and aims for more equitable partnerships. The Power Awareness Tool (PAT) was developed to facilitate structured conversations in organisations on prevailing power inequalities and potential solutions. The PAT operates on the premi…
The Blind Spots of Aid Evaluation
This study examines why some evaluation agencies and departments of bilateral aid donors report more unintended effects than others. It does so by analysing Belgian, Dutch and German evaluation practices. Using a comparative political economy approach, it evaluates the rigour and independence vis‐à‐vis implementers of their systems. Findings show that evaluation systems designed to actively detect unintended effects do identify more of them. Depa…
The Political Economy of Receiving Aid
In this introduction to the special issue, ‘The Political Economy of Receiving Aid’, we argue for moving beyond disciplinary silos and the narrow question of whether foreign aid is effective. Instead, we argue for better theorizing the political and economic impacts of the aid system on receiving societies. By aid system, we mean the complex network of relationships, norms and incentives between a broad constellation of actors and institutions, b…
From Catastrophe to Escape
This paper examines how individuals experience and respond to personal debt, arguing that debt is not merely a financial problem but a systemic issue that affects social relationships, moral worth, and health. Drawing on online forum posts, and grounded in Bourdieu's theory of capital, the paper introduces an expanded framework of ‘assets’ and ‘liabilities’—including economic, social, cultural, moral, and health aspects—to better understand debt …
International Development and Aid (5 works) · Economics (4 works) · Political science (4 works) · Aid effectiveness (3 works) · Development aid (3 works) · Fungibility (3 works) · Macroeconomics (3 works) · Politics (3 works) · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare (3 works) · Public economics (3 works)