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Volunteerism or Tourism? Teaching English in Developing Countries
Pinkavová, Zuzana ; Rynda, Ivan (advisor) ; Šremer, Pavel (referee)
This diploma thesis addresses the phenomenon of volunteerism in the form of teaching English in the so-called developing countries. The focus is especially on its direct form, without the mediation of any third party, where people from the Global North arrange their volunteer stays directly with the people from the Global South whom they then visit and teach English as volunteers. The main objective of this thesis is to determine whether this form of volunteerism is beneficial and if so then who benefits from it to what extent and in what way. My research provides a critical analysis of this phenomenon through a review of literature concerned with the broader context of this topic and qualitative research which consists of two parts. First, I have conducted field research in Ecuador where I have taught English as a volunteer in a local school. Then I have conducted semi-structured interviews with volunteers from the Global North who had participated in similar volunteer stays in the Global South. Through this research, I have come to the conclusion that the described form of volunteerism can be very beneficial for all its participants if it is well established. However, its main benefit lies not in the improvement of the level of local English but in its potential of supporting intercultural...
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Chinese development assistance in Central Asia
Mlíková, Anna ; Ficek, František (advisor) ; Horálek, Adam (referee)
This bachelor thesis examines Chinese development assistance in Central Asia, specifically in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Over the past few years China has become the largest donor in the region, which contributes to China's growing influence. This thesis sets out to explain political motives of Chinese development assistance and analyse Chinese projects in the countries. In this thesis I explain the traditional concepts of development aid and the Chinese alternative, I also describe the development of foreign relations of the People's Republic of China with the countries of Central Asia, and Chinese activities and interests in the region. In my own analysis, I examine the allocation of Chinese development assistance by sector, and total amount of funding distributed according to traditional and Chinese definitions of development cooperation. The main result of this thesis is that the provision of Chinese development assistance in the region is determined primarily by China's own strategic and political interests, rather than altruistic interest in economic growth and improvement of living conditions in the countries of interest. Key words: development assistance, China, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, political influence, Belt and Road Initiative
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Islamization of Development Assistance of the States of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Kosovo
Volný, Vít ; Jelen, Libor (advisor) ; Drobík, Tomáš (referee)
This thesis deals with the developmental assistance and humanitarian aid from the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Kosovo. The goal is to understand what role plays a religion plays in developmental assistance and humanitarian aid in Kosovo. This thesis investigates the forms in which the process of Islamization of development assistance occurs, and how civil society and states cope with it. Methodologically, the author employs the principles of a case study: qualitative research was conducted in Kosovo using the methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviews. The thesis covers the development projects of GCC organisations and agencies and will show that religion has a key influence on these efforts. Regarding the practices used in Kosovo, the author shows that the states of GCC use development assistance and humanitarian aid as a mean of spreading religious teachings and beliefs of the Gulf region. Kosovo society has not been immune to these activities and Salafism (and in minority Jihadism) has gained followers in the Muslim community. However, the thesis shows that since 2014 with the help of the state structures, radical Islam has been on the decline while the GCC organisations spreading it, are no longer operational in Kosovo. Key words: development assistance,...
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Non-Government Organizations as external "suppliers" of social policy in states where is not social policy of their own
Yaklyushyna, Oleksandra ; Frič, Pavol (advisor) ; Tomášková, Vladimíra (referee)
The effectiveness of development cooperation is currently widely discussed. Development cooperation has come to be criticized, both in terms of its appropriateness and for failing to address some of the global challenges that affect poorer nations. Respecting the differences of developing countries, therefore, plays an important role. It is a question of whether developed countries are aware of cultural and other differences and are proceeding in their help concerning these differences. The problem that the thesis wants to draw attention to is the functionality of development cooperation, which can be influenced by various actors and their beliefs. The main goal is to try to explain, using the theory named Advocacy Coalition Framework, how the beliefs of actors can affect development cooperation. One of the other partial goals is to find out whether and how advocacy coalitions are formed in the field of development cooperation. The contribution of the work is mainly the critical application of the ACF theory in the field of development cooperation in the environment of the Republic of Kenya, as well as the application of the Q method in the research of the perspectives of selected actors. According to the author, the work can also have other benefits such as providing a new perspective on the issue of...
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Humans of Lusanja. Anthropological study of development cooperation in Uganda.
Havlová, Nikola ; Soukup, Václav (advisor) ; Půtová, Barbora (referee)
The diploma thesis focuses on the development cooperation and implementation of projects in local cultures using example of Ugandan community from the Lusanja village. The aim of this thesis is to describe the impact of development cooperation on the community and its expectations, to map the dialogue among the various actors of the project and to provide feedback to the Western non-profit organizations from the local culture. Based on field research conducted using ethnographic methods, the thesis brings an emic perspective of the local community to the Western idea of development cooperation. The emic perspective is mostly omitted from the development discourse, eventhough it could significantly affect the sustainability of implemented projects in developing countries. The thesis also covers the daily life of the Lusanja people. Key words: development cooperation, local community, NGOs, Uganda, sustainable development, ethnographic research
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Development cooperation as a foreign policy instrument: EU vs. China in Africa
Kreidl, Dominik ; Knutelská, Viera (advisor) ; Plechanovová, Běla (referee)
The main topic of this thesis is the use of development cooperation as an instrument of foreign policy of the People's Republic of China (China) and the European Union (EU) in Africa. The aim of this diploma thesis was to find out whether the development cooperation policy of China, respectively the EU with African countries, is motivated rather by pragmatic or normative interests. In order to answer this research question, a qualitative content analysis was applied, in which the documents of these two actors were examined. The main theoretical concept of this diploma thesis is the concept of normative power, which served as an indicator of normative interests. In the case of the EU, the hypothesis that the EU would primarily act as a normative power in development cooperation, i.e. that it would be interested in disseminating its norms in the international system, has not been confirmed. The results of the content analysis reveal that pragmatic interests prevail in the development cooperation between the EU and African countries. In the case of China's involvement in development cooperation, the results of the analysis reveal that the main motivations within this policy are mainly normative interests, i.e. the interests of disseminating its norms in the international politics.
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Development aid and the need for exit strategies: Case of the Czech Republic and Serbia
Leškovská, Ludmila ; Werkman, Kateřina (advisor) ; Bruner, Tomáš (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to provide a deeper understanding of exit strategies within the development studies and the development community. The exit of financial aid by donors from developing countries have large effects on the recipients. Modern donors are facing the challenge of how to effectively exit a partner country without affecting the sustainability of their intervention, their relationship with the partner and the economic and social impact on the beneficiaries. For this purpose, modern donors establish exit strategies to guide their processes. Czech Republic as a new modern donor is aiming to increase its effectivity of development cooperation. However, when exiting partner countries such as Serbia, it does not follow an exit strategy. This thesis tries to analyse how the process of exit of the Czech Republic can be used to argue for the need of exit strategies, and what lessons can be learned from past exits.
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Partnership in Development - A case study of USAID and Sida
Zemanová, Nikola ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Weiss, Tomáš (referee)
This bachelor thesis deals with the topic of partnership in development cooperation. In particular, partnerships between development cooperation providers are nowadays being discussed very often, as this type of partnership is playing an increasingly important role in achieving global goals. However, the ambiguity of the concept remains a problem, which is reflected in the uncertainty of translating the theoretical engagements resulting from the partnership into practice. The bachelor thesis examines the issue of partnership between development co-providers at the theoretical level, and contains a case study to provide answers to questions about the importance and possible need to conclude international partnerships. The case study is based on two major development agencies: USAID (International Agency for International Development) and Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) whose Power Africa Partnership established a successful Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia project exploration. The Power Africa initiative is basically one of the largest public-private partnerships in the history of development cooperation.
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