Relative to its size, Sweden is a significant aid donor and has long been recognised internationally for its strong commitment to development cooperation, particularly in areas such as poverty reduction, multilateralism, human rights, gender equality, and environmental and climate issues. At the same time, there is limited systematic knowledge of how Sweden is perceived as a development partner in low- and middle-income countries. EBA has therefore initiated a new study to deepen the knowledge of how Sweden is perceived as an aid donor and how these perceptions relate to Sweden’s ambitions and profile in development cooperation.
The study draws on the Listening to Leaders (LtL) dataset, which provides information on how different bilateral and multilateral aid donors are perceived by people in leadership positions across the public sector, civil society, the private sector, and academia, by actors that shape, influence, and implement policies in more than 140 low- and middle-income countries.
The study examines perceptions of Sweden’s development cooperation across three key dimensions measured in the LtL survey: Sweden’s perceived presence and visibility, or footprint; its perceived influence on policy priorities; and its perceived helpfulness in supporting reform processes.
The study also examines which factors are associated with these perceptions and the areas in which Sweden is perceived to perform better or worse than other bilateral and multilateral donors. In addition, it analyses how perceptions of Sweden have evolved over time, between 2014 and 2024, and how Sweden’s perceived footprint relates to the scale of its aid commitments.
The study can provide new insights into how Sweden is perceived as a development partner by actors in low- and middle-income countries and how its position compares with that of other aid donors. It can also contribute to a better understanding of the factors associated with Sweden being perceived as a relevant, influential, and a helpful partner. The findings can provide an evidence base for discussions about Sweden’s role and profile as an aid donor, including the extent to which these align with how Sweden is perceived in partner countries.
Authors:
Ana Horigoshi, Research Scientist, AidData
Narayani Sritharan, Senior Reserach analyst, AidData
Reference group chair: Niklas Bengtsson, Expert Group member
Project manager at EBA: Ravneet Singh