National System of International Aid Provision: an Analytical Framework

This article develops a conceptual framework for analyzing national systems of international aid provision. It proposes an original definition of such systems that accounts for the multidimensional nature of this phenomenon and the plurality of actors and roles in the twenty-first century. The novelty of the approach lies in prioritizing specialization in aid-related activities. Dividing all elements into specialized and unspecialized allows for an abstract model of the aid system as a totality of two closely interconnected subsystems: (1) bodies of state and municipal governance and legal entities established and/or controlled by them; (2) private entities and individuals. Within each subsystem, a core – comprising inner and outer zones – and a periphery are distinguished. These zones differ in the degree of specialization of their elements and in their “temperature”, that is, the intensity of interaction. The central and “hottest” area is the inner core, which includes a bridge of hybrid structures belonging simultaneously to both subsystems. The article differentiates between unspecialized and specialized elements, drawing on examples from foreign states and the Russian Federation, and identifies three key flows for system functioning: financial resources, personnel, and signals. It analyzes the circulation of these flows within the system and between the system and its external environment and systematizes empirically observable forms of interaction between different types of elements. The findings contribute to the development of a methodology for case-oriented and cross-country studies of international aid systems, including their specific features, functioning, and adaptation to shocks of different origins and scales.

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