The DAC is dead, long live the DCF? A comparative analysis of the OECD development assistance committee and the UN development cooperation forum

Abstract

The establishment of the United Nations Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) is widely regarded as a major challenge for the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. While many observers expect the DAC’s development role in international development to be diminishing to the benefit of the DCF, no studies have been devoted to this topic. This article addresses the impact of the establishment of DCF on the DAC. Through a combination of semi-structured interviews, document analysis and participatory observations, we conduct a comparative analysis of both institutions to asses their input, output and throughput legitimacy. Our findings show that the DCF does not pose a threat to the DAC. We argue that (i) the debate has neglected the effectiveness and decision-making cultures of both institutions and (ii) the gap between the DAC and DCF in terms of inclusiveness has become less pronounced than is often suggested