This book analyses the complex relationship between the private sector, UK official development aid (ODA) and poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa. In recent years, the private sector has occupied an increasingly prominent position within UK ODA, bringing a range of opportunities and conflicting interests. This book firstly traces the trajectory of private sector engagement in ODA, before setting out the theoretical and analytical framework for analysing the mutual prosperity agenda in UK ODA – the notion that ODA can benefit both donor and beneficiary country interests. By extending corporate social responsibility theory (in the emerging field of business and development studies) to ODA, the book critiques the underlying assumptions contained within UK ODA-multinational corporation partnerships. With reference to three case studies GlaxoSmithKline plc., Barclays plc., and Anheuser-Busch InBev (formerly SABMiller), the book identifies where the activities of multinational corporations support and/or undermine ODA goals and the implications for the UK’s mutual prosperity agenda. Overall, the book reflects a pragmatic approach to maximising the role of private sector actors in ODA, whilst also drawing attention to the opportunities and challenges in the mutual prosperity agenda. The book will be of interest to researchers from business management, development studies and political science, as well as to practitioners with an interest in the role of the private sector in ODA.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. The transition to more just and sustainable development requires radical change across a wide range of areas and particularly within the nexus between learning and work. This book takes an expansive view of vocational education and training that goes beyond the narrow focus of much of the current literature and policy debate. Drawing on case studies across rural and urban settings in Uganda and South Africa, the book offers a new way of seeing this issue through an exploration of the multiple ways in which people learn to have better livelihoods. Crucially, it explores learning that takes place informally online, within farmers' groups, and in public and private educational institutions. Offering new insights and ways of thinking about this field, the book draws out clear implications for theory, policy and practice in Africa and beyond.