Tertium Comparationis: Issue 1/2025, 31. Volume The power of knowledge in development cooperation: Allowing or limiting equal partnerships? German democracy promotion in Tanzania

This paper examines the role of knowledge in shaping partnerships between Northern and Southern actors in development cooperation. It presents a qualitative study assessing the German political foundations (GPFs) and their local partners’ cooperation in external democracy promotion in Tanzania. Based on a theoretical framework of knowledge as power, it challenges the notion of partnership at eye level. This is highlighted by how roles are allocated based on the GPFs and Tanzanian partners’ perceptions of access, availability, and quality of knowledge. The findings indicate that while the GPFs value local partners’ knowledge for context-sensitive democratization, they often see them as implementers of joint projects, or even as target groups of educational activities. Conversely, local partners appreciate learning about democracy from the GPFs while acknowledging their local influence. The study also highlights the mediating role of Tanzanian staff in GPF offices. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for cooperation practices in development cooperation on more equal terms and reflects on the author’s positionality in North-South research.

Keywords
Development cooperation, democracy promotion, German political foundations, Tanzania,knowledge hierarchies