Report maps Brazil's international cooperation initiatives

The new report from the research Brazilian Cooperation for International Development (Cobradi) has just been published by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea). The book, however, is just one of the many products of this research, which, in its 2021-2024 cycle, presented a series of innovations, mainly related to the methodology adopted. The study was coordinated by Fiocruz Brasília researcher Rafael Schleicher during his time at Ipea.

Cobradi has been published regularly since 2010 and its current edition is considered to be the largest research on International Development Cooperation (IDC) ever carried out in Brazil: after sending out dozens of invitation letters, almost 400 phone calls, more than 600 emails and a hundred meetings, a record 82 participating institutions were reached. Throughout the study, 8,057 ICD initiatives were mapped, totaling an annual expenditure of over R$ 6.6 billion.

To a greater or lesser extent, this amount refers to various types of ICD, including Brazil's mandatory and voluntary contributions to multilateral organizations and other international entities, especially the New Development Bank (NDB); partnerships with public and private institutions in other countries; hospital stays for foreigners funded by Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS) and assistance to refugees; enrollment of foreign students in public higher education in Brazil; Brazilian participation in international research networks; and other forms of scientific and educational cooperation in Brazil in its South-South and South-North relations.

More in line with the 2030 Agenda, the new research further allows identifying the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which Brazilian initiatives have contributed the most. These are SDG 17 (strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development); SDG 9 (build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation); SDG 8 (promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all); and SDG 4 (ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all).

The scale of the outcomes is largely the result of Cobradi's innovations in its 2021-2024 cycle. "We have made a complete change to the Brazilian methodology, which is now in line with the metrics of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD/DAC) and the new metrics for South-South Cooperation of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)," says Schleicher.

The new methodology set six central variables for the research. Data was collected on international cooperation initiatives by responsible institutions; SDG; economic-industrial sector; international cooperation modality; international cooperation arrangement; and implementation channel. These variables were quantified by the number of initiatives and direct and indirect spending, in addition to other efforts made to describe and detail each cooperation initiative of the participating institutions – all federal institutions from the three branches of government, as well as institutions from Brazilian states, were invited to take part.

To collect the data, different research techniques were used simultaneously, such as exploring public databases, structured forms and complementary interviews. The recently published report compiles, systematizes and analyzes the data collected, but the proposal is to disseminate all that has been produced by the research, such as technical notes, articles, forms, guides, manuals, presentations, etc., as well as Cobradi's databases, so that other analyses and new uses can be enhanced.

In the same vein, the research communication includes not only official and academic events and publications, but also alternative formats, such as social media posts, infographics, videos and other strategies that enable dialogue with different segments of the public. It is worth noting that, to promote this engagement, Cobradi's preliminary report was open to comments from the participating institutions and society as a whole, and the suggestions and criticisms received contributed to increasing the quality of the final report.

This final version, now published, is made up of four chapters. The first presents an overview of the new methodology; the second, aimed especially at public policymakers and decision-makers, provides a quick look at the main research data and trends in Brazilian higher education; the third goes into greater depth and details the data collected; and finally, the fourth chapter is thematic and deals with the internationalization of Brazilian higher education institutions. "We expect that Cobradi's report will be an important source of evidence for linking the global agenda and the national development priorities of Brazil and its partners," the coordinator emphasizes.

More information at Cobradi's website.