On 14 December 2023, the Swedish government introduced a new policy for Swedish development cooperation: the reform agenda Bistånd för en ny era. The agenda faced criticism from various Swedish organisations active in the field and questions about the future of aid efforts were raised. This study aims to explore the difficulties surrounding international aid in relation to the reform agenda and the government’s thematic priorities. To achieve a deeper understanding of the content, the methodological approach is a qualitative content analysis of Bistånd för en ny era. With the intention of creating broader knowledge of the dynamic processes of development work, the complexity theory is applied to the government’s descriptions of Swedish aid efforts.

The study concludes that the governments nationalistic tendencies, both ideologically and in terms of how nationalism has affected Swedish politics and the international co-operation. The government relies heavily on the synergies between trade and aid, a greater focus on resultsoriented aid, democracy and human rights. According to the reform agenda, all of these should work towards sustainable global development. However, the results reveal several difficulties in achieving the government’s ambitions for development co-operation. The primary challenges revolve around the measurement of results in aid interventions, relations within development co-operation and local ownership. In addition, the study finds that Swedish interests and objectives characterise the reform agenda. Consequently, the agenda shows a lack of understanding of the complex phenomenon of aid, where the absence of local ownership is apparent.