ABSTRACT
This chapter starts with an overview of European Union (EU) development policy, introducing its history, main themes, and policy actors as well as some key directions in scholarship. It explores the emergence of gender from the first attempts to integrate women’s issues in European development until present day. The chapter discusses some limitations within this scholarship, including a focus on decision-making and ‘policy on paper’ rather than on impact on the ground, as well as a compartmentalised and at times rather Eurocentric approach focused mainly on gender alone and on the European Commission as the key policy actor. It discusses how the EU is currently at a crossroad in a volatile global context and propose directions for future research. Development policy is implemented on the ground by 141 delegations and offices, representing the EU abroad and managing development and cooperation programmes in recipient countries.
