Filling the Gaps: Lived Experiences from the Dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development

Abstract

The dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) eliminated the largest funder of humanitarian and development aid worldwide. Drawing on fifteen semi-structured interviews with former USAID staff members and contractors, this thesis documents the lived experiences of individuals through the dismantling. Former staff shared a professional ethos, a drive to make an impact through a commitment to the international development community. Despite experiencing the dismantling as an intentionally cruel and chaotic process, this professional ethos persisted. Staff turned inward to support colleagues and preserve institutional capacity, even at personal risk. Now, a flooded job market, the withdrawal of global partners, and the contraction of the broader field of international development have left the professional ethos of former staff without an institutional home. This thesis raises an enduring question of whether their professional ethos can persist amid the continued contraction of the international development field.