Fragmented Governance, Shared Norms: Navigating Regime Complexity in Aid Data Governance

This study examines the evolution of transnational aid data governance through an in-depth analysis of the OECD Creditor Reporting System and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. Conceptualizing data governance as a socio-technical and politically contested process, it explores how the norms of aid transparency and aid effectiveness have diffused globally, and how reporting standards have emerged and become institutionalized within the fragmented architecture of international development cooperation. The study highlights how regime complexity, characterized by overlapping mandates, institutional tensions, and competing mechanisms, has shaped the trajectory of aid data governance. The findings demonstrate that aid data governance is driven not only by technical rationales and functional imperatives but also by political interests and institutional dynamics. Drawing on qualitative case analysis, the study identifies persistent challenges in aligning transparency norms with reporting practices. It calls for a multidisciplinary approach to future research and for adaptive, interoperable frameworks tailored to post-2030 development agendas.