From unconventional to ordinary? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the homogenizing effects of international development cooperation

The majority of the literature on new actors in development cooperation explores how these alter the field. This article presents a reverse case of how the strong homogenizing norms and principles of international development may turn an unconventional development actor into something quite conventional and more alike to well-established actors. Drawing on insights from institutional theory, it examines organizational changes in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from formation until today and argues that the foundation has progressed from a state of intentional isolation to one of actively engaging in and adhering to the field’s norm and principle-setting.