Opinion Pieces – Debating Development Research

07/01/202507/01/2025

In Defense of Development Studies: Why “Global Development” Falls Short

By Alfredo Saad-Filho

There is a growing debate in academic circles about the merits of shifting from traditional Development Studies to a broader concept of “Global Development”. While proponents argue that this shift would better reflect the interconnected nature of our world, I believe that such a move would be detrimental to our field, our understanding of global differences and inequalities, and our ability to understand the dynamics of development.

19/12/2024

Story-Telling: A Method to Support Decolonising Knowledge for Development

By Peter Taylor

I have recently been working closely with a group of EADI members reflecting on the importance of “decolonising knowledge for development”. This is in response to our acknowledgement that social divides are driven by race, gender, religion, class and financial inequities. We know that knowledge is crucial in tackling multiple, intersecting crises grounded in, and amplifying, these divides. Yet, knowledge processes themselves are underpinned by historic, structural power asymmetries, inequities and inequalities. These inequalities are perpetuated through exclusion of many groups, communities and individuals from knowledge creation processes.

10/12/202414/01/2025

Where is UK Development Policy Headed Under the New Government?

By Andy Sumner / Part of the European Development Policy Outlook Series

Chancellor unmoved by cuts of aid budget

The headline is that the UK aid budget was cut by £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion). Despite the flags, it seems the Chancellor was unwilling or unable to provide additional funds to offset the billions of pounds of the UK’s aid budget spent on supporting refugees inside the UK. This makes her the first Labou r chancellor to cut aid below levels of a prior Conservative government.

05/12/202409/12/2024

Amidst Post-Colonial Continuities and Global Power Shifts: What Role for the IDOS Postgraduate Programme for Sustainability Cooperation?

By Simone Christ / part of our “Share your Decolonising Story” project

How can international cooperation ensure social, political, and economic transformations to shape sustainable futures in the context of geopolitical tensions? One crucial approach is to equip young professionals with competencies needed to become transformative change makers. The recent overhaul of the IDOS postgraduate programme reflects also broader efforts to decolonise knowledge.

03/12/2024

Trading with the ‘Jungle’: The European Union’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences

By Jan Orbie, Antonio Salvador Alcazar III and Tinus Sioen

The notions of ‘developing countries’ and ‘development cooperation’ have been waning in discourses by scholars, policymakers and civil society actors. At least rhetorically, the colonial and patronising nature of these notions has been recognised at the European Union (EU) level. For instance, the Development Commissioner has been rechristened as the ‘Commissioner of International Partnerships’ since 2019. In recent years, the EU has pursued plenty of ‘partnerships’ in areas such as climate, energy, trade and deforestation.