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Why do we need Solidarity in Development Studies

By Kees Biekart | EADI/ISS Blog Series

The next EADI Development Studies conference is about “Solidarity, Peace and Social Justice”. But what does solidarity actually mean in relation to development studies?

Let’s assume development essentially comes down to a process of social change. Or better, a wide range of connected processes of social change. We can think of female textile workers in Bangladesh trying to unionise, even though the employers try to prevent this. Or we can think of measures to deal with massive flooding in the Bangladeshi deltas, washing away many houses of these textile workers’ families. Continue reading “Why do we need Solidarity in Development Studies”

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Small Organisations: A Challenge for Monitoring and Evaluation

By Diego da Silva Rodrigues

To monitor and evaluate public and social policies is a key element of the development agenda. More and more, governments and international organisations tend to make their choices based on evidence, in order to identify the best and most cost-efficient options among a massive amount of programmes which are all aiming to improve people’s lives. Continue reading “Small Organisations: A Challenge for Monitoring and Evaluation”

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5 Things that will Frustrate the Heck out of you when studying International Development

By Stella Yoh

International Development is our passion – that’s why we’re all here. It’s what keeps us going through these late nights and grey London days.

But let’s face it, it’s not always a fun ride. As fulfilling as it is, studying International Development can be a real struggle, and if you haven’t had an existential crisis by now, you sure as hell have one coming your way.

Continue reading “5 Things that will Frustrate the Heck out of you when studying International Development”

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Why a decolonial lens must be at the heart of all those who claim to research and teach “development”

By Julia Schöneberg  

My research focusses on decolonial approaches to knowledge production and pedagogy, especially in the context of “development”. Development is a contested term that has been filled with different, sometime contradictory meanings. I am convinced that one cannot meaningfully speak about “development” without seriously considering critique and arguments brought forward by decolonial scholarship. Essentially, this means to acknowledge and to confront the ongoing impacts and legacies of colonial rule in all realms of academia, society and politics. Continue reading “Why a decolonial lens must be at the heart of all those who claim to research and teach “development””

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Faith as Inspiration for Politics and Development

By Henning Melber 

Designs and practices of developmental cooperation continue to maintain an almost exclusive focus on aspects of physical and economic well-being. While these are important necessary dimensions, such reduced perspective neglects the important spiritual source of individual mindsets in human beings. After all, resilience as one of the most important motivating sources of energy for survival, is strongly inspired by spiritual dimensions of belief systems. Facing misery with a determination to not give up and accept the daily challenges requires hope. Religion, or rather faith, is a substantial ingredient to survival. It therefore should not be ignored as a key element in efforts to bring about better living conditions for people in need. Continue reading “Faith as Inspiration for Politics and Development”