Development Studies – 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.

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.

30/09/2024

Decolonising International Research Collaborations Requires us to go Beyond the “Ts and Cs Apply” Approach

By Eyob Balcha Gebremariam

In February 2024, I found myself at a pivotal moment in the academic landscape, attending a regional network launching event of “Africanist researchers” at one of the UK universities. The room was a microcosm of diverse academic, cultural, gender, and racial backgrounds, all converging with a common purpose to establish a network of researchers. The organisers set ambitious objectives, including partnering to co-develop research proposals, recruiting more African students to their respective regional universities, and providing capacity-building support for Africa-based partners. This was the backdrop against which I observed the dynamics of coloniality, power and privilege that underpin such collaborations.

03/09/202403/09/2024

The Future of Development Studies – Further Discussions Needed

By Anisa Muzaffar and Sana Kainat Moyeen

The recent workshop “Unity in Diversity? Reflecting on the Future of Development Studies provided a fascinating platform for debates that brought to life the four broad schools of thought underpinning contemporary Development Studies. The four broad schools of thought referenced here are drawn from a paper by Andy Sumner in the European Journal of Development Research, with the diagram below visualising these respective schools. It was compelling to see how the discussions evolved within these four broad schools, revealing a rich tapestry of perspectives. Despite the diversity of opinions, the conversations underscored the critical importance of these debates in shaping the future of Development Studies discourse.

06/08/202407/08/2024

The Future of Development Studies: Unity in Diversity?

By Caroline Cornier

The idea of progress falls under what anthropologist Anna Tsing designates as ‘unity’, a ‘unified coordination of time’, a singular beat. The recent workshop “Unity in Diversity – The Future of Development Studies” raised questions whether the discipline should move on to study the world’s consonant ‘global challenges’ or rather continue focusing on the specific rhythms and trajectories of ‘late developers’.