Development Studies as a
foundation for multidisciplinary advocacy,
teaching and research:
A personal perspective
Dr Edward Lahiff,
Trinity International
Development Initiative (TIDI)
Trinity College, Dublin
6th November 2009
Overview of Presentation
• A personal trajectory
• The discipline of development studies
• Development studies in Ireland
– Ireland and international development
– Development studies in the Irish higher
education system
A personal trajectory
• Development studies as a form of political
awareness
• UK
• South Africa
• Ireland
• Multidisciplinary formation, multidisciplinary
institutions, working on criticial development
issues in an integrated manner: e.g. chronic
poverty, natural resource rights, land reform.
International origins of development and
development studies
• The field of development emerged in the post-second
world war period, driven by two main processes:
decolonisation and the creation of an international system
of monetary and trade regulation (Bretton Woods).
• At the heart of development was the state, as an agent of
economic change, and the goal of the state (under various
ideological banners) was widely accepted to be economic
growth.
• Focus on raising productivity and integration into world
markets.
• With few exceptions, less attention was paid to what we
would today refer to as human development, including
mass education, health care, nutrition, redistribution,
equity (especially gender equity) or human rights.
Early days of development studies
• Development studies emerged in close relationship to official
programmes of (ex-) colonial and newly-independent states with
origins in training and bilateral technical assistance.
• An emphasis on economic development (i.e. growth) throughout
the 1950s and 1960s granted a central role with development
studies to the discipline of development economics
• Despite a strong orthodox position (consensus), development has,
from the outset, had its critics, many of them (in both the North
and the South) intellectuals or activists within the anti-colonial
struggles.
• These took up wider issues of political independence (e.g.
opposition to neo-colonialism), restructuring of the economy to
meet local needs (rather than the needs of the international
markets), the rights of workers and small farmers (peasants) and
social justice.
• Not all of these voices joined the new stream of development
studies, but remained, and continue to remain, in more established
disciplines - anthropology, geography, political science.
International variation - 1
• A handful of mostly European countries have been closely
identified with the emergence of development studies as a
discipline, notably the Netherlands, Sweden and, above all,
the United Kingdom.
• History of colonialism is undoubtedly a factor influencing
development studies in many countries, but is obviously not
decisive, as evidenced by the relatively low status of
development studies in countries such as Spain and Portugal
and high profile in the Nordic countries.
• A strong liberal (and/or social democratic) tradition and an
involvement in international affairs that goes beyond the
confines of colonialism and decolonisation (e.g. through aid
and peacekeeping) would appear to unite those northern
European countries where development studies is most
prominent.
International variation - 2
• In the United States and much of continental Europe,
the study of development has tended to be carried
out in traditional academic departments, under
headings such as area studies.
• In Asia and Africa, where the challenges of
development are generally more clearly identified,
more pressing and more closely linked to public
policy, distinct institutes of development studies (or
development planning) have emerged (e.g. India),
often linked closely to state planning efforts.
• A distinction between countries where development
studies is perceived as an international issue and
those where it is perceived to relate primarily to
domestic issues.
Prominence of the UK
• The UK stands out as the preeminent centre of
development studies as an academic discipline.
• Large and continuing expansion of dedicated centres and
departments within universities offering a range of degrees
and carrying out a wide range of research.
• The British tradition tends to be highly multidisciplinary,
albeit within well-established dedicated centres that
promote collaboration and emergence of new specialisms.
• Kothari (2005) and Bernstein (2005) highlight the diverse
origins of development studies academics in the UK, and
the rich synergies (and tensions) over many years between
critical social scientists, development practitioners and
policy advisors – colonial service vs. anti-colonials;
economists versus social scientists; practitioners versus
theorists.
Current international picture
• Development studies has struggled to define itself
and gain acceptance as a distinct academic discipline,
– due it large part to its overlap with other more traditional
disciplines, notably economics, political science, sociology
and geography,
– and its close links to the practice of development,
including consultancy, training and evaluation.
• Nonetheless, it is now well established with its own
departmental structures, centres of excellence,
vibrant journals and research assessments (linked to
research funding) in many countries, both North and
South.
International examples
Established centres with permanent academic staff
(including Chairs)
Commitment to research, teaching and policy/advocacy
work
Multidisciplinary within research/teaching teams, within
departments and within (international) partnerships (see
websites)
Institute of Development Studies (Brighton)
Institute of Social Studies (The Hague)
Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (Cape Town)
SOAS
Ireland and Development - 1
• In Ireland, development studies has come out of a very
different history, which relates to the nature of our
society, the nature of our universities the role of the Irish
state in international affairs.
• Historically, Ireland can be distinguished from other
western European countries on a number of grounds
–
–
–
–
Seen more as a (former) colony than a coloniser
Neutral (in second World War and subsequently)
As a relatively poor country (by western European standards)
Few if any strategic interests in the South
• As a result Ireland was relatively marginal to two great
processes that shaped development – decolonisation and
the shaping of the global (capitalist) economic order in
the latter half of the 20th century.
Ireland and Development - 1
• International aid and development did not emerge as
a major issue for the Irish state in the period 1950s1970s
• Hence, we see none of the investment in new
academic departments, chairs etc that occurred in
the UK at this time.
• By contrast, however, Irish society has engaged to an
extraordinary extend in international issues and
debates of a broadly developmental type,
– originally through the various Christian missionaries
– in recent decades, through a number of prominent
non-governmental organisations, which have
included large numbers of volunteer workers and
relied heavily on voluntary donations.
Ireland and Development - 2
• This involvement has long been concentrated in the
sectors of education and healthcare, for the
missionary organisation, and in famine relief, for the
NGOs, with some lesser attention to incomegenerating projects of various sorts.
• It has also been concentrated in particular regions of
the world, primarily Anglophone Africa and, to a
lesser extent, Latin America and India.
• The more overtly political (i.e. radical and critical)
positions on foreign policy and aid have been pushed
largely by non-state actors, including the trade
unions, the churches and civil society organisations,
particularly towards issues/regions such as Central
America, South Africa and Palestine.
Ireland and Development - 3
• Recent decades have seen considerable evolution of the
Irish development sector
– Steep decline in the role of Irish missionaries
– the professionalization of the major NGOs
– a greatly enhanced role for the state through its official
development assistance programme.
• Particularly important is the major support for the work
of Irish-based NGOs through MAPS and the Civil Society
Fund, which recognises the important role played by
these organisation while also aligning with ‘best practice’
in current developmental thinking.
• The result is a distinctive Irish approach to development,
partially converging on western European norms, but
retaining clear characteristics inherited from its past.
Development studies in Ireland
• Over the past 20 years, development education (‘dev ed’)
has grown dramatically but the growth of the discipline
of development studies has lagged behind.
• Within the HEIs we find a wide range of development
activities by individual academic but few dedicated
development centres / departments (notably UCD and
KDSC).
• In addition, a considerable amount of cooperation occurs
between individual academics / researchers and the
development agencies (inc. Irish Aid), but this is largely in
the form of consultancy. It is questionable how much of
this work finds its way back into teaching and researcher
training.
• Also, until very recently, a lack of formal links with
academic institutions (as opposed to individuals).
Development studies in Ireland- 2
• Centre for Global Education (2008) identified total of 70
courses at undergraduate level of which only 1/2 are full
degrees, under nine subject areas but predominantly
geography, politics and sociology.
• CGE more positive about development studies at postgraduate level
• KDSC, NUIM, UCC (x2), UCD (x2, 3 include Humanitarian
action), UL and DCU all have master’s-level courses with a
clear development studies focus; plus a range of others (at M.
and Dip. Levels) in globalisation, Dev Ed, international law,
gender studies etc that have strong dev studies components.
• 13 modules in teacher training /courses (north and south) and
at least two M. courses with a strong Dev. Ed focus, across five
institutions.
Development studies in Ireland- 3
– ‘Opportunities remain scattered across a range
of disciplines … a gap in the tertiary provision
of undergraduate degrees on development
studies … It appears that the flexibility and
multi-disciplinary basis of international
development is hampering its emergence as a
singular mainstream area of study in Irish HEIs
Rather … has become an offshoot of other
social sciences’ (CGE 2008: 31).
Ireland and development studies - 4
• Lack of clear programmes of research, particularly at PhD and
post-doc levels, and no little evidence of PhD training until
2009.
• Examples of collaboration between the larger NGOs and
academics, or academic departments, but we know less about
independent research by academics.
• No career path – most academics remain employed in
‘traditional’ disciplines, moving sideways into development
studies; few if any positions are created or advertised in the
field.
• Some recent networks such as DERN in NUIG and TIDI in TCD,
and new courses, point to some limited innovation in the
sector.
• Limited debate or reflection on the current or future status of
the discipline
• No regular journal of development studies for Ireland and
limited contribution to the international literature.
Ireland and development studies - 3
• Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and
Higher Education and Research Institutes 2007-11 has the
potential to change this, but only if major new institutional
development occurs.
• Challenge is to move beyond time-bound collaborations and
project-based activities towards more open-ended and
innovative partnerships, especially those that will foster
interdisciplinary research and training.
• The experience from the UK would suggest that the building
of truly multi-disciplinary approaches requires people to step
out of their ‘home’ disciplines and, over an extended period
of time, explore and develop new types of collaboration – not
one offs, but repeat, long-term partnerships.
• This requires dedicated spaces, not dominated by any one
of the constituent disciplines of dev studies and
Way Forward / Priorities
• Establishment of centres of excellence in development studies, with a
sound (sustainable) institutional base
• Reliable sources of funding specifically for research in development
studies
• Programmes of multi-disciplinary and internationally collaborative
programmes that contribute to Irish and international debates
• Career paths for scholars who see development studies as their
primary discipline and who want to specialise
• Need to strengthen the integration of undergraduate, post-graduate
and PhD/post-doctoral studies, which is missing at present.
• More linkages between institutions of development studies,
development agencies and policy makers, but without weakening
the critical perspective
• We need to build on the many personal linkages that all ready exist,
both within Ireland and internationally, and especially with HEIs in
developing countries
• Finally, we should seek greater synergies among ourselves as Irish
organisations, especially within higher education
Conclusions
• Many of the components of a discipline of development
studies are already present in the Irish context, with plenty of
good will towards it and strong interest from students
• It is now up to the academics themselves to take it to the next
level, by institutionalising the discipline, securing long-term
funding and making it both high quality and relevant in its
teaching, research and policy work.
• The Irish Aid funding has pushed us in the right direction with
a range of new partnerships, both within Ireland and in the
developing world.
• It would be a wasted opportunity if we didn’t build on this
and seek synergies that would endure, even in these difficult
times.
• In essence, a new relationship is needed between teaching
and research in the universities and the enormous efforts
being put into development by state and non-state actors.
References
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Bernstein, Henry 2005, ‘Development Studies and the Marxist’, in Kothari, U. (ed.) A Radical History of Development Studies:
Individuals, Institutions and Ideologies. Zed Books: London.
Centre for Global Education (CGE), 2008, Development Education in the Tertiary Sector in the North and South of Ireland.
Centre for Global Education, Belfast.
Chambers, R. 2004, Ideas for development: reflecting forwards. IDS Working Paper 238, IDS, Brighton.
Coles, A. and El-Bushra, J. 2002, ’Is “Development Studies” a discipline or a pig’s ear? Some thoughts on the 2001 UK
Research Assessment Exercise. Development in Practice, 12 (5).
Cowen, M. and Shenton, R. 1996, Doctrines of Development. Routledge, London.
Edward, M. 1989, ‘The irrelevance of development studies. Third World Quarterly 11.
Escobar, A. 1995, Encountering Development: the making and unmaking of the Third World. Princeton University Press.
Ferguson, J. 1990, The anti-politics machine: "development," depoliticization, and bureaucratic power in Lesotho. University
of Minnesota Press.
Harris, J. 2002, ‘The case for cross-disciplinary approaches in international development. World Development 30.
Hickey, S. ‘The return of politics in development studies 1: getting lost within the poverty agenda?’. Progress in Development
Studies 8 (4).
Hulme, D. and Toye, J. 2006, ‘The case for cross-disciplinary social science research on poverty, inequality and well-being’.
Journal of Development Studies 42 (7).
** Khoo, S. and Lehane,O. 2008, ‘Globalisation and the Re-imagination of Research: Teaching and Learning in Irish Higher
Education’. Policy and Practice 7.
Kothari, U. 2005, ‘A Radical History of Development Studies: Individuals, Institutions and Ideologies’, in Kothari, U. (ed.) A
Radical History of Development Studies: Individuals, Institutions and Ideologies. Zed Books: London.
Leys, C. 1996, The rise and fall of development theory. James Currey, London.
Oxenham, J. 2006 (orig. 1980), ‘Should development studies be taught in Britain?. IDS Bulletin 37 (4).
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Thank you
Ireland and Development - 4
• Underpinning Irish approaches to development is a strong
ethical and humanitarian dimension - emphasis on poverty
eradication, food security, gender, HIV/AIDS, and
environment.
• In recent decades there has emerged a more broad human
rights discourse, with considerable backing from the Irish
government in forums such as the United Nations, and
boosted by high-profile individuals such as Mary Robinson.
• Irish aid policy widely praised for its effectiveness and for
being untied – not linked to strategic intersts.
• Indeed, there it could be argued that aid and development
have become central planks of Ireland’s foreign policy.