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Information about Development Studies

Development studies is a multidisciplinary branch of social science which addresses issues of concern to developing countries. It has historically placed a particular focus on issues related to social and economic development, and its relevance may therefore extend to communities and regions outside of the developing world.

Development studies is offered as a specialised Master's degree in a number of universities, and, less commonly, as an undergraduate degree. It has grown in popularity as a subject of study since the early 1990s, and has been most widely taught and researched in the third world and in countries with a colonial history, such as the UK, where development studies originated.[1]

Students of development studies often choose careers in international organisations such as the United Nations or the World Bank, non-governmental organisations, private sector development consultancy firms, and research centres.

Disciplines of development studies

Development studies is a broad field united primarily by thematic concentration. It encompasses and involves a variety of disciplines, including:

History

The emergence of development studies as an academic discipline in the second half of the twentieth century is in large part due to increasing concern about economic prospects for the third world after decolonisation. In the immediate post-war period, development economics, a branch of economics, arose out of previous studies in colonial economics. By the 1960s, an increasing number of development economists felt that economics alone could not fully address issues such as political effectiveness and educational provision.[2] Development studies arose as a result of this, initially aiming to integrate ideas of politics and economics. Since then, it has become an increasingly inter- and multi-disciplinary subject, encompassing a variety of social scientific fields.

The era of modern development is commonly deemed to have commenced with the inauguration speech of Harry S. Truman in 1949. In Point Four of his speech, with reference to Latin America and other poor nations, he said that "for the first time in history, humanity possess[ed] the knowledge and skill to relieve the suffering of these people.".[3] But development studies has since also taken an interest in lessons of past development experiences of Western countries.

Debates

Main article: Development criticism


Despite the orthodox view of Development as relating to the process of increasing the relative and absolute wealth of LDCs, usually through notions of increased output of either industrial or agricultural goods, many academics, e.g. Gilbert Rist and Stefan Andreasson, dispute that Development has any meaning within this context. They contend that Development of LDCs to the wealth levels of the richer OECD nations, using extractive production and trading processes similar to those of OECD nations, is untenable because of the ecological and environmental damage which would ensue.[4] The argument for a completely new paradigm of Development has validity for many observers and academics.

Noted academics

See also

References

1. ^ Kothari, U. (ed), A Radical History of Development Studies: Individuals, Institutions and Ideologies
2. ^ Kothari, U. (ed), A Radical History of Development Studies: Individuals, Institutions and Ideologies
3. ^ Rist, G., The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith
4. ^ Andreasson, S., Accumulation and Growth to What End?

International development studies journals

  • Development
  • Development and Change
  • Development in Practice
  • Development Policy Review
  • European Journal of Development Research
  • IDS Bulletin
  • Journal of Development Studies
  • Journal of Human Development
  • Journal of International Development
  • Oxford Development Studies
  • Progress in Development Studies
  • Population and Development Review
  • Public Administration and Development
  • Third World Quarterly
  • World Development
  • IS

Further reading

  • Clark, D.A. (ed.) (2006), The Elgar Companion to Development Studies, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
  • Chenery, H. and Srinivasan, T.N. (eds), (1988), Handbook of Development Economics, Elseiver, Amsterdam.
  • Toye, J. (1987), Dilemmas of Development, Blackwell, Oxford.
  • Sen, A.K. (1984), Resources, Values and Development, Basil Blackwell, Oxford.
  • Sen, A.K. (1999), Development As Freedom, Knopf, Harvard.
  • Streeten, P. (1995), Thinking About Development, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

External links

Academic departments

Institutes

Interdisciplinarity is the act of drawing from and integrating two or more academic disciplines, professions, technologies, departments, their methods and insights, in the pursuit of a common goal.
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The social sciences are a group of academic disciplines that study human aspects of the world. They diverge from the arts and humanities in that the social sciences tend to emphasize the use of the scientific method in the study of humanity, including quantitative and qualitative
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developing country has a relatively low standard of living, an undeveloped industrial base, and a moderate to low Human Development Index (HDI) score. In developing countries, there is low per capita income, widespread poverty, and low capital formation.
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Social change (or Social development) is a general term which refers to:
  • change in the nature, the social institutions, the social behaviour or the social relations of a society, community of people, or other social structures.

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Economic development is the development of economic wealth of countries or regions for the well-being of their inhabitants. From a policy perspective, economic development can be defined as efforts that seek to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for a community by
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original research or unverifiable claims.
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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Headquarters
(and largest city)
Official languages Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Membership 192 member states
Leaders
 -  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Establishment
 - 
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The World Bank (the Bank) is a part of the World Bank Group (WBG), is a bank that makes loans to developing countries for development programs with the stated goal of reducing poverty.
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non-governmental organization (NGO) is a legally constituted organization created by private persons or organizations with no participation or representation of any government.
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In the humanities and social sciences, area studies are interdisciplinary fields of research and scholarship pertaining to a particular geographical, national/federal, or cultural region.
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Demography is the statistical study of all populations. It can be a general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic population, that is, one that changes over time or space (see population dynamics).
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Development theory is a conglomeration of theories about how desirable change in society is best to be achieved. Such theories draw on a variety of social scientific disciplines and approaches.
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Development economics is a branch of economics which deals with economic aspects of the development process in low-income countries. Its focus is on methods of promoting economic growth but also of realizing individual potential for the mass of the population, for example, through
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Development anthropology refers to the application of anthropological perspectives to the multidisciplinary branch of development studies. It takes international development and international aid as primary objects.
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Development geography is the study of the Earth's geography and its relationship with economic development.
It is very closely related to economic geography and development economics.
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Development management deals with the coordination and management processes of international development programs and projects. The dominant paradigm in development management is the intervention in the form of a transfer of aid by an external agency/donor and the oversight of the related
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Economic history is the study of how economic phenomena evolved in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using historical methods and statistical methods, sometimes to test economic theories.
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Sociology (from Latin: socitus, "companion"; and the suffix -ology, "the study of", from Greek λόγος, lógos, "knowledge") is the systematic and scientific study of society and societal behavior.
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Political history is the narrative and analysis of political events, ideas, movements, and leaders.[1] It is usually structured around the nation state.
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Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. Although the term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, politics is observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious
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International relations, a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and
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Women's studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to topics concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. It often includes feminist theory, women's history (e.g.
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Demographics refers to selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research. (Note the distinction from demography, see below.
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Ecology (also known as Oekologie, Okology, or Oekology[1],from Greek: οίκος, oikos, "household"; and λόγος, logos
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Pedagogy (IPA: /ˈpɛdəgoʊdʒi/) , the art or science of being a teacher, generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction.
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original research or unverifiable claims.
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* It needs to be expanded.

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Decolonization refers to the undoing of colonialism, the establishment of governance or authority through the creation of settlements by another country or jurisdiction.
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Development economics is a branch of economics which deals with economic aspects of the development process in low-income countries. Its focus is on methods of promoting economic growth but also of realizing individual potential for the mass of the population, for example, through
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Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. Although the term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, politics is observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious
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