NORDIC DEVELOPMENT STUDIES: LESSONS, PITFALLS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

IF 0.3 Q4 POLITICAL SCIENCE
W. Coetzee, F. Söderbaum
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引用次数: 3

Abstract

1. Introduction In November 2015, the Third Joint Nordic Conference on Development Research was organised by the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg (Sweden). Development research has a long (and rather strong) history in the Nordic (1) countries. In fact, Nordic development studies have been able to respond continuously (and to some extent jointly) to the challenges over the last 50 years by producing thought-provoking research--as evidenced by a range of new approaches, new methodologies, new theories, extending both mono- and cross/ interdisciplinary areas of study and innovative development policies. Between the 1970s and 1990s, there was a fairly strong sense of 'Nordic-ness' among both researchers and policymakers. However, the so-called 'crisis of development studies' in the 1980s and 1990s impacted negatively on Nordic cooperation and both research and policy became more varied and fragmented. In the early 2000s, attempts were made by leading Nordic development researchers to revitalise cooperation, which resulted in the First Joint Nordic Conference on Development Research in Copenhagen in 2011. The general purpose of the joint conferences is to bring together researchers and practitioners from the Nordic countries (and beyond) to debate and rethink contemporary issues in development research and policy. The inaugural conference of this 'new era of Nordic cooperation', held in Copenhagen in 2011, focused on the contribution of the Nordic perspectives and approaches to development/development studies visa-vis global and other approaches to development. Subsequent bi annual conferences have continued to explore the Nordic approach to development policy and research while at the same time addressing other critical issues in development research. The second Joint Nordic Conference in Helsinki in 2013 focused on the role of knowledge production in and for development while the third held in Gothenburg in 2015 continued and deepened the discussions from previous conferences through the theme "A Changing Global Development Agenda?". It aimed, in particular, to address the development implications of global recovery, emerging powers, new patterns of vulnerability, as well as of economic crisis, environmental crises, urbanisation, and humanitarian and governance crises. The conference also reflected on the significance, content, and possible implications for the post-2015 global development agenda and the future of sustainable development. Attracting more than 200 participants from 18 countries, the conference in Gothenburg was organised around 17 working groups that involved more than 100 paper presentations, four thematic roundtables, and two keynote speeches by Professor Inge Kaul and Professor Adebayo Olukoshi. The purpose of this report is to reflect on the status of Nordic development studies in light of the experience of the last conference in Gothenburg. To that end, we reflect on two themes that we consider as essential to the field of study but which causes both friction and fragmentation: (i) the many meanings of development; and (ii) Africa as a continued 'object' of Nordic development studies. The report concludes with a reflection about how we think different standpoints on these issues can be productively balanced. 2. The many meanings of 'development': frictions or creative pluralism? Everybody interested in 'development' knows that it is an essentially contested concept, implying that there is no consensus about its meaning and how it should be defined. As Sumner and Tribe (2008: 10) rightly point out, "it would be an understatement to say that the definition of 'development' has been controversial and unstable over time". There is, as with most 'fields of study', no consensus on an absolute and final definition, only suggestions as to what development may mean in different contexts (Hettne 1995, 2005, 2009). Similar to previous gatherings, development was a contested concept at the recent conference. …
北欧发展研究:教训、缺陷和未来方向
1. 2015年11月,瑞典哥德堡大学全球研究学院举办了第三届北欧发展研究联合会议。发展研究在北欧国家有着悠久(而且相当强大)的历史。事实上,在过去的50年里,北欧发展研究能够不断地(在某种程度上是联合的)应对挑战,产生了发人深省的研究——一系列新方法、新方法、新理论证明了这一点,扩展了单一和跨/跨学科的研究领域和创新的发展政策。在20世纪70年代和90年代之间,研究人员和政策制定者都有一种相当强烈的“北欧性”意识。然而,20世纪80年代和90年代所谓的“发展研究危机”对北欧合作产生了负面影响,研究和政策都变得更加多样化和碎片化。21世纪初,北欧主要发展研究人员试图重振合作,并于2011年在哥本哈根召开了第一届北欧发展研究联合会议。联合会议的总体目的是将北欧国家(及其他国家)的研究人员和实践者聚集在一起,讨论和重新思考发展研究和政策中的当代问题。“北欧合作新时代”的首次会议于2011年在哥本哈根举行,重点讨论了北欧对发展/发展研究的观点和方法相对于全球和其他发展方法的贡献。随后的两年一次的会议继续探讨北欧对发展政策和研究的做法,同时处理发展研究中的其他关键问题。2013年在赫尔辛基举行的第二届北欧联合会议侧重于知识生产在发展中的作用和促进发展的作用,2015年在哥德堡举行的第三届会议通过“不断变化的全球发展议程?”这一主题继续并深化了前几届会议的讨论。会议的主要目的是解决全球经济复苏、新兴大国、脆弱性新模式以及经济危机、环境危机、城市化、人道主义和治理危机对发展的影响。会议还对2015年后全球发展议程和可持续发展的未来的意义、内容和可能产生的影响进行了反思。在哥德堡举行的会议吸引了来自18个国家的200多名与会者,共组织了17个工作组,涉及100多篇论文,4个专题圆桌会议,以及Inge Kaul教授和addebayo Olukoshi教授的两次主题演讲。本报告的目的是根据上次哥德堡会议的经验,反思北欧发展研究的现状。为此,我们反思了两个主题,我们认为这两个主题对研究领域至关重要,但它们既造成摩擦,又造成分裂:(i)发展的许多意义;非洲继续是北欧发展研究的“对象”。报告最后反思了我们如何认为在这些问题上的不同立场可以有效地平衡。2. “发展”的多重含义:摩擦还是创造性的多元化?每个对“发展”感兴趣的人都知道,它本质上是一个有争议的概念,这意味着对它的含义和它应该如何定义没有达成共识。正如Sumner和Tribe(2008: 10)正确指出的那样,“‘发展’的定义随着时间的推移一直存在争议和不稳定,这是一种轻描淡写的说法。”与大多数“研究领域”一样,对绝对和最终的定义没有共识,只有关于在不同背景下发展可能意味着什么的建议(Hettne 1995,2005,2009)。与之前的会议类似,在最近的会议上,发展是一个有争议的概念。…
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