About Global Politics and Development
The Global Politics and Development Working Group intends to assemble a community of scholars who research and/or teach on issues of politics and ‘development’. The group seeks to foster critical reflection on the concept of 'development' and how it is being/could be achieved, with an emphasis on dismantling historical paternalistic hierarchies that have traditionally dichotomised development policy 'actors' and 'recipients.' We will advance the understanding of issues of global importance, including, for example, financial flows, migration, and food security. Furthermore, we will encourage theoretical and empirical research into the connections between domestic political landscapes and donor’s development policy, with a focus of the appropriateness, viability, and efficacy of diverse developmental approaches.
The Global Politics and Development Working Group promotes the agency of ‘marginal’ populations, such as refugees and aid ‘recipients’, who have frequently been depicted as passive beneficiaries of policies rather active participants in political processes. We warmly welcome the central involvement of PhD students and early-career researchers, and are committed to forming and reinforcing collaborative research ventures with universities and research institutions in the Global South.
Our group offers a unique contribution to BISA and IR by offering a dedicated critical focus on issues of development, whether in the Global North or South, encompassing multiple dimensions, including environmental, social, cultural, and economic. As a new group in 2024 we look forward to establishing fresh partnerships and reinforcing existing ones with academics and practitioners located in the Global South and North.