Diversity in Development: Alternatives to "Development"

The first session of this Diversity in Development series discussed facets of the problem of limited diversity in the field of international development and introduced frameworks for understanding the problem. In this second session, panelists discuss goals of “development” and the extent to which a vision of development is shared, including aspects of self-determination, capabilities, and justice. Development has most commonly been defined as “economic development,” with GDP per capita as a central indicator. There is an extensive history of scholarship offering alternative definitions, ranging from happiness, to critical consciousness, to institutional strength, to biological health, and more. The panelists explore the question of what the goal of development really is or should be from a variety of perspectives. Date: Nov 17, 2021 Panelists: Megan Hill, Program Director, Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, and Director, Honoring Nations Lant Pritchett, RISE Research Director at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford Christy Thornton, Assistant Professor, Sociology and Latin American Studies at Johns Hopkins University Meera Tiwari, Reader (Associate Professor), International Development Studies at the University of East London Moderator: Nikita Taniparti, Research Manager at the Growth Lab