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Investigacion para el desarrollo social
Utting, Peter
Utting, Peter
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n40th_spanish_2000.pdf
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Abstract
"Three core values guide the work of individuals and institutions involved in development research, policy making and projects: each human being has the right to a decent level of living; people should be allowed to participate in decisions that affect their lives; and everyone should live together in peace. More than 50 years after the establishment of the United Nations, however, there is no agreement on how these goals should be achieved. Analytical perspectives and policies frequently change. This is reflected in the litany of development buzzwords that come and go, and sometimes resurface: “self-reliance”, “basic needs”, “sustainable livelihoods”, “structural adjustment”, “good governance”, “poverty reduction strategies” and so forth. A generous interpretation of this history of thought might suggest that the international development community is engaged in a constructive learning process, and that knowledge and policy approaches mature and improve over time. It is clear that learning does take place, and there are some signs that a broader consensus on development strategy is emerging. Yet there is also another reality. Underlying the different concepts and approaches to development are very real conflicts of interest about which groups and individuals should enjoy resources and power, and which institutions should shape patterns of development and determine distribution of the costs and benefits of economic growth, modernization and social change. UNRISD has been preoccupied with such issues since its creation in 1963. The Institute was established “to conduct research into problems and policies of social development, and relationships between various types of social development and economic development” (United Nations 1963). A central concern at that time was that the benefits of two decades of postwar economic growth had been distributed very unevenly, both geographically and socially, particularly in the “Third World”. Furthermore, development was being interpreted narrowly in terms of economic growth, while social dimensions were often marginalized in mainstream policy making. The Institute constructed its early research agenda around these concerns, carrying out projects that examined the relationship between economic and social development, ways of measuring social development, and the impact of development processes and projects at the local level. This agenda has evolved significantly over the past four decades. Some elements of continuity remain, notably the importance of the relationship between economic and social policy, and the variable impacts of economic development and government policies on different groups in society. But the specific content of the research agenda has frequently changed with the coming and going of different projects."(pg 2)
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Book
Date
2003
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9290850442
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With permission of the license/copyright holder