Finding A Way In International Development

Despite the labyrinthine bureaucracies, frustrating inefficiencies, and disorienting complexities of the ¿development business,¿ many individuals and groups find their way through and contribute to positive change. How do they do it? What ethical and practical dilemmas do they face, and what strategies do they find most effective for overcoming them? Sarah Parkinson draws on the experiences of more than 150 practitioners to provide insights on how the international development system functions¿and seasoned, down-to-earth advice about how to successfully confront its challenges.

Dominating the daily news cycle today are the grim realities of grinding poverty, sex trafficking, gender discrimination, child soldiering, HIV/AIDS, failed states, corruption, and environmental breakdown. In the midst of such pain and brokenness, the followers of Christ cannot stand idly by, for God calls them into the mission of reconciling all things, first by easing suffering and then by building flourishing communities through the process of transformational human development. This practical handbook explains what development is, what development workers actually do, and how young people can prepare for mission careers in this field, both in North America and abroad. In addition to setting the big picture for how Christians approach the big questions of international development, the book draws on stories, advice, and wisdom collected from personal interviews with about fifty development professionals.

Introduction to International Development is a collection of original essays by leading experts from disciplines as varied as geography, history, sociology, political science, economics, women's studies, and anthropology. Contributed chapters present foundational overviews as well as in-depthcoverage of issues at the heart of today's most pressing international debates - from intensifying environmental threats as we near the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol to the ongoing social and political turmoil in Afghanistan. Fully updated and revised, this second edition features a new chapter onurban development and a new epilogue, along with a fresh, student-friendly design that is sure to engage students in the study of international development.

Development workers face different levels of influence on their work. Social and political influences work at the broadest level, shaping governmental and multilateral policies about what international development should do and why and how it should be funded. Institutional and inter-institutional policy, culture and practice give rise to the immediate working environment, varying from agency to agency. Aid workers themselves bring a set of understandings about aid, development and the nature of their own roles. By stepping back and engaging in reflective practice, workers can deepen their understanding of these factors and decide which they can usefully harness, which they may be able to change, and which they must work within or around. This is precisely what Sarah Parkinson does in her examination of the development enterprise. Based on the author’s own experiences as an aid worker and supplemented by interviews with over 150 development practitioners who collectively have over 2,000 years of experience in over 130 countries, Something Bigger than Ourselves answers questions about professional identity in the ethically challenging field of international development. Filled with illustrative examples from a wide range of contexts, the book addresses head-on the concerns of many working in or considering careers in international development about whether their actions will be beneficial, ineffectual or even harmful.

The current coronavirus pandemic fundamentally reshapes existing debates and processes in international development. The unprecedented (and rapidly evolving) crisis is generating a number of substantial challenges for developing economies. Governments in low-income nations often find it extremely hard to cope with the increased demand for health services, make prompt decisions and put them into action, protect vulnerable segments of society and offer immediate relief to affected economic sectors. This book provides a series of reflective chapters that demonstrate how several areas of international development have been severely affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. It provides an in-depth critical discussion on how the current pandemic influences several development outcomes (in the domains of poverty/inequality, health, education, migration, formal/informal employment, (de)globalisation, the extractive sector, climate change, water and the global financial system). Each chapter draws policy recommendations on relevant interventions that can alleviate the identified negative repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially for the most vulnerable communities in the Global South.

Investigates the effects of research in the field of international development.. Examines the consequences of 23 research projects funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre in developing countries. Shows how research influence public policy and decision-making and how can contribute to better governance.

Written by experts in the field, this book covers a range of contemporary developments, as well as providing coverage of the theory and practice of international development.

A central premise is that an objective and universally‐accepted measure of “success” in development and paths to it does not exist.