The past decade saw dramatic shifts in the development field. New challenges have emerged such as the increasing scarcity of natural resources, the impact of climate change and widening inequality. Due to processes of globalization, the interests of development actors have become increasingly entangled across borders, sectors and levels. The traditional North-South paradigm underpinning international development has become increasingly outdated. The importance of Official Development Aid (ODA) is on the decline compared to other capital flows such as foreign direct investments and international remittances. There has been a blurring of lines between ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ countries. New development actors have entered the scene such as corporate foundations, social entrepreneurs, migrant organizations and multinationals.
The above changes and challenges pose fundamental questions about the orientation of postgraduate programs Development Studies. What should be the learning goals of postgraduate programs Development Studies in light of the changes and challenges in the development field? What should these programs do do to stay relevant in a world that is quickly changing? Who are the development professionals of the future? Where do they work and what knowledge, competences and attitudes do they require to operate effectively?
This objective of this panel is to exchange ideas and experiences from different postgraduate programs in Development Studies about how they stay relevant in a changing environment. The panel session consists of three parts. The first part starts with an introduction on Post-graduate development education by a representative of the International Accreditation Council (IAC) of EADI. This presentation gives an overview of the landscape of postgraduate development programs and identifies the main global trends relevant to these programs. In the second parts three Post-Graduate programs will briefly present themselves. The presentations focus on sharing experiences of what the respective programs have done in recent years to stay relevant in a fast changing context. In the third part of the panel-session, the postgraduate programs and the audience discuss the future of postgraduate development education.
Speakers
Dr. Joost Monks, IAC / EADI
Dr. Willem Elbers, AMID, Radboud University
Chair
Dr. Lau Schulpen, CIDIN, Radboud University
Organizers
Dr. Willem Elbers, AMID, Radboud University
Dr. Lau Schulpen, CIDIN, Radboud University