The focus of the EADI-NORDIC Conference 2017 is on the countries and people who are left behind in a vision of convergence. The pressures they experience relate to inequality, increased competition for resources and jobs, and cuts in state-funding for social protection, basic services and infrastructure. Our panel asks whether, in this context, it is possible to “leave no one behind” or not. Can the SDGs support “peaceful, inclusive, just and sustainable global development”? In light of this fundamental question, we look at classic themes tackled by this working group such as people’s experiences of poverty and inequality, how they are reproduced over time, how they differ across middle and low income countries, and the extent to which they can be meaningfully captured by quantitative and qualitative methods. We also look at the practical politics and political economy of the social contract advocated by the SDGs and critically explore the (supportive or disruptive) role that populist social movements can play in this agenda. We welcome novel and empirically grounded papers addressing any of these themes.
Conveners
Laura Camfield, Andrew Crabtree, David Durkee, Solava Ibrahim, Keetie Roelen, Meera Tiwari, CROP