Institute of Social Studies
D
E V E L O P M E N T
ISSues
Volume 3, number 1, April 2001
From Economic Development to Humanitarian Studies 3
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Conference on Agrarian Reform Cristóbal Kay
Raymond Apthorpe Complex political emergencies – as for example in the Horn of Africa, the Liberian region of West Africa, the Great Lakes of Africa, Cambodia and elsewhere – present new challenges and opportunities
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Development Cooperation and the Market Hans Opschoor 5
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Agrarian Reform in the FSU Max Spoor 8
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Field Trip to the Bijlmer Reginald Nalugala
If conflict is at the heart of all these
other standard economic develop-
found a central place in development
now in relief and humanitarian stu-
scenes of great loss of life and dis-
ment policies were. These, too, were
studies, is already making a major
dies, and pretty well dead in standard
tress, it should also be at the heart of
not supposed to engender conflict,
mark at the very core of humanitarian
economic development and structural
development curricula. Yet still it is
but as it turned out, they are -
concerns and studies – a mixture of
studies (unless, of course, you could
not. Rather conflict is treated as
whether by intensifying or actually
political science and international law,
prove me wrong on this – I wish you
something to be wished away, some-
triggering difficulties.
public health and nutritional science,
could!). The case for trans-substan-
thing that unfortunately gets in the
Besides the fact that economic deve-
a little public administration, sociology
tiation of intellectual capital from the
way of development. That conflict
lopment (globalization) studies are still
and social anthropology, a little mili-
former to the latter has become
may actually be induced by develop-
innocent of any serious concern with
tary and strategic analysis, water and
compelling. Conflict of various kinds
ment is not what the economists of
conflict, they have also lost much of
sanitation engineering and camp con-
as well as its resolution, peacebuil-
development, the protagonists of
what used to be their vitality, and
struction, contingency planning and
ding and the like, are obviously at the
globalization, want to hear.
intellectual cut and thrust. A mono-
logistics, and so forth. Admittedly this
very heart of humanitarian studies.
tonous fixation with an Aristotelian-
mixture contains less economics than
Such serious concepts of conflict
In its day the ‘green revolution’ (like
type concept of ‘choice’, and con-
it should to be really combustible, but
should also be a part of economic
the ‘blue revolution’ to come?) was
tinued neglect of ‘preference’ (and
even in this regard there are a few
development curricula.
supposed to be about a form of eco-
‘politics’ and ‘culture’ where ‘freedom’
outstanding studies.
nomic development which would
may be found precisely in lack of
ensure that there need be no conflict
choice) is partly to blame for this
The commitment and engagement,
studies literature, is already ripe and
in what was called then the Third
stagnation.
and sheer intellectual excitement, the
rich for the picking? Impassioned -
big questions, that attracted people of
and virtuoso - examinations of, for example the International Red Cross
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Transnational Institute Fiona Dove
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Research Project in Indonesia Ben White Page
for development studies. But they have not been yet been taken up centrally enough in curricula.
World. Admittedly ‘green revolution’
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Marginalism and Life Ali Salman
What, in the burgeoning humanitarian
policies may not have been at the
Another factor to be taken into
my generation to development stu-
heart of development policies in any
account, as ever, is interdisciplinarity.
dies – ‘a hundred years ago’ as my
of the regions mentioned above. But
Interdisciplinarity, which has never
students say I keep saying – are alive
continued on page 10
50 Years of the ISS
© ISS
CONTENTS
Inside this issue:
In 2002, the Institute of Social Studies will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. It wishes to do so with pride in what it has achieved in the field of development education and in contributing to the national and international debate As an institute for advanced
on development. The Institute also wants to show its
international education and
readiness to innovate and explore meaningful avenues for international education as it looks to the future.
research, the ISS generates,
The theme for the anniversary activities will be ‘Beyond accumulates and transfers
Development - a new agenda’. The programme will include
knowledge and know-how on
an international conference, a series of public lectures and
human aspects of economic
the celebration of the Dies Natalis in October with the awarding of honorary doctorates. To mark this special anniversary,
Prince Bernhard at an ISS dinner in the 1950
and social change, with a focus
Development ISSues will be running a series of five articles looking back at half a century of the ISS. In his opening contribution to the series on pages 6 and 7, the first Secretary of the Institute Frits Hondius looks back on the first ten years.
on development and transition. The ISS is a leading centre in this field.
Development ISSues is also available online on the ISS website at www.iss.nl
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