2007 Handbooks

When we think of different societies around the world, why are the categories Third World and First World such enduring forms of distinction? Why after 50 years of development assistance do some countries remain racked by poverty? This unit considers different dominant approaches to 'development' over the past five decades to answer the question:why is 'helping' other countries to develop so difficult to do? We look briefly at the normative ideas underlying rival development theories, including the link between power and knowledge and the difficulties in resolving a universal definition of what constitutes development and who should give what to whom. We then focus on the various development players, such as the World Bank, NGOs, commercial consulting firms and donor agencies and consider their respective roles within development programs. In the second half of semester we concentrate on specific themes in the practice of 'doing development'. Issues such as sustainable development, Australian foreign aid policies, the role of the media, gender, human rights and disaster relief are examined to show that development is far from a straightforward process.