What next after the Delhi Declaration? The challenges and opportunities of harnessing India-Africa relations

As the India Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to usher in a new era of Africa-India relations, LSE’s Pritish Behuria analyses his approach

The tentative developmental state in Rwanda: From anti-manufacturing to recapturing the domestic market

In this post, Dr Pritish Behuria highlights the reintroduction of import substitution in Rwanda under the moniker – recapturing the domestic market. He argues that this signals the tentative emergence of Rwanda’s developmental state, which has previously paid little attention to its domestic manufacturing sector

The political economy of import substitution in the 21st century: the challenge of recapturing the domestic market in Rwanda

Import substitution has been marginalised from development policy discourse since the 1970s. This paper examines the Rwandan government’s recent attempt at reintroducing industrial policy with some attention devoted to ‘recapturing the domestic market’ – a term used to replace the ignominy associated with ‘import substitution.’ The paper examines two cases – cement and textiles – where such policies have been recently established in Rwanda. The paper argues that any attempt at recapturing the domestic market will require a strategy close to the policies of East Asian developmental states in terms of ‘picking winners.’ However, strategically maintaining reciprocity through statebusiness relationships is only part of the challenge. Though foreign investors have been leant on initially, actions must be put in place to develop local capitalist partners who may step in if foreign investors leave once incentives are reduced. This is further complicated by the government’s failure to develop partnerships with existing local capitalist partners. The Rwandan government is also constrained by a small market size. Any attempt at import substitution must occur in the context of accessing larger markets through the East African Community (EAC). This paper demonstrates that such regional trade agreements constitute a much greater constraint on the use of industrial policy than multilateral trade agreements or bilateral trade agreements with the United States of America or European countries (although pressure from donors may also contribute to reducing policy space). Such challenges showcase how the Rwandan government has sought to build reciprocal control mechanisms while attempting to access large markets through regional integration. Though the Rwandan government has made some progress recently, state intervention is required to reintroduce import substitution in the 21st century and must be balanced by the need to meet domestic and international political constraints

The cautious return of import substitution in Africa

As import substitution becomes fashionable again in some African countries, LSE’s Pritish Behuria analyses how successfully this policy can be implemented given the evolving aid and investment landscape

Aspiring to new heights with no ladder: the barriers to technology acquisition in India’s solar energy sector

In order to meet its ambitious solar targets India has sought to boost local production of solar cells. However, Pritish Behuria highlights how it has come up against problems, as America, the WTO and others have restricted the country’s ability to develop its domestic manufacturing capabilities. He writes that if solar cell production is to survive in India, much more government action will need to be taken

Africa’s turn to industrialize? Shifting global value chains, industrial policy and African development

On 3 May the department of International Development held a one day conference on Industrialisation in Africa. LSE Fellow Pritish Behuria reviews the day’s events

The youth in Africa: Opportunities, resistance and transformation

Pritish Behuria writes a report on The Youth in Africa workshop hosted by the LSE Department of International Development on 15 May, 2017

The challenge of thinking and working politically to reform public services

In this post LSE Research Fellow Dr Pritish Behuria reviews the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Global Centre for Public Service Excellence 3-day Conference, that was held in Singapore last month (April 2016

Diagnostic and therapeutic hysterolaparoscopy in evaluation and treatment of female infertility in a tertiary hospital

Background: To corroborate the findings of hystero-laparoscopy for evaluation of female infertility in a tertiary hospital over a period of 18 months. This study is intended to review the effectiveness of combining diagnostic hysteroscopy and laparoscopy in predicting the prevalence of different lesions with accuracy and taking appropriate therapeutic measures.Methods: This is a prospective study conducted at the Dept of O and GSCB Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha over a period of 18 months (April 2014 to October 2015). Those infertile women where the period of infertility was more than 2 years with optimum male factor were subjected to diagnostic hysteroscopy and laparoscopy under general anaesthesia.Results: Of 235 cases recruited 64% were having primary infertility and 36% were having secondary infertility.46% had hysteroscopic abnormality and 39.5%had laparoscopic abnormality. Among the abnormal hysteroscopy cases septate uterus was highest and among laparoscopic finding peritoneal adhesions was highest. All the cases undergoing DTHL were discharged on the next day with no major complication except 2 cases which were managed at the same time.Conclusions: DTHL is an effective and safe procedure for female infertility evaluation. This can be taken as a gold standard method in those whose infertility is more than 2 years

Development Studies in the Mid-2020s:Reflecting on the Past, Looking to the Future: Introduction to EJDR Special Issue for EADI’s 50th anniversary

The 50th anniversary of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) presents an opportune moment to reflect on the current state of Development Studies as well as to consider its future trajectory. This overview paper to the special issue presents a brief history of Development Studies, elucidates the framing of the special issue the guest editors have assembled, and presents the papers in the set, which collectively explore diversity and tensions in Development Studies in the mid-2020s. Our objective in organising this special issue is to stimulate discussion on how Development Studies can navigate its internal tensions while remaining responsive to the complexities of a turbulent world. We hope that the discussions presented here successfully showcase a variety of viewpoints regarding key debates in the field. <br/