Development Discourses: Conservative, Radical and Beyond

Development holds a central place in many debates but it is seldom deconstructed. It is a discourse made up of a web of key concepts which are simply taken for granted, in both its conservative and radical guises. Development is an amoeba-like concept – denoting everything and nothing – which creates a common ground for right and left to battle on. Thus, if there is a perceived impasse in development theory, this should be seen as due to the stultifying unity of the discursive field and not its regrettable fragmentation (Schuurman, 1993). We argue in this chapter that the crisis of development theory – and by implication the crisis of development perspectives in Ireland – is linked to the limitations of the modernist discourse. As we do not seek an abstract critique of existing radical debates, but a genuine transcending, we shall proceed first to catalogue the considerable achievements of this work – as exemplified in this book – in questioning the findings of conservative or ‘mainstream’ thinking on the development prospects of Ireland. In the course of this analysis we hope to move beyond the language of critique to a language of transformation, necessary in our view for any radical democratic vision and creation of a new Ireland

Development Discourses: Conservative, Radical and Beyond

Development holds a central place in many debates but it is seldom deconstructed. It is a discourse made up of a web of key concepts which are simply taken for granted, in both its conservative and radical guises. Development is an amoeba-like concept – denoting everything and nothing – which creates a common ground for right and left to battle on. Thus, if there is a perceived impasse in development theory, this should be seen as due to the stultifying unity of the discursive field and not its regrettable fragmentation (Schuurman, 1993). We argue in this chapter that the crisis of development theory – and by implication the crisis of development perspectives in Ireland – is linked to the limitations of the modernist discourse. As we do not seek an abstract critique of existing radical debates, but a genuine transcending, we shall proceed first to catalogue the considerable achievements of this work – as exemplified in this book – in questioning the findings of conservative or ‘mainstream’ thinking on the development prospects of Ireland. In the course of this analysis we hope to move beyond the language of critique to a language of transformation, necessary in our view for any radical democratic vision and creation of a new Ireland

Sociología Global: Hacia un Paradigma Alternativo desde el Sur

The project to (re)construct a global sociology is one where there is no agreed paradigm or even a shared understanding of the main issues that would be needed to secure a new robust and credible paradigm. What I seek to do here is to simply clarify the terms of the debate so as to establish whether we might pursue the quest for an alternative paradigm with some conviction. I first consider the ‘strong case’ for a global sociology based on the assumptions of globalisation theory which, overall, seems to suffer from economism in my view. Next I present a postcolonial perspective which posits a fundamental division between the global South and the North, an enterprise I find to be marked by a certain culturalism. I then present elements for an alternative approach towards a new paradigm based on an understanding of complexity, uneven development and the politics of scale. A brief Latin American excursus at the end seeks to provide some texture to the overall argument that a new global sociology could develop through a critical Southern lens and a focus on cultural political economy.En el proyecto para (re)construir una sociología global no hay un paradigma acordado, ni siquiera una comprensión compartida de las principales cuestiones que serían necesarias para lograr un nuevo modelo robusto y creíble. Lo que intentaré aquí es únicamente clarificar los términos del debate para determinar cómo deberíamos perseguir con convicción la búsqueda de este paradigma alternativo. En primer lugar, abordo la “gran cuestión” de una sociología global basada en los supuestos de la teoría de la globalización que, en general, adolece de economismo desde mi punto de vista. Posteriormente, presento una perspectiva postcolonial que plantea una división fundamental entre el Sur y el Norte global, una iniciativa que encuentro marcada por un cierto culturalismo. Adicionalmente, ofrezco elementos para un enfoque alternativo hacia un nuevo modelo basado en una comprensión de la complejidad, el desarrollo desigual y las políticas de escala. Una breve digresión latinoamericana al final del artículo tiene el propósito de realizar una aportación al debate general sobre una nueva sociología global que podría desarrollarse a través de una perspectiva crítica desde el Sur y un enfoque en la economía política cultural

Water and Development: Good Governance after Neoliberalism

Water has always been a crucial catalyst for human development. In Africa, competition among different sectors for this scarce resource remains a critcial challenge to water managers and decision-makers. Water and Development examines a range of issues, from governance to solar distillation, from gender to water pumps, using a range of research methods, from participant observation to GIS and SPSS data analysis. Throughout, however, there is the unifying thread of developing a participatory and sustainable approach to water which recognises it as an essential public necessity. Edited by Ronaldo Munck, Narathius Asingwire, Honor Fagan and Consolata Kabonesa, the result is essential reading both for students of development and the environment and for NGOs and policy-makers seeking a robust and transformational approach to water and development

Water and Development: Good Governance after Neoliberalism

Water has always been a crucial catalyst for human development. In Africa, competition among different sectors for this scarce resource remains a critcial challenge to water managers and decision-makers. Water and Development examines a range of issues, from governance to solar distillation, from gender to water pumps, using a range of research methods, from participant observation to GIS and SPSS data analysis. Throughout, however, there is the unifying thread of developing a participatory and sustainable approach to water which recognises it as an essential public necessity. Edited by Ronaldo Munck, Narathius Asingwire, Honor Fagan and Consolata Kabonesa, the result is essential reading both for students of development and the environment and for NGOs and policy-makers seeking a robust and transformational approach to water and development