Bridging the Gap - Translating Development Research into Practice
PLEASE FIND A FINAL PROGRAMME FOR THE CONFERENCE HERE.
PLEASE FIND DIRECTIONS TO THE VENUE HERE.
There is a growing consensus that there is somewhat of a disconnection between development research and policy and practice. Whereas internationally there is considerable engagement with the evidence based policy and practice (EBPP) agenda, in Ireland there is a low use of research in policy-making and researchers do not engage strongly (as a rule) with policy-making. For development studies this is a major challenge but one where we can now possibly make some advances.
This conference will focus around areas where the research into practice challenge has been met in different ways such as civil society, gender, education, humanitarian action and development more generally, where research for development in Ireland has achieved some critical mass. At the very least, it will promote a greater accessibility for research findings and better understand the needs of policy-makers and practitioners. It will also explore the complexity of the policy- making world and its relationship to politics and create a dialogue between researchers and policy makers committed to development for poverty reduction.
Thursday 27 November 2014
16.00 - 17.00 Conference Opening - Bronagh Carr, Irish Aid
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Robert Chambers, Development Scholar and Honorary Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) – ̍ Redefining Professionalism: a Brilliant Time to Be Alive ̍
Dr. Chambers has had a major contribution to a paradigm shift in development studies towards more ‘people centred’ and bottom-up approaches. From being a mainstream development management scholar, he evolved into being a world leader of participatory development research and participatory practice, and a central figure in the corresponding global knowledge networks and communities of practice, not only in universities but especially also amongst practitioners in NGOs, government and civil society. He helped to identify, highlight and name many potential biases in the observation and understanding of poor people’s lives; to diagnose the sources of these biases, in methods of observation and analysis, and in the underlying power-relations and mindsets; and to build new methods, and a system of ideas to sustain them.
Prof. Charles Gore, Honorary Professor of Economics at the University of Glasgow and Former Head of Policy Analysis and Research Branch, Division for LDCs, Africa and Special Programmes, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – ̍ The Idea of Global Goals ̍
Prof. Gore worked as an academic and an international consultant, and conducted and managed research within International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNCTAD, including work on social exclusion in a global context, East Asian development success and the development problems of Africa and least developed countries. Between 1999 and 2008, he directed the research for UNCTAD's Least Developed Countries Report and in that context elaborated a structuralist approach to trade, development and poverty reduction centred on developing productive capacities. He was a member of the UN Experts Group of the UN Millennium Project on MDGs.
Friday 28 November 2014
10.00 - 11.15 Session 1: Parallel Study Group Panels
Researchers, practitioners and Irish Aid representatives will come together to discuss the following themes:
Civil Society - ‘Contested Civil Society: Positioning in a Time of Economic and Social Crisis’
What is the response of civil society to all this? Does the meaning of civil society for key development actors and consequently the strategies for civil society strengthening programmes require a shift in focus? Does the impact on human-nature relations create potential for conflicts which provoke an organic process of emancipation for civil society and change its role as more and more livelihoods are being threatened?
Speakers
Dr. Kevin O`Sullivan, National University of Ireland, Galway
Tanja Kleib, DSA Ireland & Independent Consultant
Dr. David Nyaluke, Dublin City University
Suzanne Keating, Trocaire
Chair: Prof. Ronaldo Munck, DSA Ireland Chair & Dublin City University
Education - ‘The Challenges Ahead’
What should be our response, given the pressure on services and resources in our own situation and in the Global North generally? Is it simply a question of 'expansion, expansion, expansion', or are there universal and fundamental issues that must be borne in mind alongside, and as part of that expansion? How might the education related research we promote ensure the attainment of social, cultural, political, economic and, environmental aims?
Speakers
Dr. Su-Ming Khoo, DSA Ireland & National University of Ireland, Galway
Elaine Mahon, Irish Development Education Association
Prof. Paul Conway, University of Limerick
Chair: Dr. Sean Farren, DSA Ireland & University of Ulster
Gender – ‘Reinvigorating a Gender Agenda and Restoring a Feminist Approach’
How can a gender agenda be reinvigorated in development studies? How can a feminist approach be restored?
Speakers
Dr. Fenella Porter, Ruskin College, Oxford University & Birbeck College, University of London
D. Morchain, Oxfam UK
Dr. Aura Lousnasma, University of East London
Prof. Honor Fagan, National University of Ireland, Maynooth
Humanitarian Action Panel - ‘Contemporary Issues in Humanitarian Action’
Speakers
Dr. Walt Kilroy, Dublin City University
Brian Casey, University College Dublin
Réiseal Ní Chéilleachair, Trócaire & Dominic Crowley, Concern Worldwide
Breda Gahan, Concern Worldwide
Chair: Dr. Rob Kevlihan, DSA Ireland & Kimmage Development Studies Centre
11.45 - 13.00 Session 2: Parallel Study Group Panels
Papers submitted and related to Civil Society, Education, Gender and Humanitarian and Gender (Gender Based Violence in Emergencies) themes will be presented in this session.
13.45 - 14.45 Session 3: General Development Panel & Dóchas HIV Working Group
The Dochas Working Group on HIV comprises six organisation members: ChildFund ireland, Christian Aid Ireland, Concern, Oxfam Ireland, Trocaire and VSO. To mark ' World AIDS Day' there will be a presentation on issues related to HIV and resilience, with a particular focus on humanitarian emergencies and humanitarian programming. Also, a new technical checklist/tool recently developed by the Dóchas HIV Working Group related to HIV and Resilience will be launched at the conference.
15.30 - 16.30 Closing Roundtable
This session - 'The Challenges of Research for Development' - will sum up many of the challenges currently facing the research-practice-policy paradigm. How can development research become more relevant to development policy and practice? What are the challenges from all sides of this complex research equation? How do we best translate research into effective poverty reduction practice? How to we maintain academic integrity and the independence of research for development?
Speakers will include:
Dr. Rob Kevlihan, DSA Ireland & Kimmage Development Studies Centre
Dr. Lorna Gold, DSA Ireland &Trocaire
Dr. Elizabeth Colucci, European Universities Association
Dr. Fenella Porter, Ruskin College, Oxford University & Birbeck College, University of London
Chair: Dr. Sean Farren, DSA Ireland & University of Ulster – ‘Setting the Scene’
Call for Papers NOW CLOSED
Closing Date for Submissions: 31 October 2014
The Development Studies Association Ireland (DSA Ireland) is pleased to announce this call for papers for our annual conference, to take place on 27-28 November 2014. Abstracts are invited on any of the following themes or combination of themes, related to international development.
- Civil Society
- Education
- Gender
- Humaniatarian Action
For more information on the themes, click here . Submissions may take the form of research findings, evaluations of programmes and projects, lessons from the field, or other forms of systematic learning on development issues. Submissions are most welcome from both researchers based in institutions of higher education and/or other research institutes and development practitioners working in the sector.
The conference will include plenary sessions with panels of invited international and national speakers. Abstracts will be considered for oral presentations, as part of conference panels .
Abstracts must not exceed 300 words and should conform to the guidelines . All abstracts need to be submitted by e-mail to: admin@dsaireland.org by 31 October 2014.
Authors will be informed of the outcome of the selection process by 14 November 2014 . If selected for presentation, authors will be invited to submit their full paper no later than 21 November 2014. Final Paper Submission Guidelines are available here.