The major global crises of the past four years have collectively had a dramatic impact on people’s lives and livelihoods – but have they also had a large impact on core ideas underlying mainstream development?
This is the question addressed by the Reimaging Development initiative in this issue of the IDS Bulletin. IDS researchers, students and partners build a more grounded view of the crises’ effects and bring in new ideas emerging from different sectors in their wake. They also ask, ‘What are the enablers and barriers to reimagining?’ The articles in this issue are think pieces, often reflecting on very specific events, from thevarious sites in the initiative.
Overall the analysis illustrates how difficult it is to get away from ‘business as usual’. While human kind has made great advances in reducing poverty and diseaseand in promoting freedoms over the past 50 years, the work is only part done. Still too many people lack justice, rights and material wellbeing and they must not be forgotten. The issue suggests that we must keep challenging our assumptionsand theories of change about development. Because ideas, institutions and interests are rarely aligned we must be ready to advance human wellbeing whenthey are. This means building reimagining into our everyday work and into our professional relationships by investing in processes that support wild ideas, horizon scanning and reflective practice. In the future, we must not confine reimagining to key moments, however important they may seem.
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Introduction: Time to Reimagine Development? Lawrence Haddad, Naomi Hossain, J. Allister McGregor and Lyla Mehta
A Methodological Strategy for Reimagining Development: Enabling Complex Systemic Patterns to Surface through Multiple Voices Danny Burns
IMPACTS ON LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS
Reimagining Development through the Crisis Watch Initiative J. Allister McGregor
Reimagining Development with Indigenous People: Reflections from the São Gabriel da Cachoeira Workshop Alex Shankland
Experiences and Reimaginings of Development from a Kutchi Village Lyla Mehta
Transforming a Country? A Debate on Reimaginations of Development, Change and Crisis in Ethiopia Birgit Habermann
Better Social Welfare, Ukraine Marc P. Berenson
REFLECTING ON KEY ASSUMPTIONS FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
Development Professionals: Reconciling Personal Values with Professional Values Neranjana Gunetilleke, Nilakshi De Silva and Gayathri Lokuge
Reimagining Development in the UK? Findings from the UK Public Opinion Monitor Johanna Lindstrom and Spencer Henson
‘Images, Reflections, Mirrors’: Student Perspectives on the Financial Crisis and Challenges for Development Lars Otto Naess
Time to Reimagine Development? Editors Lawrence Haddad, Naomi Hossain, J. Allister McGregor and Lyla Mehta
The Faith Factor in Reimagining Development Mariz Tadros
Beyond Silos: Complex Global Shocks and the New Challenges for Civil Society Naomi Hossain
Grassroots Women Organising for Resilient Communities around the World Dahlia Goldenberg
Reimagining Aid for the Next Ten Years: What do Donors Think? Sara J. Wolcott and Lawrence Haddad
Using the Financial Crisis to Reimagine the Private Sector Sara J. Wolcott
How can the Financial Sector Better Serve People and the Planet? The Need to Reimagine Finance Sara J. Wolcott
REIMAGINING ISSUES
Reimagining 21st Century Development in Malawi: Generating and Sharing Knowledge Beyond the Traditional Development Establishment Liz Allcock and Jimmy Kainja
Reimagining Participation: Opportunities and Challenges of the Open Source Model of Collaboration for Development Thinking and Practice Evangelia Berdou
Tackling Instability in Financial Markets with a Panic Tax Neil McCulloch
From Reimagining to Repositioning Accountability Wenny Ho
100 Voices: Southern NGO Perspectives on the Millennium Development Goals and Beyond Amy Pollard, Andy Sumner, Monica Polato-Lopes and Agnès de Mauroy
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