News
New Publication on Theory of Change
The Theory of Change approach applied to social change processes represents a thinking-action alternative to other more rigid planning approaches and logics. When living in complex and conflictive times, we need to count with more flexible instruments that allow us to plan and monitor our actions in uncertain, emergent, and complex contexts from a flexible and non-rigid logic. As known, this thinking-action approach is also applied to institutional coaching processes and to the design of soc...
Inclusive economy with a social agenda
This brief report looks at the key issues raised during the intergenerational debate in The Hague on how to place people at the centre of economics. The meeting focused on how to establish collective responsibility for sustainable livelihoods in wake of the crises. Building on an nalysis of the crises by keynote speaker Rick van der Ploeg the panel and the audience sketched out how to resituate themarket within society and how its regulation can be better placed in the hands of citizens. Th...
ISS Seminar announcement: From phantom wealth to real wealth by David Korten
On 25 January, David Korten will lead a Special Development Research Seminar about the content if his most recent book "Agenda for a new economy; from phantom wealth to real wealth". In this book, Korten argues the case for a new community-based economy based on different values and new institutions beyond Wall Street and the Washington consensus.
Urgency Required Out Now
Urgency Required focuses on urgent issues of gay and lesbian liberation, taking a historical perspective and reflecting worldwide geographic diversity. Employing the term ‘LGBT-persons’, the acronym used for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, it explores concepts and strategies for taking steps towards decriminalization and equal rights and treatment regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.
Complex Dynamics Civil-Political Societies and Democratization Processes
07/01/2010 Is there a relationship between civil society and political society in democratisation processes? How do these societies influence each other? What are the potential interrelated (explanatory) variables of both societies which could improve or impede democratization? To find out more about these topics, read the interesting research paper of Stephan de Vries titled: The Downfall of Simplicity and the ‘Complex’ Notion (s) of Democratization: A Revision of the Relation between Political Societ...Workshop Report Moving from Intentions to Action
The Second International Expert Meeting on HIV Prevention for Men who have sex with Men (MSM), Women who have sex with Women (WSW), and Transgenders (TG) brought together 130 activist, community representatives and experts from the areas of policy, research, funding, and implementation of programmes. The format of the Expert Meeting was a mixture of expert presentations on a wide variety of issues concerning sexual minorities, such as decriminalization and destigmatisation; best practices an...
From Brussels with Love
Cooperation across the different domains of academia, practice and policy can contribute to comprehending the complexity of development and intervening effectively. Academic knowledge, for instance, offers a broader conceptual understanding of the issues at hand. Practitioners’ knowledge and experiences can provide new insights into which concrete initiatives best contribute to or fail in development practice. However, cooperation across domains is also challenging: it is not natural or easy.
Collective responsibility for sustainable livelihoods
The second launch of ‘Beyond Economics’ took place in The Hague on 11 December 2009 and was inspired by the third issue of Development Vol 52. The Hague seminar hinged on the question of whether economics itself has to change or whether the existing economic principles just need to be more efficiently put into practice perhaps with better, more people-centred and environmentally friendly policy.
From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth
During the launch of Development 52.3 ‘Beyond Economics’, which was held in New York on 29-31 October 2009, Assistant Editor Laura Fano Morrissey interviewed David Korten, president and founder of the People-Centered Development Forum and author of numerous books includingAgenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth, The Great Turning and When Corporations Rule the World.
Another economics borne?
‘There is another economics waiting be borne. It would take efficiency off the pedestal and stress theimportance of alternative measures’, Stephen Marglin, Harvard University. This is one of the quotes from the Beyond Economics Meeting in New York report.