Deconstructing Development Discourse

by Cornwall, Andrea; Eade, Deborah

• ISBN13: 9781853397066
• ISBN10: 1853397067
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-30
• Publisher: Practical Action Pub

Summary

Writing from diverse locations, the contributors to this volume examine some of the key terms in current development discourse. Why should language matter to those who are doing development? Surely, there are more urgent things to do than sit around mulling over semantics? But language does matter. Whether emptied of their original meaning, essentially vacuous, or hotly contested, the language of development not only shapes our imagined worlds, but also justifies interventions in real people's lives. If development buzzwords conceal ideological differences or sloppy thinking, then the process of constructive deconstruction make it possible to re-examine what have become catch-all terms like civil society and poverty reduction, or bland aid-agency terms such as partnership or empowerment. Such engagement is far more than a matter of playing word games. The reflections included here raise major questions about how we think about development itself. The 30 contributors to this volume include Cassandra Balchin, Srilatha Batliwala, Robert Chambers, Neera Chandhoke, Ben Fine, Shalmali Guttal, Pablo Alejandro Leal, Islah Jad, Thandika Mkandawire, John Samuel, John Toye, and Peter Uvin.

Author Biography

Andrea Cornwall is Professor of Anthropology and Development in the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex. Deborah Eade was Editor-in-Chief of Development in Practice from 1991 to 2010, prior to which she worked for 10 years in Latin America. She is now an independent writer on development and humanitarian issues, based near Geneva.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Introductory overview - buzzwords and fuzzwords: deconstructing development discourse	p. 1
Development as a buzzword	p. 19
Words count: taking a count of the changing language of British aid	p. 29
Poverty reduction	p. 45
Social protection	p. 53
Globalisation	p. 69
The F-word and the S-word - too much of one and not enough of the other	p. 81
Participation: the ascendancy of a buzzword in the neo-liberal era	p. 89
Citizenship: a perverse confluence	p. 101
Taking the power out of empowerment - an experiential account	p. 111
Social capital	p. 123
Reflections on relationships: the nature of partnership according to five NGOs in southern Mexico	p. 135
Talking of gender: words and meanings in development organisations	p. 143
Sustainability	p. 153
From the right to development to the rights-based approach: how 'human rights' entered development	p. 163
Civil society	p. 175
Public advocacy and people-centred advocacy: mobilising for social change	p. 185
NGOs: between buzzwords and social movements	p. 193
Capacity building: who builds whose capacity?	p. 203
Harmonisation: how is the orchestra conducted?	p. 215
'Country ownership': a term whose time has gone	p. 223
Best of practices?	p. 231
Peacebuilding does not build peace	p. 235
The uncertain relationship between transparency and accountability	p. 245
Corruption	p. 257
'Good governance': the itinerary of an idea	p. 265
The discordant voices of security	p. 269
Fragile states	p. 281
'Knowledge management': a case study of the World Bank's Research Department	p. 293
Coda	p. 305
Index	p. 307
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