What are the key research questions to inform and support international development?

SIID Podcast Series

Dr Daniel Hammett is a senior lecturer within the Department of Geography. His research and teaching focuses on political geographies of the global south. In this podcast, he talks us through the ‘100 questions’ project, and gives us a glimpse into what he’s currently working on. On the first day of 2016, the global development agenda underwent a significant shift with the move from the Millennium Development Goals agenda to a new set of shared goals, the Sustainable Development Goals. At the heart of this change was an awareness of the failures of the MDGs but also optimism that shared goals and shared commitment would help push forward an international development agenda that was now focussed on a global – not just global south – scale. Inspired by the emergence of a post-2015 development agenda, a group of colleagues – led by Jean Grugel, Johan Oldekop and Lorenza Fontana amongst others – launched an ambitious consultative project to identify the key research questions that could inform and support international development in the years ahead. The results of this global consultation were eventually turned into 100 key research questions which, it is hoped, will act as focal points for development-related research moving forwards. My own work links to several of the final questions included under the theme of ‘governance, participation and rights’ and, broadly put, explore opportunities and challenges for citizens and civil society in promoting development. In the years since the 100 key questions paper, my work has addressed issues of governance and participation in Asia and Africa – including an ongoing project working in Rwanda to support capacity building efforts among organisations working in the justice sector. Working alongside RCN Justice et Democratie, these efforts have produced tailored training materials and capacity building events to support civil society and non-governmental organisations working in Rwanda to promote peace and justice. For more information, read the 100 key research questions for the post-2015 development agenda.