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Shifting Paradigms of Development: The Politics of Renegotiating Policy Discourses and Practices in Asia

Forschungsprojekt: Shifting Paradigms of Development: The Politics of Renegotiating Policy Discourses and Practices in Asia
ProjektmitarbeiterInnen: Prof. Dr. Reinhart Kößler, Prof. Dr. Christian von Lübke, Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler
Fördernde Institution(en): FRIAS
Projektlaufzeit: 05.2017
Fördervolumen: 20000 €
KooperationspartnerIn(nen)
und/oder weitere MitarbeiterIn(nen): GSID Prof. Sanae Ito (Dean
Abstract:
Abstract: The 21st century is witnessing a remarkable shift of global powers and discourses. The post-Cold War era has paved the ground for a multipolar international architecture. In this increasingly polycentric world, key ideas and norms that define international relations – including the concept of “development” – are currently being renegotiated and reconfigured. Asia emerges as an important player in this context; not least, because economic heavyweights such as China, India, and Japan are growing in stature and influence. The declarations from Paris/Accra/Busan and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicate that global development agendas are increasingly influenced by non-Western actors and South-South perspectives. Over time, these changes prompt a recalibration of development concepts and policy orientations. Our joint research project takes a close look at the politics of this ongoing paradigm shift. It seeks to shed new light on salient powers and ideas that are at play in a multilayered negotiation process – which involves political, economic, social, and professional actors on national, regional, and global arenas. This will be done, first, by looking at development cooperation practices, which mirror the politics of development and provide tangible indications as to how policy priorities are shifting; and second, by examining the characteristics of Asia’s 21st-century development paradigm vis-à-vis the history of 20th-century development theories grounded in Western postcolonial perspectives.
Forschungsbereich: Contested Governance