What Is a “Development” Research Project? Transforming Ideas of Development through Development Research

Development Studies has long operated with binaries such as “developed/developing” and “traditional/modern” that foster implicit assumptions of Northern superiority. As a result, research projects taking place in so-called “developing countries” tend to ask different research questions and use different methods leading to types of theories that differ from those concerning so-called “developed countries.”

Furthermore, the size of development research funding varies between different countries, with larger amounts of funding traditionally being targeted towards development research by countries in the Global North than by those in the Global South. As a result, development research at Southern universities relies heavily on external donor funding, with Northern universities and funders potentially setting research agendas not just internationally, but also locally. This can lead to a “cognitive lock-in” with alternative worldviews, modes of knowing and ways of living being sidelined both in the Global North and Global South.

Based on conversations and discussions at a “seed panel” at the recent EADI 2023 New Development Rhythms conference and drawing on our collective experience and research, we explore here how development researchers can challenge the homogenization and hegemonization of knowledge production, foster a multi-directional flow of learning across the North and South and question pre-defined ideas of development. Our focus lies on one particular aspect, namely the research project design.