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Roundtables 2013Non-Governmental Organizations in DevelopmentRoundtable Chair - Daniel NielsonNon-governmental organizations (NGOs) play an increasingly important role in international development, especially as aid agencies channel significant resources to NGOs as they bypass corrupt and low-capacity governments. This roundtable will review the successes of many NGOs in poverty relief, but it will also ask probing questions: To whom are NGOs accountable and what makes them responsive and responsible? How can the international community ensure that NGOs play a positive role in lifting people out of poverty? Natural Resources in DevelopmentRoundtable Chair - Jeffrey StarkIt seems only logical that a nation's natural resource endowment (e.g., water, forests, minerals, oil) is one of the most important factors in its potential for development. Yet, many countries richly endowed with natural resources have remained poor, while others lacking significant natural resources have grown wealthy. What are the lessons that can be learned from this apparent paradox and how can those lessons be used by policymakers to help lift populations out of poverty? Human Rights and DevelopmentRoundtable Chair - Darren HawkinsHuman Rights encompass political, civil, social and economic claims to human dignity. Rights-based approaches to development often involve legal institutions and processes. To what extent can these claims and processes aid in the development process? How could the concept of human rights be employed more effectively to advance development? How Are We Actually Doing? Evaluating DevelopmentRoundtable Chair - Ralph BrownThere are as many ways to measure “development” as there are approaches to “doing development”; with each embodying its own sets of assumptions and biases. This roundtable discussion will address many of these different approaches and their assumptions but give priority to those which identify holistic human needs, including but not just limited to, economic needs. Political Violence and DevelopmentRoundtable Chair - Michael FindleySuccessful international development depends crucially on political stability within developing countries. As policymakers and academics will point out, countries that have avoided political violence are generally experiencing economic growth and improvement in social welfare. Countries involved in protracted conflicts, on the other hand, are declining both economically and socially. This roundtable explores the complex relationship between violence and development with specific attention to the development trajectories of African countries that have avoided or experienced violence. The Role of Foreign Aid in Economic DevelopmentRoundtable Chair - Christopher KilbyThe role of international aid organizations such as the World Bank in promoting economic development in poor countries has been hotly debated. In theory, these organizations can provide financial resources to, share technical expertise and knowledge with, and promote better policies and institutions in developing countries. In doing so, aid agencies can address global poverty, advance the position of women in the economy, work to slow climate change, promote global public health, and contribute to a peaceful world. At the same time, aid agencies are influenced by bureaucratic imperatives and by donor countries with geopolitical, commercial and domestic agendas. |
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