DEVELOPMENT STUDIES:
In an increasingly polarised world, a knowledge of developing countries is particularly relevant. Development studies analyses social, political and cultural change in Asia, West Asia and Africa, the Caribbean and South America. It deals with key issues such as globalisation, inequality, poverty, gender relations, ethnicity and cultural representation.

The subject has taken on a much broader meaning than just economic development. It now has ecological, cultural and moral implications.

If you have a global perspective or if you are fascinated by other cultures, development studies offers new work opportunities as it is concerned with the understanding and analysis of processes which are transforming people’s lives throughout the world. There has been a realisation that the solutions suggested need to recognise cultural, social and environmental differences.

What do I have to do?

Development professionals work with communities on issues like child survival and development, gender equality, water, environment and sanitation, health and nutrition and prevention of HIV / AIDS. Policy analysis is an essential part of their work.

Governments, law makers, the media, civil society and international organisations are working to improve the condition of those affected by poverty. By analysing economic, social and legal policies, development professionals can better understand the circumstances and forces that affect the well-being of children, women and men around the world. They also develop new policy approaches and actions to improve the results of economic, social and democratic governance programmes.

Development professionals in organisations work with partners in many countries to design, carry out and evaluate a wide range of communication strategies to advance goals for immunisation, education and HIV / AIDS prevention. Some development organisations focus on the enabling of livelihoods rather than on the delivery of services.

Some of their responsibilities include organising policy seminars and workshops, undertaking research and publishing documents, and participating in various policy-making bodies on rural development of the Union and state governments.

What should I study?

Development studies programmes are designed to expose students to the bigger picture on development and to develop specialised skills and knowledge valuable to them and prospective employers.

Courses in this discipline introduce students to models of development, create an understanding of participatory, self-sustaining and people-centred public policies and develop expertise in methodologies and skills for development research, participatory approaches and programme planning and management.

What next?

Students who graduate with this degree can pursue a professional career at academic institutions in interdisciplinary research and teaching, civil and allied administrative services, organisations that facilitate development, the corporate sector and in research consultancy firms.

Programmes in international development studies train students for careers in governmental and non-profit organisations and the private sector, where the ability to formulate policies is important. Following recent policy changes at both national and international levels, the number and size of organisations involved in international co-operation have increased considerably, and there is consequently, a growing need for professionals who are able to integrate elements from various disciplines into the analysis of development-related issues.

Some organisations where one can work are the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. One can also work for national and local government institutions and private companies.

where to study:

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Bangalore University, Bangalore.
The Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai.
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai.
Harvard University, US.
University of Oxford, UK.

Source: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)