India’s Development: Even or uneven?
19 September 2006
Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development
(IDPAD)
End-phase Symposium, November 24:
‘India’s Development: Even or uneven?
(Reflections on Development Theory and Practice.)
Convenors
S. Mahendra Dev, Centre for Economic and
Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad
Joop de Wit, Institute of Social Studies
(ISS), The Hague
Focus of the seminar
While India has long been seen as a developing country with extreme poverty and in need of foreign aid, it now has come to be seen as a fast growing success economy that is more and more competitive on a global scale and may even threaten Western hegemony in fields like information technology and IT enabled services. This change of view shared by many is so radical that a critical assessment is necessary, in the light of the growing contrasts between various regions, between urban and rural India, within the cosmopolitan cities, and, last but not least, between growing numbers of well-off Indians and the many poor.
The main purpose of this concluding seminar is to discuss the nature of India’s development and in particular its disparate reality in the light of the changing perceptions on development theory as well as different possible policy scenarios. Such an overall approach from theory to practice, we feel, would make the seminar a rewarding exercise for academics, policy makers and other stakeholders in the two countries which have jointly supported and implemented the IDPAD research program.
When IDPAD was launched, the state was seen as the principal actor for
promoting development and eradicating poverty. Over the years, the perception
of the state and the government as the key drivers of development, has given
way to the perspective of governance, perceived as a multi-actor process in a
multi-stakeholder arena. Moreover, it is nowadays often assumed that the
positive development of certain sectors, regions and people will ultimately
have positive effects for all. This neglects the reality of policy processes
and impacts, institutionalised inequalities and barriers, as well as political
interests and strategies. It is thus crucial to look at the options and the
instruments of state policy, civil society, the private sector and the urban
and rural populations to understand the effects of India’s current economic
growth on poverty. It is equally crucial to explore what kind of solutions can
offer access to economic and social development for India’s excluded, who are
increasingly neglected and seen as a temporary side-effect of
development.
Since the IDPAD program will be concluded this year,
it was decided to round off the various cycles of intensive research work and
cooperation with a seminar in India (Hyderbad), on 1, 2 and 3 November 2006
followed up by an additional day in the Netherlands on 24 November.
Programme for The Hague symposium, November 24
9.00-9.30 Registration and
coffee/tea
9.30-10.30 &nbs
p;Inaugural session
&nbs
p; IDPAD co-chairmen Prof. Andre Béteille and Prof. Peter van
&nbs
p; der Veer
&nb
sp; Jan Hoekema, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs,
the Netherlands
&n
bsp; Peter Nijkamp, chair NWO
&nbs
p; Joop de Wit: Conclusions from Hyderabad
symposium
&
nbsp; (Conveners’
report)
10.30-10.45 Optional: opening of photo exhibition
10.45-11.15 IDPAD film/video
11.15-11.30 Coffee/tea break
11.30-12.30 Keynote
speakers:
&nbs
p; Dipankar Gupta, JNU, New
Delhi
; Carla Risseeuw, Leiden University
12.30-14.00 Lunch
1400- 1500 Keynote
speakers
; Shobha Raghuram, director HIVOS,
India
; Peter van der Veer, Utrecht University
1500-15.15 Tea break
15.15-17.00 Panel discussion on
India’s Development Experience
&nbs
p; Indian: S. Mahendra Dev, Renana Jevala, T.C.A. Anant
; Dutch: Gerard Oonk, Ashwani Saith
17.00- 17.15 Closure by IDPAD co-chairs
and WOTRO board
member
17.15-18.15 Reception
