Institute of Development Studies

All Content

1994: Volume 25

Knowledge is Power? The Use and Abuse of Information in Development

Volume 25 Number 2 May 1994 Edited by: Susanna Davies

This Bulletin is concerned with the use and abuse of information in development planning and policy-making. The conventional wisdom that more and better information automatically leads to improved policy an practice is challenged. Issues considered include: the political and economic neutrality of information; whose reality counts, and, who gains from ignorance. It includes articles on use of information in the health and environment sectors, and in food security planning.

Structural Adjustment of Structural Adjustment: SSA 1980-1993

Volume 25 Number 3 July 1994

Structural adjustment can be dated to the World Bank's 1981 Accelerated Development (Berg) Report, albeit precursor World Bank programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. Togo, Malagasy Republic) date to the late 1970s. It is taken by most supporters and critics alike - to be intrinsically neo-liberal in content, but the 1989 World Bank Report Long Term Perspective Study in fact advocates a sharp increase (from about 20 per cent to about 30 per cent of Gross Domestic Product) in government operating expenditure plus human and physical infrastructure. Many observers - again both favourably and unfavourably disposed - see the World Bank and IMF as monolithic in approach and giving top priority to external debt repayment, yet in SSA the Fund's shorter term, more demand management focused approach is often in uneasy balance with the Bank's focus on output enhancement and institutional reconstruction.

Linking Relief and Development

Volume 25 Number 4 October 1994 Edited by: Simon Maxwell

The basic idea of linking relief and development is simple and sensible. But what is involved in practice and what are the barriers preventing it? This Bulletin presents a collection of articles on the issues involved, a number of case studies, and perspectives from several leading development and relief agencies.

1995: Volume 26

Gender Relations and Environmental Change

Volume 26 Number 1 January 1995 Edited by: Susan Joekes, Melissa Leach and Cathy Green

Recent debates concerning gender-environment linkages have focused on women's 'special' relationship with the environment, either as economic managers (WED) or in their links with 'nature' (ecofeminism). This Bulletin moves beyond to emphasize the application of gender analysis to environmental relations: seeing women as differentiated and in relation to men; and paying attention to the links between gender relations with environmental activities, responsibilities and rights.

Towards Democratic Governance

Volume 26 Number 2 May 1995 Edited by: Mark Robinson

The articles in this Bulletin critically examine the implementation of various policies and programmes fostered by the good government agenda. Three main areas are reviewed: the promotion of democracy for development; new approaches to institution building and reform; measures designed to strengthen civil society in developing countries.