Dilemmas of development and the environment in a globalizing world: theory, policy and praxis

Many key dilemmas in contemporary development studies centre on disjunctures between theoretical innovation, formal policy and practice. Even the very meaning of ‘development’ and its implications are today hotly contested. Questions of scale, sustainability and identity lie at the heart of debates over the supposedly homogenizing effects of pervasive globalization. Many prevailing conventional wisdoms are inadequate, and we need more nuanced and contextual approaches in addressing poverty, disempowerment, environmental degradation and other mantras of ‘development’. Particular dilemmas addressed include the translation of theoretical advances into practice; difficulties of ‘mainstreaming’ radical alternatives; the dialectics of spatial scale; environmental, economic and socio-cultural trade-offs and costs associated with change; and the developmental implications of technological innovations, particularly information and computer technologies.