The 2012 International Development Conference

December 3 to 5, 2012

Idc 2012, attended by close to 300 New Zealand and international development researchers, students, practitioners and policy makers, provided an international forum for development scholars, researchers and practitioners to explore the linkages between the three areas that constitute international development work: research, policy and practice. Research is the critical foundation that informs policy and grounds development practice, which in turn ensure the relevance and currency of research through conceptual and empirical engagements. As the arena of international development is changing with the influx of new actors, methods and technologies, there is an increasing need to interrogate development work to ensure its equitable and sustainable nature. Development policy is adjusting to new geo-political configurations and global challenges, while development practice is transformed by rising demands for evidence of impact and effectiveness. These shifts shape development research to ensure its continued significance. DevNet and academic international development studies departments are uniquely positioned to examine and foster these linkages. Idc 20120 was also the eighth in a series of DevNet (International Development Studies Network of Aotearoa New Zealand) conferences.

Highlights of the conference included keynotes by Professor Uma Kothari from the University of Manchester, Dr. Thomas Webster, Director of the National Research Institute in Papua New Guinea and Patti O'Neil, Deputy Head of the Policy Division and coordinator of the Development Assistance Committee's Network on Gender Equality at the OECD.

While in Auckland, Professor Kothari was interviewed by Radio New Zealand.
Listen to her talk on celebrities and military in development.

For complete information about the conference, view the handbook.

Access the PDFs of a number of conference presentations.