Whose world? Development, civil society, development studies and (not only) scholar activists

Abstract

The current international development discourse focuses much on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as part of a global social contract in support of international cooperation and governance, with the debate on the post-MDGs and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicating a shift. These goals are at least in part addressing developmental constraints confronting the world as a result of the effects the dominant growth models have had on limited resources and global goods. Rio+20 was a forum which brought to the fore the conflicting issues at stake and the challenges for any development paradigm seeking to enhance global justice and equality. This article explores the discrepancies between dominant paradigms cultivated in official discourses, on the one hand, and alternatives for another development presented as anti-hegemonic counter-models for survival strategies. It considers the role of civil society agencies and scholar activists in development studies.