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.
