http://www.thebrokeronline.euThe Development Studies Association , which works to connect and promote the development research community in UK and Ireland, will hold it's annual conference at the University of Ulster in Belfast from 2 – 4th September. This year the focus of the conference will be on 'Current Crises and New Opportunities' . As preferred media partner The Broker will run a conference blog with a daily updates from conference reporter Louise Stoddard and guest contributions from speakers and participants. We invite you to read and participate in the blog. en-GBTue, 08 Sep 2009 16:05:52 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Louise-Stoddard-Business-as-usual-or-real-opportunity Louise Stoddard is the web editor for The Broker and a freelance writer and consultant based in Amsterdam. On the last day of the conference the final plenary for DSA 2009 was taken by Andrew Steer, Director General, Research and Policy, DFID and Roy Trivedy, Team Leader, White Paper Team. Together they presented the new DFID white paper which addresses three main areas of concern: the recession, climate change and conflict. Steer said that the British government were still going to work onTue, 08 Sep 2009 15:39:34 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-Andrew-Steer-at-DSA Andrew Steer, Director General for Policy and Research at the British Department for International Development talks with The Broker about the DFID White Paper, his plenary session at DSA and about how the DSA can work with DFID in the future. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:15:13 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-Geof-Wood-at-the-DSA Geof Wood, Professor and Dean at the Facalty of Humanities and Social Science at The University of Bath, talks with Louise Stoddard about his role in organising the conference and where he hopes the DSA can go from here. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:37:44 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Louise-Stoddard-Research-from-the-roof-of-the-world Louise Stoddard is the web editor for The Broker and a freelance writer and consultant based in Amsterdam. After a lot of interesting theorising in the first day or so of the conference, I felt the need to stretch my legs a bit and attend something really practical. Little did I know that my quest to hear about the nitty-gritty of development research would lead me to the foothills of the Himalayas… well almost. If I was looking for a trip to another world then I found one in the paralleSun, 06 Sep 2009 15:27:01 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Lawrence-Haddad-Grading-research-for-development Lawrence Haddad is the President of the DSA and Director at the Institute of Development Studies. I just returned from Coleraine and the Development Studies Association Annual Conference. Lots of interesting papers and presentations: Charles Gore on new global paradigms (knowledge-dominated), Santosh Mehotra from the Indian Planning Commision on the impacts of the downturn on India's growth (not too bad) and poverty (not clear but likely to be not good), Mayra Buvinic from the World Bank onSat, 05 Sep 2009 18:46:18 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-David-Hudson-at-the-DSA David Hudson from University College London talks about his presentation 'What would Keynes do? Keynsian International Monetary Reform and Development' at the DSA Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:02:14 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-Andrew-Fischer-at-the-DSA Andrew Fischer talks to the Broker about his impressions from the DSA. Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:46:42 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-Alistar-Scott-at-the-DSA Alistar Scott from ID21 talks with The Broker about the importance of knowledge services for development. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:34:46 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-Robert-Chambers-at-the-DSA Robert Chambers talks with The Broker about his impressions from the DSA conference Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:55:01 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Louise-Stoddard-A-star-is-born Louise Stoddard is the web editor for The Broker and a freelance writer and consultant based in Amsterdam. The issue of how to embed research in the policy process is and has been, a key concern within the development community for some time. At the DSA yesterday Chris Whitty from the British Department for International Development (DFID) proposed a very loose design on how to go about this. As the rain hammered down on the lecture theatre roof temperatures rose inside and more than a few Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:20:40 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-Santosh-Mehrotra-at-the-DSA Santosh Mehrotra, with the Planning Commission, Government of India discusses the presentation he gave with Maya Buvinic in the second plenary and his reactions to the morning's parallel session 'BRICS: The Global Future? Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:00:21 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-Lawrence-Haddad-at-the-DSA Lawrence Haddad, President of the DSA and the Director of the Institute of Development Studies, talks to The Broker about what he hopes can be achieved at the DSA conference. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:47:29 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Video-Charles-Gore-calls-for-a-new-global-sustainable-development-paradigm Charles Gore talks to The Broker about his opening presentation at the DSA conference 'The Implications of the Global Financial Crisis for Development Theory and Practise' See also the blog Charles wrote for The Broker during the 'After 2015' MDG high level policy forum in June. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:38:08 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Louise-Stoddard-Defining-a-moment-and-calling-for-change Louise Stoddard is the web editor for The Broker and a freelance writer and consultant based in Amsterdam. As the first plenary started in yet another Octagon building and the DSA delegates assembled, we were warmly welcomed to Ulster University and Lawrence Haddad, President of the DSA and director of the Institute of Development Studies opens the conference. ‘Is this a defining moment?’ asked Haddad as he encouraged delegates to revaluate their basic underlying assumptions about tWed, 02 Sep 2009 12:01:27 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Louise-Stoddard-DSA-front-line Louise Stoddard is the web editor for The Broker and a freelance writer and consultant based in Amsterdam. I have just set up my laptop in the busy HQ office of the DSA conference, a small room containing a few tables piled high with information packs and laptop computers. One participant has just walked in and told me that I look like Kate Adie reporting from the front line. If this is a front line, then it’s a well organized one. As I type, Ana Marques, who is also working on the blTue, 01 Sep 2009 07:30:12 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Wendy-Olsen-Moral-economy-and-how-economics-is-changing Wendy Olsen is a Lecturer in Socio-Economic Research at the Institute for Development Policy Management in Manchester Moral economy has a growing place in economics. One of the main differences between old and new institutionalist approaches is their treatment of values. I am interested in reviewing how moral economy is being done by a range of economic authors. Three areas of new development can, so far, be noted: the moral economy of human capabilities; the moral economy of trust and how Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:57:47 GMThttp://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Online-discussions/Blogs/Crisis-and-Opportunity/Louise-Stoddard-News-from-the-black-hole Louise Stoddard is the web editor for The Broker and a freelance writer and consultant based in Amsterdam Two years ago, I sat in the corridor of the Octagon Building of IDS with a laptop on my knees, helping to post up the DSA 2007 conference blog. As I was working, various participants stopped to ask for directions to save themselves from walking round and round in circles within a building known as the ‘black hole’ of IDS. Once you enter the Octagon Building, you could be lost foreve