When I started in development, it was very much an outsider-dominated set of processes. That has changed absolutely radically and we're now talking about things which are under the control of people living in developing countries. The other thing that has changed a lot has been recognizing power as being a factor. We didn't use the word power when we had people from DFID, from the aid agency, when we had them coming. It was misguided on my part; power is now very much on the table.
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What is the field of development? What are the differences between rapid and participatory rural appraisal? Under what conditions should qualitative surveys be preferred over quantitative and vice versa? What is participatory mapping? How has the field of development changed over the last few decades? Why do people get taller when sanitation improves?
Robert Chambers is a British academic and development practitioner. He spent his academic career at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. In 2013, he became an honorary fellow of the International Institute of Social Studies. He has been one of the leading advocates for putting the poor, destitute, and marginalized at the center of the processes of development policy since the 1980s. Learn more about him here.
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