The background to development research, challenges, and recommendations for the field's continued development are presented in a newly published report from the Swedish Research Council. SLU Professor Ingrid Öborn chairs the Committee for Development Research, which created the report.
Development research at the Swedish Research Council covers both research into development and research for development, and therefore spans a large disciplinary range. It covers both basic and more applied research, as long as the research is particularly relevant to the fight against poverty and for sustainable development in least developed countries.
The review presents the preconditions, challenges, and development opportunities for development research. The review concludes with six recommendations for how the development research support can be strengthened to not just contribute to research of the highest quality, but also to an even greater extent generate knowledge that creates opportunities for better living conditions for people who live in poverty and under oppression, and for sustainable development.
The six recommendations concern:
- I would like to see the Development Research review as a starting point for discussions and collaboration to strengthen and broaden the basis for development research beyond the aid budget through joining forces between funding agencies in Sweden, EU and internationally and between different disciplines. The Research review will also feed into the next Swedish research Bill, says Professor Ingrid Öborn.
Development cooperation strategy for Sweden in research for poverty reduction and sustainable development 2022-2028
The goal of Swedish international aid is to improve the living conditions of people living in poverty and oppression. The principles of aid and development effectiveness, as well as Agenda 2030, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and the Paris Agreement, must serve as the foundation for development cooperation.
Read the strategy (in Swedish).