Summary

Research Report: This review provides a valuable snapshot of 'who is doing what' in development research in Australia and New Zealand.

Description

Author: Annabel Brown and Mark McGillivray (International Development Program, School of Social Science and Planning, RMIT University) with the assistance of Emma Green, Anna Hutchens, Melinda Nichols and Sallie Yea (International Development Program, School of Social Science and Planning, RMIT University) and Catherine Whybrow (International Projects Unit, RMIT International Pty Ltd.)

This review provides AusAID with a valuable snapshot of 'who is doing
what' in development research in Australia and New Zealand.

The development research sector in Australia and New Zealand consists
primarily of individuals based at higher educational institutions, together
with their counterparts based at a selection of NGOs, official agencies and
private consulting companies, and a small number of researchers without an
institutional affiliation.

Surveying this sector suggests that:

• More than 1000 individuals have been active in development research since
  1994.
• There have been more than 6300 individual research activities since
  1994.
• While these individuals work on a diverse range of research topics, by far
  the most popular specialisation has been governance, although health, gender,
  trade, the environment and banking and finance have also received considerable
  attention.
• Research with a geographic focus has tended to focus primarily on China,
  Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Thailand and India, and there has been a
  discernable shift in emphasis since 1994 towards East Asia and away from the
  Pacific.
• There has been strong yearly growth in the number of active development
  researchers, especially in postgraduate research students.
• Strong future growth in postgraduate research student numbers is
  expected.

Survey of Current Australian and New Zealand Development Research Activities (July 2001) [PDF 543KB]

Available: Electronic version only

This report was commissioned by AusAID. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of AusAID or the Australian Government.

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