GDP - The Global Development Primer

GDP - The Global Development Primer

By Dr. Robert HuishEducation
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GDP - The Global Development Primer episodes

  • In Defence of 2020: Why we shouldn't blame a calendar for our global calamities.

    The year 2020 and the word "unprecedented" go together like peanut butter and jam.  No doubt a lot of firsts occurred in the past 12 months, and a lot of them were pretty awful.  Australian wildfires, passenger planes shot down, racial violence, war in Yemen, civil unrest in Algeria, harsh sanctions against Cuba, and of course, murder hornets, and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Many people have foolishly associated these challenges to the calendar year itself.  In this season of GDP, we're taking back 2020.  This season will serve as a sound reminder that wildfires occur because of climate change, food systems make us vulnerable to pandemics, sanctions cause hardship because of short-sighted policy, and racial inequalities need to be overcome by restructuring the institutions that produce racism.  None of this is because of a calendar date, but all of it is because of a global system of development that has become wildly inequitable.  

    Tune in to GDP to learn more, and in the mean time, be kind to each other as we wrap up 2020.  Celebrate birthdays, weddings, new horizons and each other.  We all deserve better than blaming a calendar date for our hardships.  We deserve the chance to ask hard questions about the systems that cause these problems in the first place.

    Thanks as always to TAS and the Semi-Superheroes for cutting the music to GDP.  And remember, these podcasts are available as a course offered in the Department of International Development Studies  at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter:  @ProfessorHuish

    7 min
  • If you thought pandemic disruption was tough? Let's talk about climate change.
    The COVID-19 pandemic is brutal and disruptive to everyone on earth.  The effects of the pandemic, social and economic, could echo on for years to come.  As we know, nothing in our lifetimes has had such a universally disruptive impact to global society.
    Bad stuff indeed, but nothing compared to what Climate Change has in store for us.  Once again, we're pleased to have Dr. Anders Hayden going GDP for the season closer about how, and if, global society will be prepared to handle the disruptions coming from climate change.
    Anders Hayden is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  He is particularly interested in the evolving balance between efforts to promote ecological modernization (“green growth”) and sufficiency-based challenges to the endless growth of production and consumption. He has written on efforts to promote "green growth" in Canada, Britain, and the European Union.
    His interest in the sufficiency approach has included examination of policies and initiatives to reduce hours of work as well as research on Bhutan, a country that has established Gross National Happiness, rather than Gross National Product, as its overriding goal.
    He is currently involved in research on the political and policy impacts of alternative measures of wellbeing and prosperity (“beyond GDP” measurement). He is the author of two books: When Green Growth Is Not Enough: Climate Change, Ecological Modernization, and Sufficiency (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2014) and Sharing the Work, Sparing the Planet: Work Time, Consumption & Ecology (Zed Books / Between the Lines, 1999), and co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Global Sustainability Governance (Routledge, 2020).
    Follow his latest project about moving beyond GDP here:  www.beyondgdpindicators.com
    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @ProfessorHuish
    28 min
  • The Colonial Present
    International Development Studies is focusing more on the impact, damage, and legacies of colonialism, not just in the global South, but in the global North as well.  At the forefront of this conversation are scholars like Ajay Parasram, who studies "The Colonial Present" and who brings important critical dialogue on colonialism into the heart of research and teaching in International Development Studies.
    Ajay Parasram is a transnational, multigenerational byproduct of empire and this is central to my research and teaching. Working broadly around the theme of the colonial present, I study structural forms of violence (e.g. race, caste, class, patriarchy) rooted or exacerbated through imperial encounters that have been sanitized of their colonial histories and normalized in the present day.
    Dr. Parasram is crossed appointed between the Departments of International Development Studies, History, and Political Science and he is interested in working with graduate students interested in similar and related themes. He is a Founding Fellow at the MacEachen Institute of Public Policy and Governance  (2019 – 2021) and served as the Chair and Program Chair of the Global Development Section of the International Studies Association (2019 – 2020). He teaches courses on the colonial foundations of development studies and the state, M.K. Gandhi, postcolonial politics, and activism
    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter: @ProfessorHuish
    34 min
  • 🇨🇺 Cuba's Compassion in a time of COVID 🇨🇺

    Every country has a tale of COVID-19.  But none like Cuba.  The country has a long-standing policy of medical assistance to other countries while maintaining good health at home.  When the pandemic struck Cuba kept its borders open and even received cruise ships with patients suffering from COVID-19. On top of it, Cuba has been sending its own medical experts to crisis situations around the world in the fight against COVID-19.  From Anguilla to Andorra, from Haiti to Italy, Cuban doctors are providing COVID-19 relief well beyond their borders in a time when most nations have closed their doors altogether.  

    John Kirk is Professor of Latin American Studies at Dalhousie University, where he has taught since 1978. He is the author / co-editor of 16 books on Cuba, including “health care without borders.” He is currently working on a new book analyzing Canada-Cuba relations. 

    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter:  @ProfessorHuish

    27 min
  • Despite a pandemic, human slavery is alive and well. Here's what you need to know:
    Human trafficking, and dependence on stateless labour has led to unprecedented wealth in the Gulf States.  And with it?  An exceptional social and humanitarian cost.  From domestic service, to airport baggage handling to the construction of World Cup Stadiums, the labour practices require and encourage unfair labour practices.  It's rampant in the Gulf States, will other nations follow suit?  In this episode Laya Behbahani offers some insight from her research on human slavery and trafficking in the Gulf.
    Laya Behbahani is a 2020 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar. is a PhD student at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. She completed her BA(Hons) and MA at the School of Criminology at SFU before completing further course work at the University of Vienna, BCIT and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Laya is also a Sessional Lecturer in Labour Studies at SFU. She previously worked at the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section of the UN Office in Vienna, Austria, was a Partner at a think tank in Washington DC and served as an Advisor to the BC RCMP Commanding Officer.
    Her research focuses on the narrativisation of the triad of forced labour, modern day slavery and human trafficking experiences in the Gulf States of the Middle East. Her research has explored the role of the sponsorship system in shaping the experiences of the migrant work force in the Middle East, and the policies and politics that govern the interplay between immigration, criminal laws and labour laws. In addition, she has collaborated on projects entailing the application areas of corporate responsibility and business models of forced labour in the United Kingdom.
    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter: @ProfessorHuish
    33 min
  • ⚾️ Play Ball! Understanding Sport for Development and Peace 🏀
    The Tokyo Olympics may be on hold as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but sport carries on, nevertheless, even in the world of International Development.  In this episode of GDP, Simon Darnell from the University of Toronto joins us to discuss his work on Sport for Development and Peace.
    Simon with a C. Darnell is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto, Canada. His research focuses on the relationship between sport, international development and peacebuilding, the development implications of sports mega-events, and the place of social activism in the culture of sport. He is currently an Associate Editor of The Sociology of Sport Journal and sits on the editorial boards of five other journals, including the Journal of Sport for Development. He has served as a guest editor for issues of Third World Quarterly and Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.
    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter:  @ProfessorHuish
    30 min
  • Looking to the Future with Burdens of the Past: Addressing Post-Conflict Mental Health in Uganda.
    Conflict comes with long-lasting mental health challenges.  Even decades after a conflict, combatants and those affected by conflict can endure suffering.  But where are the resources to help with trauma and mental health in post-conflict states?  Who funds them?  How well do they work?  
    In this episode of GDP, Peter Steele shares his research on evaluating mental health resources in Uganda.  Seeing that state services struggle to provide care to those in need, it is often down to third-parties to provide necessary care and treatment.  
    Peter Steele completed his Masters in International Development Studies at Dalhousie University.  His Master's thesis focused on systems of mental health treatment for war affected youth in Northern Uganda.  Peter spent most of 2018 in Uganda conducting fieldwork out of the city of Gulu.
    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter:  @ProfessorHuish
    28 min
  • 🇬🇭 The Gender Dynamics of Dinnertime: Looking at Food Insecurity and Gender in Ghana 🇬🇭
    Somed Shahadu grew up in a rural setting in Northern Ghana.  Growing up, he witnessed first-hand how gender dynamics mattered when it came time for dinner.  In polygamous settings, who ate what and when was no accident.  Now as a doctoral student at the University of Ottawa, his research explores exactly how gender dynamics play a role on food security in his home country. In this episode he shares the details of his research, along with a few cooking tips on Ghanaian cuisine.
    Somed Shahadu is a Ghanaian researcher and Doctoral candidate at the School of International Development and Global Studies (SIDGS), University of Ottawa. He is a graduate of King’s journalism program and also earned a Masters Degree in International Development Studies at Dalhousie University in 2017. Somed’s research focuses on gender and agricultural production in sub-Sahara Africa with a particular interest in the gender dynamics of hunger in Northern Ghana.
    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter: @ProfessorHuish
    26 min
  • 🇲🇦 Liquid Gold: A Story of Cooperation, Women's Empowerment, & Disrespectful Goats in Morocco. 🇲🇦
    Benedicte Westre Skog first visited Morocco in 2008 when she first encountered the inimitable Argan Trees.  These seemingly frail desert trees are tough. They bear the brunt of harsh desert climates and put up with routine abuse from inconsiderate goats that climb into their branches.  They also produce a rare oil that is highly sought after as a cosmetic product.  
    Benedicte connected with women's groups in Morocco to learn more about the mysterious benefits of Argan Oil, and today she runs Argan care, to help support women farmers, and to help move their product to market. 
    Benedicte holds an MSc in International Development from Utrecht University, the Netherlands and an interdisciplinary BA Honors degree from Dalhousie University, Canada. She has also studied in India, Mexico and Norway.
    Benedicte has further been instrumental in the creation of the Norway Summit conference in Stavanger, aiming to create a space for business, new technology, finance and sustainability, particularly building bridges between Norway and innovation eco-systems around the world.
    In 2014 she founded the non-profit organization, Argan Care, which has reached great achievements in Morocco. Argan Care focuses on reforestation projects, literacy training and creates employment opportunities in southwestern Morocco, in particular for women.
    Check out  Argan Care here:  www.argancare.org
    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter: @ProfessorHuish
    26 min
  • 1.3 billion and not out: How India is faring through the COVID19 Pandemic.

    It's a sticky wicket to lock down the world's 2nd largest nation, and the world's largest democracy for the COVID-19 pandemic.   How could a government tell 1.3 billion people in India, where day to day conditions of poverty create serious health concerns, to stay home?  Who suffered the hardest during this time? Why was there a fatal military scrimmage with China?  And what are the surprisingly positive outcomes health outcomes that some communities experienced during the pandemic, notably in the state of Kerala?  

    Professor Mannathukkaren’s main research interests are focused on left/communist movements, development and democracy, modernity, the politics of popular culture (esp., the politics of mass cultural forms like the media, cinema and sport), and Marxist and postcolonial theories. The thrust of his research has been to develop a theoretical and empirical critique of postcolonial theory and postmodern thought.

    Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter: @ProfessorHuish

    32 min

About GDP - The Global Development Primer

From the publisher's feed

The Global Development Primer podcast is about all issues in Global Development. Your host is Professor Bob Huish, broadcasting from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.