Two Kimmage staff Eilish Dillon and Hugh Bergin have had articles published today in international peer reviewed journal ‘Development and Practice’, the anniversary issue. Eilish examines surveys in Ireland on attitudes to Aid and Development issues, and finds the questions asked in the surveys predominantly reinforce stereotypical assumptions of development, deny the complexities of the challenges facing the world today and present development cooperation largely, and uncritically, in terms of help or aid. There are implications of this analysis for development education.
Hugh reports on Kimmage’s role in an EU funded initiative to promote development education in EU new member states. Notwithstanding Eilish’s findings above, Ireland, with a lengthy and respected engagement in international development and a consequent evolving development education sector, is in a position to share its experience with practitioners, academics and policymakers, in this case in Cyprus and Slovakia.