Short Abstract

This roundtable brings together practitioners, policymakers and academics to explore how development is being re-imagined in an era of shifting power, agency and uncertain futures. We ask: how can practice, policy and research speak to each other more effectively — and what new directions emerge?

Description

In times of accelerating global uncertainty, the field of development is at a crossroads. Traditional models face challenges from climate change, digital disruption, shifting geopolitics and decolonial pressures. This roundtable brings together 1-2 voices each from practice (ex. Concern Worldwide and GOAL), policy (ex. Irish Aid) and research (TBC) to engage in a structured dialogue.

From the practice side we explore how front-line agencies are adapting their methods and engagements in fragile contexts; from the policy side we examine how donors, governments and intermediary organisations are rethinking frameworks, accountability and partnerships; from research we invite reflection on the conceptual and empirical underpinnings of change, including power relations, agency and future-oriented imaginaries. By juxtaposing these perspectives we aim to surface tensions and synergies: how practitioner insight can inform policy; how research evidence (and critiques) can shape both policy and practice; how policy can create the enabling (or constraining) environment for innovation; and how all three can co‐generate more reflexive, adaptive pathways for development in an uncertain world. The session will invite participants to reflect on key questions: What new forms of agency and power are emerging? How do we re-imagine development beyond aid-centric models? What futures are we leaving out? This roundtable will facilitate a dialogic format, allowing each panellist to reflect briefly and then engage in cross-sector conversation with each other and the audience. The aim is not only to surface insights but also to identify practical, policy-relevant and research-relevant steps for how development can be re-imagined in this decade.