The Disciplinary Roots of Disagreement in Development Studies: Evidence from a Global Survey of Scholars

Lunch Seminar by

Ryan Briggs, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Guelph Institute of Development Studies

Development Studies is marked by deep disagreement about its aims and identity. We survey more than 300 DS professors worldwide and examine their attitudes towards DS across three dimensions: whether the field should improve existing institutions or transform them, whether its scope is universal or excludes high-income countries, and whether knowledge is understood in constructivist or positivist terms. Geography explains little variation. Instead, disciplinary training matters most. Development Studies is multidisciplinary, but scholars’ views remain shaped by disciplinary backgrounds.