History

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Development (IPID) started with a handful of graduate students in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs who shared a common interest in international development issues. With the support of its original faculty advisers—Dr. Frances Vavrus (CEHD), Dr. Sherry Gray (Humphrey School), and Dr. Christopher Johnstone (CEHD)—IPID received a start-up grant and established the IPID student group and the online journal, Reconsidering Development.

Today, IPID and Reconsidering Development are platforms for discussion, debate, and learning about international development across the University of Minnesota. Current faculty advisers are Marc Bellemare (Department of Applied Economics) and Joan DeJaeghere (Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development).

Present

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Development (IPID) serves as a link between graduate students, scholars, and practitioners with interests in development. Both the student group and the journal Reconsidering Development constitute a cross-department and cross-sector endeavor meant to continually grow and evolve.

IPID’s goal is to continually explore and expand upon three research questions:

• How does an interdisciplinary perspective shift our conceptualization of international development?
• What are the trends and issues affecting current approaches to international development?
• What is the future of this interdisciplinary field (including the role of the international community)?

IPID members come from a variety of departments at the University of Minnesota, including the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the program in Comparative and International Development Education, the School of Public Health, and the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change.

Reconsidering Development

Reconsidering Development is an open access, peer reviewed e-journal that aims to create an equitable space for dialogue and discussion concerning the theory and practice of international development. The Editorial Board aims to create an open platform for diverse perspectives to engage with and learn from one another. The Board encourages submissions from a wide variety of development actors—scholars, practitioners, policy-makers, and community activists—spanning different disciplines and geographic regions. Reconsidering Development particularly encourages submissions that reflect underrepresented voices, creative methodologies, and contemporary forms of expression in order to reconsider the broader field of development. The Board hopes that this deliberate fusion of experiences will help to transform and push the boundaries of knowledge around which development theory and practice is built.