Development Studies is a multi-disciplinary branch of study that emphasises the many facets of sociology, politics and history, to name a few. Lets finds out how the course has grown in popularity

It may not be as popular or ‘mainstream’ as an MBA, but Development Studies, usually offered as a Masters programme in institutes across the country, has been steadily growing in popularity. What does the course entail? According to K Nagaraj, professor, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, “Development Studies, as a subject, gained prominence after World War II and is closely linked to third world countries — a lot of which gained independence around this time. This set the context for Development Economics and sometime in the 70s, the focus shifted from Development Economics to Development Studies.” The evolution of Development Studies signified two important shifts: the course became multi-disciplinary, while earlier, it was confined to economics; secondly, it became location-specific, drawing from development experiences of different countries.

 Economics still remains the central focus of the course, along with bits of history, sociology, anthropology and different dimensions of development. Amiya Kumar Bagchi, professor and firstchancellor, Tripura Central University, and director, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata, says, “In semester I of our Development Studies course, students read selected chapters of classics in social sciences and in human sciences, with a focus on human development issues. All students have to engage in a field study lasting for a week to learn about a particular issue in the villages of West Bengal. This gives them a feel of what it means to be poor, an idea of how to design a field study, and evokes a desire to devise appropriate policies to redress the ills. In Semester II, they can specialise in a subject of their choice — political science, economics, sociology or history.” Students who pursue this course come from backgrounds as diverse as sociology, economics and women’s studies. “There aren’t many opportunities in the private sector, except for a few students who choose to do economic journalism,” says Nagaraj. Most students who graduate get into academic research, teaching, NGOs, organisations like the UN, the World Bank and the Planning Commission. Bagchi says, “Some of our graduates have gone on to pursue PhD in universities in India and abroad. I feel there will be a growth of Development Studies in future, because recombinant disciplines — like recombinant DNAs — are an essential part of human heritage.” Despite the scope and relevance of Development Studies, it remains a relatively niche segment, as there aren’t many good institutes offering this course and partly due to a lack of awareness among students about this field. Dr R Srivatsan, Senior Fellow at Anveshi, a Hyderabad-based research centre says, “Development Studies is more oriented towards a particular problem and serves a territorial market. The empirical data available in India is conducive for research in Development Studies.” Commenting on employment opportunities available, he says, “There are several opportunities in policy and advocacy work. Earlier, working in an NGO was associated with having a spirit of public service; now, a course in Development Studies is considered a good qualification for the same.” Referring to projects in Development Studies, Dr Srivatsan says, “Those initiatives examine the shifts in development theory and provide an in-depth understanding of the issue at hand. In practice, it is easier to get funding for direct application-oriented development studies projects that are carried out in the social sector.”
Nagaraj points out that Development Studies is confined to research institutions and not directly linked with universities. Experts believe the government needs to offer renewed support to institutes. Nagaraj says, “There was a boom in state funding of such research institutions in the 70s; but, after a period, the state funds dried up and these institutes had to sustain on their own. A revival of interest from the government’s end will go a long way in ensuring quality and adding more reputed institutes.”
   

INSTITUTE WATCH
• Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Trivandrum
• Centre for Economic and Social Studies (Hyderabad)
• Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research
• Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS)
• Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
    (Indicative listing)