In Pursuit of Development

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order — Kathryn Stoner Mar 04, 2022

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already caused untold suffering to millions of people and upended the global order as we know it. The international community, apart from a few exceptions, has been largely united in its condemnation of this attack on a sovereign country’s ability to decide its own future. And several sanctions have thus far been imposed on Russia, many of which also target President Putin, senior Russian officials, and their rich financial backers. President Putin has tried, although without much success, to justify what he terms to be a military operation (and not an invasion). President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has refused to flee his war-ravaged country, and this, together with his regular morale boosting social media posts, has made him a household name in many parts of the world.

What kind of threat does Ukraine pose to Russia? How did we get to this point? Can President Putin withstand the backlash from this war? What is Russia’s role and purpose in a new global order, and how has it managed to develop an outsized influence in international politics even though it does not have the traditional means of power possessed by the United States or China?

Kathryn Stoner is the Mosbacher Director of Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). She is also a Senior Fellow the Hoover Institution and a professor of political science. She has conducted extensive research on contemporary Russia and has a new book: "Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order". Twitter: @kath_stoner

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Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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The power of ideas and metaphors in international development policy – Desmond McNeill Mar 02, 2022

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In global development, ideas have power and some ideas or concepts such as social capital, human development, the informal sector, and sustainable development have been highly influential. The development agenda also includes metaphors that can shape how we think and hence how we act.

Professor Desmond James McNeill has worked extensively on issues related to global governance, aid, and sustainable development and on the links between research and policy. He was director of the Centre for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo from 1992 to 2001. And from 2001 and until a couple of years ago, he was Head of Research, and Director of the Centre’s Research School.

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Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Breaking Bad: Understanding Backlash Against Democracy in Africa — Lise Rakner Feb 23, 2022

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There is a great deal of attention these days on the backlash against democracy around the world. In a forthcoming book, Democratic Backsliding in Africa? Autocratization, Resilience, and Contention, my guest Lise Rakner and her two co-authors (Leonardo R. Arriola and Nicolas van de Walle) conclude that the African continent’s democratic experience over the past two decades largely reflects status quo politics. Thus, there is neither substantial progress nor regression in the advancement of civil and political freedoms since the initial transitions to democracy in the early 1990s.

Lise Rakner is a professor of political science at the University of Bergen. She studies democratization and autocratization, focusing particularly on human rights, electoral politics, and political parties. Twitter: @li63ra

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Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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A world of insecurity — Pranab Bardhan Feb 16, 2022

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Pranab Bardhan is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He has undertaken pioneering research on international trade, the political economy of development policies, decentralised governance, and the political economy of development in China and India. His latest book, A World of Insecurity: Democratic Disenchantment in Rich and Poor Countries, is scheduled to be published by Harvard University Press later this year.

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Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Do morals matter? — Joseph S. Nye Feb 09, 2022

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Joseph S. Nye is the University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus and former Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He is the author of numerous highly influential books, including:

Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics (2004)
The Powers to Lead (2008)
The Future of Power (2011)
Is the American Century Over? (2015)
Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump (2020)

Joe Nye has also served in various capacities in the US government, as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Chair of the National Intelligence Council, and Deputy Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology.

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Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Globalization and Asian Geopolitics — Shivshankar Menon Feb 02, 2022

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As India’s stature across the globe increases, there is considerable interest in better understanding how its foreign policy is likely to evolve. In a new book – India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present – Shivshankar Menon examines India’s foreign and security policy choices through history, with a particular focus on India’s responses to the rise of China and other regional powers.

Shivshankar Menon served as the Foreign Secretary from 2006 to 2009 and as the National Security Adviser to the prime minister of India from 2010 to 2014. He has previously authored Choices: Inside the Making of Indian Foreign Policy and is current a Visiting Professor at Ashoka University. Twitter: @ShivshankaMenon

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Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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The power of small states — Ine Eriksen Søreide Jan 26, 2022

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Ine Eriksen Søreide served as Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021 – the first woman in the country’s history to hold the position. She represents the Conservative Party and is the current Chair of the Norwegian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. Between 2013 and 2017, she served as Minister of Defense.

Ine's official Facebook page
Norway’s Role and Interests in Multilateral Cooperation (white paper)
Handing over power with a hug (the viral photo)

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Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Why we need a different system of global development — Jeffrey D. Sachs Jan 19, 2022

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Jeffrey D. Sachs is University Professor at Columbia University in New York. He was the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University (2002-2016) and currently heads the Center for Sustainable Development. He is a commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, an SDG Advocate for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Host:

Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod

Host:

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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