Development in Ruins, Hope in the Cracks: A Time for Reckoning, Reclaiming, and Reawakening (Concept Note and Call for Working Groups for #DevDays2026 and FSDR@40)

Concept Note We live in a ruined and ruining world. The postwar program and edifice of “development” as we know it—built on the assumptions of linear progress, donor-driven aid, and international cooperation—is crumbling. Development’s failures, rooted in the colonial and capitalist world-system, are manifest: in the stark precarity and inequalities sharpening under economic neoliberalism; in …

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‘Developing Countries’ or ‘Global South’? The Politics of Naming in the Fight for Climate Justice

Bonn Juego Senior Lecturer in International Development Studies, University of Jyväskylä [This think piece was originally published in Just Ecological Political Economy: The HELSUS Global South Blog.] What’s in a name? For nations on the frontlines of the climate emergency—where coastlines drown and forests burn—the answer may mean the difference between survival and extinction. During …

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In memory of Marja-Liisa Swantz

Marja-Liisa (Aro) Swantz died peacefully in her sleep on a May night at the age of 99. Professor emerita Swantz was the first director of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Helsinki. She taught in the Departments of Ethnology, Religious Studies, Social Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, and Development Studies at the University of …

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Policy Brief: “Forestopias — For what, whom, and why?”

Authors: Ayonghe Nebasifu, Edmund Asare, Geethanjali Mariaselvam, Enrique Aliste-Almuna, Ida Herdieckerhoff, Anna Mustonen, Violeta Gutiérrez-Zamora, Anna-Emilia Haapakoski, Salla Jutila, & Aina Guinart   Written based on insights from a working group (WG4) at the Development Days 2025 conference. The working group was organised by collaboration of the International Forest Policy Research Group and the Helsinki …

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USAIDin alasajo ja sen maailmanlaajuiset seuraukset

By Eija Ranta. Originally published by the KIOS Foundation on 28 February 2025. Note: The blog post was changed to its original Finnish language on 30 March due to issues with translation. Presidentti Donald Trumpin päätös jäädyttää Yhdysvaltain kehitysyhteistyöviraston (USAID) toiminta oli shokeeraava. Jo Trumpin ensimmäisellä presidenttikaudella kävi selväksi, ettei hän usko kehitysyhteistyön kaltaiseen pehmeään …

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Hope for Development in the Time of Monsters Trump and Musk

Bonn Juego Chair of the Finnish Society for Development Research, Co-Chair of Development Days 2025, and Senior Lecturer in International Development Studies at the University of Jyväskylä [Opening remarks to the Development Days conference with the theme “Development Transitions: Amidst Waste, Wars, and Maldevelopment”, 27 February 2025, Helsinki] Good morning, everyone! And to international participants …

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Season’s Greetings 2024

Dear FSDR Members, As we wrap up 2024, let’s take a moment to celebrate the resilience and achievements of our community. This year has tested us with global and domestic political challenges, but it has also been a time of remarkable events and accomplishments for the FSDR, as highlighted in previous newsletters. Most importantly, the …

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On Finland’s Development Policy Today: Questions and Reflections

Bonn Juego Chair, Finnish Society for Development Research & Senior Lecturer, University of Jyväskylä  [Edited opening remarks and introduction to the FSDR Policy Dialogue 2024 on “Finland’s Development Policy for Today: Past Lessons, Future Visions”, 21 October 2024]   Welcome to this year’s Policy Dialogue of the Finnish Society for Development Research (FSDR – Kehitystutkimuksen …

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Finland’s Development Aid Plunges amid Far-Right Take-Over of Policy Agendas

By Eija Ranta and Martta Kaskinen / Originally published by EADI as part of the European Development Policy Outlook Series The boost in popularity of the populist right-wing Finns party has meant a bumpy ride for Finland’s development affairs. With far-right extremists in the government, Finland’s development aid is plunging. In this blog post, we …

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