EADI at 50 - Navigating Development in Crisis, Reflecting on the Past and Envisioning the Future

Authors: 
Susanne von Itter, EADI, TED WG2 Thematic Lead
Ellen Van Uytvanck, TED WG2 Facilitator  

Bonn-Germany, 22-23 May 2025 - Marking its 50th anniversary, the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI)convened scholars, researchers, civil society actors and policymakers under the theme “Development in Crisis: Reflecting on the Past, Looking to the Future.” The event took place at a time when the global development landscape is increasingly shaped by democratic backsliding, geopolitical fragmentation and compounding environmental and social crises. In this context, the anniversary served not only as a commemoration, but as a platform for critical self-reflection and collective forward thinking.

In his opening remarks, EADI President Andy Sumner invoked the concept of a “long winter” to describe today’s turbulent era, drawing on Kondratiev’s theory of long economic cycles. He emphasised the responsibility of the academic community to remain outward-facing and engaged, positioning development studies as a convener of pluralist thought and as an enabler of intellectual resilience, particularly by amplifying perspectives from the Global South.

The keynote address by Professor Nikita Dhawan offered a compelling critique of transnational solidarity and the normative underpinnings of global justice. Challenging assumptions of universality, her intervention called for a radical reappropriation of Enlightenment values, led from below. This call to de-centre dominant paradigms resonated throughout the sessions that followed.

Key Discussions and Emerging Themes

The event explored the intersection of development research and practice in an age of uncertainty. 

Highlights included:

• Strategic Roundtables on democratic recession, shifting global alliances and the contested future of development cooperation;
• Thematic Panels addressing civic space under pressure, the geopolitical significance of the “New South” and the layered crises of climate, conflict and inequality;
• A civil society-focused session, with contributions from the Team Europe Democracy (TED) Secretariat, examining how civic actors are adapting their strategies amid tightening political environments;
• The launch of a special issue in the European Journal of Development Research, featuring contributions on decolonisation, demographic transformations, knowledge hierarchies, poetry as a source of data and climate justice.
• Attention turned to the interface between research and implementation. Discussions centred on how academic outputs can better inform, and be informed by, the operational realities faced by development practitioners and NGOs, especially in complex settings.

Looking Ahead: From Retrospective to Renewal

The anniversary marks the beginning of a broader process of renewal. EADI will continue its Jubilee programme through a series of initiatives designed to strengthen dialogue, co-creation and critical inquiry across its network:

• Save the Date: The next EADI-IOB General Conference: Shaping Sustainable Futures: Global Challenges, (G)Local Solutions? will take place in Antwerp, 29^th of June to 2^nd of July 2026, in a hybrid format;
  • Call for Panels is now open for this EADI-IBO General Conference, offering an opportunity for members, including the TED community, to shape the future agenda. Deadline for submissions is the 7^th of September 2025 (Midnight, CET);
• New Engagement Platforms:
  • Decolonising Knowledge for Development - a multimedia series foregrounding stories that challenge dominant narratives;
  • Debating Development Research - a blog space for critical reflections on emerging and contested themes;
  • Hierarchies of Development - a podcast series exploring power asymmetries in global knowledge production.

From Crisis to Possibility

EADI at 50 is not only a moment of reflection, but also a call to reimagine the field of development studies for a rapidly changing world. At its core, the anniversary underscores a shared commitment: to interrogate inherited assumptions, renew partnerships with integrity and contribute to shaping the contours of a more just and pluralistic global order.

Links:
2024 - 2025: EADI 50th Anniversary Celebrations
EADI Timeline 1974 - 2025: https://www.eadi.org/development-studies/eadi-at-50