Lead Researcher(s): Prof Dr Ulrike Müller-Böker, Prof Dr Urs Geiser, Dr Prabin Manandhar, Dr R Ramakumar
Involved Researcher(s): Mahendra Sapkota
Brief Description: Despite concerted efforts towards development by state agencies, donors, NGOs, and the private sector, the rural poor in many developing countries continue to have difficulty gaining access to crucial livelihood means like natural resources, markets, and employment. Indeed, the recent emergence of various people’s movements that challenge states’ legitimacy may hint at popular dissatisfaction with mainstream development models and with the institutions charged with implementing them. This research project examines alternative visions of development as suggested by various grassroots movements that critique state-sanctioned development models and claim to offer solutions for improving rural people’s access to livelihood means. Case studies in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka focus on such protest movements, while case studies in Nepal and Bolivia address groups that have already gained considerable policy influence. This research is being conducted in coordination of South Asia Office of the NCCR North-South (hosted by NCCR) with the funding obtained from Swiss National Science Foundation and Swiss Agency for Development Co-operation, and is managed by Development Study Group, Department of Geography, University of Zurich.
