Over the last decade, the calls for Buen Vivir (BV)/ Sumak Kawsay (SK) that have emerged from the Andes have prompted a revival of interest in the indigenous philosophies of the region and their contributions to alternative development thinking. Both in academic and policy discussions, there is an emphasis on recovering Indigenous forms of knowledge to devise alternative paths to development. Yet, given the conceptual ambiguity of discussions of development, these efforts often appear to have ‘blended’ with more ...

Reviewing the contribution of discourse analysis in development studies, the paper first engages with the critique of the approach that has been voiced repeatedly. In this regard, it discusses the reproaches of losing sight of materiality, homogenizing different perspectives in development studies, denying the agency of subjects and being unable to provide political alternatives. By using different examples, the paper shows that these points of criticism are no inherent features of discourse analysis in development ...

20 years ago, the Inspection Panel was founded as a mechanism of accountability for people negatively affected by projects funded by the World Bank. It allows them to call for an investigation if social and environmental standards of the World Bank have not been adhered to and. Its origin can be traced back to pressure exerted by a transnational NGO campaign on US congress in the wake of the Narmada Valley Development Project. While the Panel’s history since then shows that it usually does not have the power to ...