International Development Track
- How can human development in the various countries of the South be reconciled with environmental sustainability?
- To what extent are environmentally friendly policies economically, socially and culturally sustainable in countries of Africa, Latin America and Asia?
- What is the environmental impact of economic development processes?
- How do people respond to hazards and ‘risky environments’ and what are the consequences for their vulnerability?
- How can migration and (eco-) tourism contribute to poverty alleviation and improved livelihood opportunities?
- How to cope with declining livelihood opportunities in areas suffering from desertification and/or deforestation?
- How can local governance contribute to sustainable living conditions in a context of rapid urbanisation?
- How does globalization and liberalization affect people's access to natural resources (land, water, fuels)?
Are you interested in issues of sustainable development in developing countries? Then this track could be a good option.
Central challenge: how to improve living conditions in developing countries while preserving the quality of natural resources?
It is in the Global South that the issue of sustainable development raises the most acute questions. Here, environmental concerns have to be reconciled with a pressing need to improve living conditions for rapidly growing populations whose livelihoods often depend directly on the production capacity of local environmental resources. Balancing these requirements of meeting human development needs on the one hand and preserving the quality of natural resources on the, is the key issue in this track. The approach taken is a distinctly multidisciplinary one. A solid grasp of natural resource management is combined with learning to analyse and plan for economic and social development in societies in the South. An important feature of the track is a concern with policy interventions in order to promote sustainable livelihoods.
The development geographer’s empirical orientation towards interdisciplinary fieldwork and grounded research is a highly suitable foundation on which to base policy formulation.
Important subject areas covered in this track include:
- migration and translocal development
- access to resources and livelihood
- management of natural resources
- private sector development
- local governance
- public service delivery
Track courses
- Development Themes
- Advanced Methods and Techniques Development Studies
- Research-oriented internship
- Development Theories
Check out the course outline – including descriptions of the courses.
"This track links the two major challenges of our time: poverty and the environment"
Read the interview with Professor Annelies Zoomers.
Interested in this Master's programme?