Is social equality necessary for development?
1h 1m
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Festival of Ideas 2013
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Is creating a more inclusive society vital for a country's economic development or does economic development need to come first? Speakers include journalist Richard Dowden, Dr Kamal Munir (Judge Business School), Dr Sharath Srinivasan (Department of Politics and International Studies) and Brita Fernandez Schmidt (Women for Women International). Chaired by Dame Barbara Stocking. Four leading experts in the fields of social change, innovation and human rights will discuss this question, debating the role microfinance has played in economic development and the effect of new communication technologies, alongside examining how much these have allowed previously excluded groups, such as women, to have more of a say in governance. The panel will also discuss the importance of less recognisable social movements and collectives and how technology is changing the nature of social action. Dr Kamal Munir has been teaching at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School since 2000. Dr Munir's research focuses on social change and stability, as well as innovation and technological shifts in society. Dr Sharath Srinivasan is a Lecturer in Governance and Human Rights at the University of Cambridge. Prior to academia, Dr Sharath worked in the field of international aid in conflict settings. He has led programmes for a leading international relief agency in Sudan, and has advised a range of international organisations and government agencies on conflict prevention, peace-building and political development. Brita Fernandez Schmidt is Executive Director of Women for Women International UK. She has a strong record of work on women’s human rights, gender, social inequality and development and has worked with a number of different national and international human rights and development institutions over the past 20 years. Prior to joining Women for Women International, Brita led the programmes and policy work of Womankind Worldwide; acted as Chair of the Gender & Development Network; and advised numerous other organisations and institutions, including the Department for International Development, on gender, women’s rights and development. Richard Dowden is a journalist who has specialised in African issues. Since 1975, he has worked for several newspapers, including The Independent, The Times and The Economist, and for the past eight years he has been the Executive Director of the Royal African Society. He has made three television documentaries on Africa for the BBC and Channel 4 and is author of the book, Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. Chaired by Dame Barbara Stocking.
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