NFU/Nordic development research conference 2013: Knowing Development - Developing Knowledge

The annual Norwegian Association for Development Research (NFU) conference has a long running tradition for being the main arena for debate and academic interchange among development researchers in Norway, and our Nordic partners. In order to strengthen t ies between Norwegian researchers and Nordic research environments, we have established a practice of co-organizing the conference with our Nordic partners biannually. This began with the conference in Copenhagen in 2011 and is continued with this year's conference in Helsinki. The role of knowledge production in and for development has been under increasing scrutiny. The pressures for showing results, outcomes and impacts have grown under the trends such as result-based management and evidence-based de cision making. These international trends have been under debate in the Nordic countries as well, and tackled in different ways in their development policies and strategies. Reflecting on these trends and challenges, which are relating to cooperation and support for 'development' within a framework of global governance, requires again to explore the notion of development and the concept(s) of development studies and research. We remain concerned with the question, what development research is able to off er for policy makers and agencies. The second Nordic Conference for Development Research provides a platform for researchers, government representatives and NGO-practitioners to address the dilemmas of knowledge production in and for development. The con ference aims at dialogue between different methodologies and discussion on their potentialities and limitations in addressing the riddles of intended change which is at the heart of development practice. The three NFU permanent panels, led by Norwegian- based researchers, will be continued in Helsinki. The expected number of participants is 200.