Masterclass: The theory of Change and Response – Guidelines for Research on Population and Development in Africa with Yves Charbit

Masterclass: The theory of Change and Response – Guidelines for Research on Population and Development in Africa with Yves Charbit, Emeritus Professor of Demography, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France

The topic of population and development covers a broad array of issues and questions in which demographic facts are embedded in economic, social, cultural, and political realms. Research must extend across disciplines and analytical levels, touching on themes such as poverty, power, social organization, resources, and environment that lie at the core of explanations of development success and failure. I propose a new theoretical framework in order to analyse these issues, one that is better able to confront the problems of causality arising in any investigation of population and development. But what exactly should the causal relationships encompass? Which “changes” and which “responses” should be taken into account? I shall examine the relationships between them, in the case of Sub-Saharan Africa showing how field research allows a better understanding of the structural inertia lying at the centre of underdevelopment. I will share concrete examples drawn from my field experience in Africa which illustrate these theoretical views.

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This programme of masterclasses is organized by the EURIP Graduate School (École Universitaire de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Paris). Located at the Learning Planet Institute, in collaboration with Université Paris Cité, it brings together the Master of AIRE (Approaches to Interdisciplinary Research and Education) and the FIRE Doctoral School (Frontières de l’Innovation en Recherche et Éducation). EURIP welcomes postgraduate students and early career researchers who aim to address global challenges related to sustainability and Planetary Health through innovative, interdisciplinary approaches.

Event on invitation only – for more information contact our team