I entered the world of International Development by picking up a copy of Joseph Stiglitz's "Globalization and its discontents" while preparing for my A Levels. Economic Theory at that time was limited to assumptions and theories for me and Stiglitz shone the light of what Globalisation ought to be like. Gradually, I became in tune with how the global economic order had been formed and governed. My interests in development shifted to that of interantional trade in the Third World and poverty eradication, the latter being closer to me after I assisted in a campaign for the Millennium Development Goals. I have also attempted to drive home the message of Climate Change to students and others. My vision for global development is a more balanced economic order where both First and Third World Nations can benefit.

Beyond Development, I hold interests in International Relations, 20th Century History, Historyography and the History of Economic Thought. I've a wider range of Music taste with no particular favourite genre and given time, I like to write critical accounts of musicals and performances. More can be found at :
http://jeneral.diaryland.com.

Hello all!

My name is Leighton Scott and I am a second year student at the University of Sydney in Australia. I am studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree, but have a particular interest in International Development. I first encountered this subject through my studies in Political Economy as well as in Government courses and found the history of International Development, particularly since the end of World War 2 to be interesting and important. I also study the Arabic language as well as Arab and Islamic studies, and have lived in Egypt for 6 months where i experienced first hand serious development issues. (although i wasn't in a position to help out - i'd love to go back again to work for an NGO there!)

I don't think enough people realise that many of the problems in the world today such as international security, the environment, exploitation of women and minorities and a range of others, have a strong link to underdevelopment. Developed nations have a duty (not to mention that it's enlightened self-interest as well!!) to help solve these problems through effective aid strategies. Ofcourse the modernisation theories of the 1950's whereby development was equated soley with economic growth are seen as oversimplified, but i find these theories still have a great influence on development policies around the world!

Cheers Jiesheng for putting all this together. Hope to see a thriving community soon!

Hello Jiesheng et al! It is my first time here in the ID forum, so I'd like to add a little introduction about myself. My name's Sophie, I'm in my fourth (and final) year of my BA degree, International Relations with Spanish. I have specialised in development issues in essays throughout my degree, with a special focus on human rights issues- my dissertation is assessing accountability problems in Mexico, attempting to understand why so many government officials still go unpunished for their awful crimes including torture, arbitrary detention and all too often murder.

I spent the past year living in Mexico, so Scott I know what you mean about witnessing underdevelopment all around you- my course suddenly took on a new meaning! I was blessed to work in a home for street kids throughout the year, which allowed to contribute in some small way to improving the lives of those kids. Now I'm back I want to do as well as I can in my work so I can continue equipping myself to stand out against injustice and oppression and make the unheard voices of the oppressed heard!

I have a strong interest in Latin America and anything related to hispanic culture... i love to dance salsa and listen to musica Latina! I love to travel and can't wait to travel again, hopefully back to Mexico and somewhere else Latino. I play the guitar (badly) and enjoy cooking, and I love going to church and being part of the family there. Looking forward to learning from you all!
Sophie