Università e Organizzazioni non Governative di Cooperazione: Prospettive Critiche per L’elaborazione di Riflessioni a Servizio della Società Civile

Abstract

Academia supports the development aid sector mostly through technical training of development workers and ad hoc consultancies. What is often lacking, however, is a reflection that critically appraises the concepts of development and their transformations. This seems to be reflected in two trends that characterise the relationship between universities and civil society: the gap between research and practice and the increasingly technical approach to development issues. This contribution aims to explore these aspects in more depth, offering keys to interpret the relationship between research and practice and to revitalise the collaboration between academia and civil society.