Unique collaboration between Indian and Dutch social science researchers IDPAD ABOUT TO ENTER ITS FOURTH PHASE By Huub Coppens and Anna van Marrewijk The Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development (IDPAD) promotes various kinds of collaboration and exchange between Indian and Dutch development-related social science researchers. Created in 1980, it has sponsored over 65 research projects during the first three phases of its existence. On the eve of its Fourth Phase (1995-1998), which will add another series of 26 projects as well as some new elements to its continuing non-project activities, it is clear that IDPAD has been quite successful in both expanding and deepening interaction between scholars in both countries. IDPAD's official launch in 1980 was the result of gradually intensifying contacts between and the joint work undertaken by Indian and Dutch social science researchers since the early 1970s. Noting that their concern about the need to explore alternatives in both development-related social science research and development policy-making was being increasingly shared in both countries, they decided to combine their efforts and to devise a Workplan of research and related exchange activities for what was to become IDPAD's First Phase (1981-84). Their guiding idea was that both research and policy-making should contribute, indirectly if not directly, to meeting the basic needs of large masses of people and to strengthening the latters' role as creative agents in the evolving world economy and society. BUDGET OF 13.5 MILLION GUILDERS The overall focus of IDPAD's quest for alternatives in development as well as one of its means to this, namely: the engaging of researchers in critical dialogues with policy-makers in both countries, has received active support from the governments of India and the Netherlands ever since the First Workplan. This support even includes a major part of the Programme's funding: total costs having risen to Dfl. 13.5 million for the four years of the forthcoming Fourth Phase, about 75 per cent is expected to be contributed by the two governments (on the basis of a sharing formula relating to research costs alone), while the remaining quarter will be provided (largely in kind) by the participating research institutes and universities in both countries. Incidentally, in the earlier stages, the words 'Indo-Dutch' in the Programme's name caused some confusion in the Netherlands, where 'Indo' usually refers to Indonesia rather than India. Now, however, the acronym 'IDPAD' is well known in the social science communities of both countries. Equal partnership, one of the other features which has characterized IDPAD since its inception, continues to be reflected in the consensus procedures adopted by the Joint Committee, the Programme's highest authority in decision-making. In this Committee each of the two countries is represented by its own co-chairman, one other member, and its own co-ordinator of the Programme. In addition, each side has its own support committees for preparing and supervising the implementation of Joint Committee decisions, as well as its own IDPAD secretariat. The Indian secretariat is located at the headquarters of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) in New Delhi; the Dutch secretariat was originally placed under the Institute for Social Science Research in Developing Countries (IMWOO), and, after the latter's dissolution at the end of 1991, under CIRAN (Centre for International Research and Advisory Networks), a department of the Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic) in The Hague. RESEARCH THEMES AND ADMISSION PROCEDURES Researchers interested in participating in IDPAD's research can only submit research proposals once every three to four years, usually some one and a half years before a new Workplan is expected to be launched officially (that is after having obtained the approval of the two governments). IDPAD's own preparations start even earlier than this when the Joint Committee selects the main research themes and the specific research priorities under each of these themes for the forthcoming Phase. Whereas the First and Second Phases still had three main themes, albeit with rather different characteristics, the Third Phase added a fourth theme. Apart from some editorial changes, it was the essence of the four main themes then arrived at which has been adopted as the continuing foci of the forthcoming Fourth Phase, viz.: 1. Environment and sustainable development; 2. Rural transformation; 3. State and society; and 4. International economic and institutional order. Research proposals addressing one or more of the specific research priorities indicated under each of these theme areas were invited to be submitted in August 1993. The total received by then was impressive: some 120, nearly twice the number of proposals received for the Third Phase Workplan in 1988. This rise, however, also presented a problem as it was simply not possible to accommodate all proposals in the new Phase. The Joint Committee, therefore, applied its selection criteria more stringently than originally foreseen. Following two successive reviewing rounds, which made good use of the preparatory reviews by external experts and the national committees in both countries, and of the candidates' replies to the comments expressed, the Committee managed to reduce the number of (revised) proposals finally accepted for the new Workplan to the set of 26 research projects that is now being considered by the two governments. Although this is not intended to be the final set in the new Phase, the procedure for acquiring and selecting a limited number of further proposals, to be added at a later stage (financed, as in the previous Phases, from a Working Fund requested as well), will follow different and much more restrictive rules. NON-PROJECT ACTIVITIES One of the other special features of IDPAD is that it combines the research it sponsors with a series of related activities which both allow the exploration of other areas and a larger number of scholars from both countries to become involved in the Programme. Apart from some new elements which have been introduced, the number and general character of the so-called 'non-project' activities in the new Phase will remain the same as in the previous Phase. IDPAD's Exchange of Scholars, therefore, will, on average, again involve six Indian and three Dutch scholars per annum, invited to visit the other country for a period that may vary between a few days or weeks to a maximum of three months. The purposes of such visits may range from giving lectures to and conducting seminars for general and/or specialized audiences to consulting experts and/or specialized libraries, archives, and other data sources, including those of policy-making institutions. If possible, visits should also entail the prospect of more regular links being developed with institutions in the host country concerned. It should be noted, though, that attending a conference in the other country will not suffice for the exchange. The holding of Seminars and Workshops largely follows the same principles as before. One example of a two-day Workshop is at present being prepared in co-operation with the South Asia section of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Scheduled to be held at the end of November 1994, it will attempt to analyze the impact of India's current structural adjustment policies on anti-poverty programmes in India. Two major international seminars are also being prepared at the moment, both to be held in India in January and March 1995 respectively: the first will be on 'The Village in Asia Revisited', comparing the findings of village studies and re-studies conducted with an interval of at least ten years; the second will be on 'Comparative Research and Alternatives in Development', which will not only discuss comparative research conducted in different fields, but also the comparative method as such. The theme of a third international seminar to be held has already been announced: 'Self-determination and Good Governance'. Even though it is likely to be held in India as well, the timing has yet to be decided. While a third non-project activity, 'Commissioned Papers', will also continue to follow the principles established in the Third Phase, when it was first introduced, the two remaining activities will contain important new elements. The first concerns the 'Exchange of Literature', which is now extended to include 'Documents and Data', part of which consists of computerized information stored and exchanged through electronic mail, CD-ROM, and magnetic tape. The further details of the new elements in this sub-programme, and the institutional aspects of how they are to be managed, are yet to be worked out. PUBLICATIONS Finally, IDPAD's 'Publications' sub-programme will now involve 'other forms of dissemination' as well. Such other forms may include translations into local languages of (part of) the output resulting from research projects, as well as forms of dissemination other than books and other printed matter (like sound and video tapes, film, and perhaps even theatre). Other, for IDPAD non-traditional, forms of dissemination are: preparing special reviews and summaries of policy-relevant components of earlier and current research projects; and issuing a regular IDPAD Newsletter which will inform those involved in the various research and non-project components of the Programme, as well as interested outsiders, about experiences, findings and the future activities of IDPAD. None of the new elements mentioned, however, will replace the publication of books and working documents based on the findings of research projects and some of the non-project activities. Some of the books will continue to be published in IDPAD's own series with SAGE, New Delhi: 'Indo-Dutch Studies on Development Alternatives', which is expected to amount to 14 or 15 books by the end of 1994. Other books may be brought out by Oxford University Press or Manohar, New Delhi. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Indian IDPAD Secretariat: ICSSR 35, Feroze Shah Road New Delhi 110001 Tel: +91-11-388445 Fax: +91-11-388037 or Dutch Secretariat: Nuffic/CIRAN P.O.Box 29777 2502 LT The Hague Tel: +31.(0)70.4260335 Fax: +31.(0)70.4260329