Emma Mawdsley

South-South Cooperation in Urban Development, Policies and Planning

Lecture by Emma Mawdsley, Professor of Geography at the University of Cambridge.

Emma Mawdsley’s recent research has focused on global development politics, with a particular interest in South-South Cooperation, India, and the UK. Current work includes editing a special section for International Affairs (Chatham House) on India, China and Turkey’s claims to being ‘civilisational states’; and a substantial research project with colleagues looking at the role of private sector consultants and contractors in development. Professor Mawdsley is the Director of the Margaret Anstee Centre for Global Studies at Newnham College, Cambridge.

This lecture will be presented virtually. Please access the lecture using this Zoom webinar link.

South-South cooperation has transformed global development imaginaries, practices and institutions over the last 20 years or so. At the same time, the long-standing principles and framings of South-South cooperation (anti-hegemonic solidarity, non-interference, shared identities) have come under significant pressure, and shifted in new and explicitly nationalist directions in many cases. This lecture will first elaborate on the recent evolution of this dynamic landscape of development cooperation, and draw out current trends and directions. Professor Mawdsley will then explore these themes specifically in relation to research and scholarship around urban partnerships, including the creation of masterplans; urban infrastructure loans and projects; and planning and regulatory technical assistance. The lecture will conclude by asking what an urban lens offers in understanding South-South cooperation today.