Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion about the developmental value of knowledge by reflecting on the "knowledge for development" (K4D) paradigm. In particular, it draws attention to the interaction between linguistic and communicative processes and the areas of power, knowledge and education. This is considered fruitful to understanding the complex and subtle mechanisms in the reproduction of the North-South knowledge and power divide. Design/methodology/approach -The authors apply an interdisciplinary approach combining concepts from development studies, sociology of education and sociolinguistics. The article first contextualizes the K4D paradigm. It then reflects on knowledge hierarchies and the role of language. Second, it looks at donor policies and the conditions for higher education in developing countries. The Burkina Faso Country Gateway serves as an example of a donor-driven K4D initiative. An analysis of its web site based on sociolinguistic approaches is used to exemplify the above mentioned interrelation. Findings -The article concludes that the K4D paradigm asserts rather than flattens North-South knowledge hierarchies. To allow knowledge production to be inclusive, it is necessary to reflect on how knowledge management and ICT tools must be structured in order to enable interaction with disadvantaged user groups and to facilitate democratic and participative processes. Originality/value -The interplay between power and knowledge asymmetries with language and communication processes is rarely reflected upon in the context of development. This paper seeks to increase the attention paid to these topics.

Context: Against a backdrop of dwindling oil resources and increasing unemployment rates, the government of Oman has set out to diversify its industry and establish a knowledge-based economy. In this context, forming a highly-skilled Omani workforce is considered to be of crucial importance. Yet, the national TVET system suffers from low social status, poor quality, and limited labour market connectivity. This paper offers an analysis of Oman's TVET system in the socio-economic and cultural context of a rentier state. Approach: We draw on the political economy of skills and socio-cultural approaches that understand TVET systems and the broader skills regimes in which they are embedded as part and expression of particular patterns of the social organisation of work. This helps to locate TVET systems' strengths and weaknesses in the context of their underlying social relations instead of considering them as mere dysfunctionalities at the systemic level. This paper draws on an unpublished study on TVET for industrialisation commissioned by an Omani line ministry in cooperation with an international organisation. For this study, the authors carried out a literature review, undertook two field trips to Oman in 2018 and 2019 and conducted forty semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from government, private companies, business associations, and TVET and higher education institutions. Findings: Our analysis highlights how skill formation in Oman is shaped by the socio-economic and cultural context of the Omani rentier state. First, the availability of cheap expatriate labour and Omanis' traditional preference for public sector jobs culminate in poor incentives for employing Omani nationals in the private sector. Second, reluctant employer attitudes towards national skill formation deepen quality issues in the TVET system, especially with regard to work-based training. This reinforces negative perceptions of the local workforce, which in turn contribute to biased employment patterns. Both social processes mutually reinforce each other, eventually preventing the emergence of strong national skill formation dynamics.  Conclusions: While immediate structural change appears challenging, it is evident that reforms of the TVET system alone will not lead to its sustainable improvement. More research into how skill formation relates to Oman's specific socio-economic structures, how employment dynamics relate to educational credentials and how cultural traditions shape educational and work practices is needed.

Die Konferenz Wissenschaft im Wandel versammelte am 13.November 2018 zahlreiche Expert(inn)en österreichischer Hochschulen. Die Teilnehmenden diskutierten, wie Hochschulen Forschung, Lehre und Organisation verändern müssen, um einen substanziellen Beitrag zu nachhaltiger Entwicklung leisten zu können.

Development research has been through many stages over the past few decades and during this time has experienced fluctuating appreciation by development practice. There is an increasing gap between different ways of doing development research. For some, the purpose of development research is primarily to influence policies, and in order to do this development research has to reframe its whole approach, language, and methodology. Others maintain that development research needs to distance itself, maintain an analytical and even critical approach towards development practice, and become an academic discipline in its own right.Changer le monde de la recherche dans le secteur du développement ? Vue d'ensemble de la théorie et de la pratique Les recherches en matière de développement ont traversé de nombreuses étapes au cours des quelques dernières décennies et, durant cette période, elles ont fait l'objet d'une appréciation variable de la part de la pratique du développement. On observe un écart croissant entre différentes manières de mener des recherches dans le secteur du développement. Pour certains, la finalité de la recherche dans ce secteur est principalement d'influencer les politiques générales et, pour y parvenir, les recherches dans le secteur du développement doivent reformuler leur approche, leur langage et leur méthodologie tout entiers. D'autres maintiennent que la recherche en développement doit se distancier, maintenir une approche analytique, voire critique, envers la pratique de développement et devenir une discipline universitaire à part entière.Mudando o mundo da pesquisa de desenvolvimento? Um exame da teoria e prática A pesquisa de desenvolvimento tem passado por várias fases nas últimas décadas, e durante este tempo tem enfrentado uma apreciação variável pela prática de desenvolvimento. Há uma lacuna cada vez maior entre as formas diferentes de se fazer pesquisa de desenvolvimento. Para alguns, o propósito da pesquisa de desenvolvimento é principalmente influenciar políticas e, para fazer isto, a pesquisa de desenvolvimento tem de sistematizar novamente sua abordagem completa, linguagem e metodologia. Outros sustentam que a pesquisa de desenvolvimento precisa distanciar-se, manter uma abordagem analítica e até mesmo crítica em relação à prática de desenvolvimento e tornar-se uma disciplina acadêmica por pleno direito. ¿Cambiar el rumbo de la investigación sobre el desarrollo? Lecciones teóricas y prácticas En las últimas décadas, la investigación sobre el desarrollo ha pasado por varias etapas con

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