Is `Development Studies' a discipline or a pig's ear? Some thoughts on the 2001 UK Research Assessment Exercise

This article deals with some aspects of Development Studies as an evolving discipline in the UK. Specifically, it offers reflections following the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) carried out by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE), in which Development Studies was constituted as a separate panel for the first time, albeit on an experimental basis. The writers, both user representatives on the panel, present these thoughts as individuals.