A word from the Editor

Development is a subject equally capable of inspiring widespread consensus and fiery debate. Few observers would deny that it is one of the most pressing issues on the global agenda. There is little agreement, however, on what developmental objectives should be and how they are best pursued.

The stakes could not be higher. Skyrocketing food prices are causing widespread deprivation. As violent conflict and natural disasters capture the world’s attention, large populations quietly languish in circumstances that are less ostensibly newsworthy, yet equally devastating. With the erosion of the planet’s finite resources, the symptoms of environmental strain will only intensify the burden already borne by the world’s poorest communities.

The quest for a silver bullet has proved fruitless. Development policies must be tailored to local needs. Policymakers should not allow ideological preoccupations to hinder their pursuit of practical outcomes.

This issue of The Sydney Globalist canvasses a wide range of perspectives on development. In “Healthy, Less Wealthy and Wiser”, Nadia Yetton-Lim and Alice Zheng highlight the limitations of traditional economic indicators in capturing the social dimensions of poverty. Other contributors raise pertinent questions relating to such topics as resource distribution, environmental sustainability and governance.

The cogs of The Sydney Globalist have been turning rapidly in recent months. I have been fortunate enough to meet with Peter Rodgers, the former Australian Ambassador to Israel, whose sobering diagnosis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the subject of our feature interview. We have also been liaising closely with our friends in the Global 21 network, culminating in our participation in the inaugural Global 21 Conference in Istanbul. Christopher Beshara, Tristan Rendall and I joined with our international counterparts in exploring globalisation, one of the most widely documented and controversial developments on the contemporary global landscape.

Through the launch of a new website, www. thesydneyglobalist.org, we look forward to delivering The Sydney Globalist to an ever-widening readership. Our continuing expansion would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors: the Department of Government and International Relations, the Faculty of Economics and Business and the University of Sydney Union. We are immeasurably grateful for their support.

Yours in global affairs,

Christine Ernst

Editor-in-Chief

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