Exploring the implications of land governance on social justice outcomes in EU policy

What are realistic ways to address major problems of gendered and racialised exclusion and inequality that persist in spite of high levels of per capita GDP growth in lower middle-income countries? This is just one of the major questions that will be asked at a  conference hosted by DCU on the All Hallows Campus on Monday and Tuesday, 29th and 30th August 2022.

The aim of the event organised by Jivanta Schottli Director of the Ireland India Institute at DCU and Oliver Scanlan, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), is to explore the implications of land governance outcomes for questions of justice, inequality, exclusion and ecological sustainability for EU and member state policies at home and abroad.

Findings will be presented from a European-Union funded land survey in Bangladesh reinforced gendered and racialised marginalisation. Meanwhile land administration processes in Germany continue to reinforce, rather than reduce, inequality. The event will use these findings as a way of exploring much broader questions concerning the policies of both the European Union and its member states at home and abroad. For example:

• In the context of external action more generally, where does development sit relative to other foreign policy instruments? How far is it prioritised over other concerns, including security and trade? What are the trade-offs, and to what extent does the use of different instruments directly impede the effectiveness of others?
• In terms of biodiversity loss and climate change, what are the implications of these trends of land usage, control and ownership, both at home and abroad?

On Day One, Professor Bina Agarwal, one of the world’s leading authorities on gender and land rights, will deliver the keynote address, focusing on the potential of group farming as a way of empowering women.

Academic panel presentations will also examine the issue of land as an entry point into wider questions of marginalisation, inequality and ecological sustainability.

On Day Two, a panel presentation will compare problems of land grabbing, and social inclusion in urban spaces, in both the EU and India, highlighting surprising differences and consistencies between the two settings.

All of the issues covered over the previous sessions will then be explored further in lively roundtable discussions.

The event will be of interest to international development academics and practitioners, regional studies experts, public affairs professionals and scholars of political science and governance in general. Anyone engaged in work that critically examines artificial barriers between the so-called “South” and “North” will find the event of particular interest.  

Participation is free of charge and lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Find more information about the event here, or you can register to attend right away.