The primary objective of CAMSED is to “promote and constitute a space for the academic discussion of research and policies related to social and economic development, from a multidisciplinary perspective”. To this end, the Society provides a forum for students and academics involved in the Centre of Development Studies for discussion, critical evaluation and dissemination of research and ideas in
this field. It organises regular seminars and conferences related to the field of Development Studies, and seeks to collaborate with similarly-motivated societies and individuals around the world. It also plans cultural and social events as a means to create healthy interaction among its members and provide space for free exchange of ideas. In the current global context, poverty, inequality, stagnant economic growth, lack of personal freedoms and under-provision of healthcare and education are some of the most important and enduring challenges for Development. CAMSED is convinced, that owing to their diverse and holistic nature, solutions to these problems cannot be sought from any one particular academic field. The Society, therefore, combines insights from a broad range of disciplines, and the research of its members includes topics ranging from trade, finance, industrial policy, agricultural development and resource management, to social mobility, poverty, education and institutional change. Cambridge has a rich history in Development Studies and a multi-disciplinary approach to the subject. The founders of the field, Sir Hans Singer and Dudley Seers were educated at this University. In their tradition, several prominent thinkers have contributed further to the understanding of economic, social and political developments across the globe. These contributions have come from a range of disciplines such as economics, history, philosophy, sociology and law with distinguished Cambridge academics such as Alfred Marshall, John Maynard Keynes, Joan Robinson, Nicholas Kaldor, Amartya Sen, Bertrand Russell, Karl Popper, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Eric Hobsbawm, Anthony Giddens and several others taking the lead. CAMSED seeks to follow in those footsteps and contribute to this exceptional and venerable tradition through its membership.
