• To co-ordinate and undertake research and learning in boundary spanning economic analysis of democratic development

• To increase knowledge on what it means to be democratic in the academic context, and to act on that knowledge by seeking democracy in our community

Many members of the community have been working together since the mid 1990s. We are concerned with the generation and diffusion of ideas, ways of thinking and knowledge. We use processes that are rooted in the experience and expertise of different localities, nations and generations, reflecting the variety in community members. Economics is viewed in its wide sense, encompassing ‘heterodox’ and ‘mainstream’ approaches. No deliberate limits are placed on the use of particular research methods, and eclecticism in methods and discipline is encouraged. Our objectives include:

• To nurture the intrinsic creativity of each participant in the community’s  activities

• To provide a sympathetic yet challenging research and learning environment that emphasises participants’ creative interaction.

Among DARE’s particular projects an evolving set of inter-related Graduate Schools is especially prominent. These build on, and take forward to the next stage, the extensive experience in designing and coordinating schools that members of the community have acquired over the last decade.  A rationale underlying development of the Schools is that the open minds of new and emerging researchers are the lifeblood of creative and dynamic academic activity. Not least, young researchers and doctoral students are ideally placed to develop and nurture democratic, multi-locality and multinational academic activity in the future, especially through the institutions and localities in which they will interact in their subsequent careers.

Graduate School in Economic Governance, Development and Public Policy

Latin American Graduate School in Industrial Development and SME Policies