University of Valencia

Academic, scientific or professional interest: In the last century there has been a significant economic development that, however, has not been extended to all countries. Large areas of Latin America, Africa and Asia are still with income levels below the poverty threshold, and with a life expectancy that in some cases is less than forty years. The efforts made by the UN to measure the development levels show great inequalities between countries. This problem has led to the emergence of a large number of international organisations whose priority is the promotion of economic development and international co-operation. The range of bodies is very wide, from organisations such as the UN, OECD, FAO, ECLAC, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank or the IMF to the rise in most developed countries development cooperation agencies as NGOs or aid agencies. The emergence of all these organisms has generated a demand for professionals and development experts to work in different areas of development and co-operation, or for research in this area.