Current trends and agendas in development research: an introduction to a special issue in honour of Bill Gould

摘要

Professor Bill Gould stepped down as co-editor of IDPR in December 2014 after 21 years of service and 84 issues of the journal. To recognise Bill's contribution to the journal, and to the wider field of development research, we have brought together this collection of papers. Bill's research interests in demography, and his focus on health and education policies, particularly in Africa, have shaped our choice of papers. Moreover, all the invited authors have some form of connection to Bill, hence all of the papers have at least one author who has worked with Bill in some capacity or another whether as former PhD student, collaborator or IDPR editorial board member. This is a very clear example of how an individual's influence on and contribution to academia can extend well beyond the books and papers he/she has written. As a reflection of the diverse networks within which Bill has worked, the papers in this special issue cover a number of key current trends and agendas in development research particularly, but not exclusively, in relation to Africa.