Development, Gender and Intellectual Property

Dr. Elizabeth Olson

This project explores the relationships between development, gender and intellectual property. The role of intellectual property (IP) in the economic and social development of the ‘Third World’ or majority world has been contested by academics and practitioners, some of whom consider IP to be an ideal means for securing more equitable distribution of development goods, and others who envision IP as a means for further ‘capitalising’ the everyday lives of individuals and moulding them into more docile neoliberal subjects. Absent from many of these discussions are considerations of the gendered character of IP debates and outcomes. This ambitious project would consider the broader theoretical, ethical, and procedural debates regarding IP as a potential tool for development, and conduct a detailed empirical investigation into the gendered aspects of ‘IP for Development’.

Applications for this research proposal or other research interests related to development and intellectual property are invited from students with backgrounds in human geography, sociology, anthropology or other related disciplines in the social sciences. The student will receive research training in human geography and will be supported in the development of appropriate language skills.