INTERDISCIPLINARITY STILL A CHALLENGE IN DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH.

In this article interdisciplinarity is raised as an issue in development research. The point of departure is the increasing need for new knowledge about complex issues and how these trends affect research institutions and funders of research. The perspective is that of the Research Council of Norway and its work on interdisciplinarity within the field of environment and development. A brief presentation is given of the Research Council document Multi- and Interdisciplinary Research on Environment and Development. Action Plan 2002–2004, and some of the considerations and measures in the Action Plan are highlighted. The ambiguous concept of interdisciplinarity is discussed, as are the issues of interdisciplinarity and quality assessment and the need for practical measures to facilitate interdisciplinarity. The article concludes by challenging Norwegian development researchers to see their specific development research interests in a broader perspective related to new possibilities that may arise from the reorganisation of the Research Council of Norway. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]