Religious Dimensions of Development: Lessons at the Country Level

Abstract

This report summarizes and reflects on work that explored religious issues relevant for contemporary development challenges in several very different countries (Bangladesh, Kenya, Senegal, and Guatemala). All four countries face significant challenges of fragility, and development actors of many kinds, public and private, religious and non-religious, play critical roles. The country-level mapping work involved a combination of literature reviews, consultations with experts, and in-country fieldwork. This summary report highlights discussions at the October 2016 capstone conference at Georgetown University, which examined findings and conclusions of the three-year research program carried out with the generous support of the Henry R. Luce Foundation. The country-level mapping built on an earlier five-year project supported by the Henry R. Luce Foundation, which examined six broadly defined world regions and eight development issues.