The aim of this paper is to explore the nature of a bridge between practice and research in international educational development, by using articles from The Journal of International Development Studies published by The Japan Society for International Development as a case study. By using the journal (from the first issue to Vol.33, No.2) as a case study, this paper explores the discussion on ‘quality of education’ in international educational development from the perspective of sociology of education. In doing so, it focuses on the discussion of primary education. Specifically, this paper conducts a review focusing on three articles which are thought to be working to bridge a gap between practice and research from the viewpoint of ‘quality of education.’

As a result of the review, this paper shows that the three articles raised issues with existing discussions that evaluate ‘quality of education’ quantitatively (also from ‘external’perspectives), and by exploring specific cases in detail at the school level, they tried to renew the discussion on ‘quality of education’ based on evidence which included ‘internal’ perspectives. From the results, this paper points out that one can learn some clue for furthering discussions on a bridge between practice and research in international education development.

In conclusion, this paper indicates that it is crucial to be aware of diverse perspectives which could not be covered even within the ‘internal’ perspectives, and therefore it is essential to proceed with a self-reflective inquiry. In addition, this paper suggests that it is important to continue to question the ‘common sense’ or values and norms that are positioned as existing mainstream by constantly reflecting on the fact that, no matter how much we try to examine things from ‘internal’ perspectives, ‘external’ perspectives will always remain, when considering a bridge between practice and research in international education development.

This paper focuses on bridging research and practice in international education cooperation, using JICA projects as a case study to examine challenges and potential. In recent years, with the reduction of ODA (Official Development Assistance) and the increasing demand for accountability, there has been a growing trend toward requiring short-term, concrete results. However, in education projects, many cases involve results that manifest over time or outcomes that are not easily measured, leading to a current situation where the linkage between research findings and practical implementation is not functioning adequately.

Also, this paper discusses specific factors that hinder effective utilization of research in Japanese ODA implementation and process, including Japan's unique perspectives on education and international cooperation. Additionally, the authors explore potential avenues to strengthen the bridge between research and practice, including systematic utilization of research. Furthermore, long-term involvement of researchers to promote local learning cultures was proposed.

The bridge between research and practice requires not only interpersonal relationships but also institutionalization of structural mechanisms to support application of research findings in practice. It was suggested that Japanese ODA needs to build a cooperative system that involves diverse stakeholders for improving the quality of education in developing countries while leveraging Japan's unique values.

This paper explores on the possible relationship between theory and practice in teacher education cooperation. Three major domains of teacher education, namely, teacher education (kyoshi kyoiku gaku), educational methods (kyoiku hoho gaku), and subject-specific education (kyoka kyoiku gaku), are first examined to better understand how each domain has similar or different stances toward“usefulness.” Specifically, teacher education tends to be cautious about the direct application of theory into practice, while educational methods begins with concrete practices and aims to be useful in those practices. In contrast, subject-specific education involves a back-and-forth between practice and research, with a focus on improving classroom instruction and curriculum development. The differences in such stance significantly impact the practical application of knowledge in teacher education cooperation. Knowledge of subject-specific education, particularly science education, has been especially emphasized in a series of JICA's teacher education projects conducted in Cambodia, influenced by its value neutrality and translatability. It is further suggested that there is a divergence between international cooperation practices and research in the field of teacher education, which might stem from the fact that each starts with different goals and timelines. While practice focuses on achieving predetermined goals within fixed timeframes and budgets, research views teacher education as given whose outcomes should be interpreted from various perspectives over time. Despite this divergence, such differences can offer new critical insights between research and practice, underscoring the importance of maintaining dialogue.

This study aims to explore the characteristics of international joint universities (IJU) in Vietnam through comparative analysis of their governance systems, curriculum and research collaboration systems, bridging the two perspectives of comparative education and the practices of international higher education cooperation. The study focuses on Vietnam-Japan University and Vietnam-France University, which are international joint universities located in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and after positioning these IJUs in the context of the global trend of international cooperation in higer education and the development of higher education in Vietnam, the study conducts comparative analysis of (1) governance systems, (2) curriculum and research collaboration systems, (3) current admissions situations, and (4) characteristics of students in these two universities. In terms of methodology, the first author, who specializes in comparative education, and the second author, who is involved in the practical aspects of international higher education cooperation in JICA, have actively worked together to bring out the characteristics of IJUs in Vietnam and the ownership of the Vietnamese side in governance of the universities. In conclusion, the following points emerge from the study. In the relationship between the donor countries (France and Japan) and the recipient country (Vietnam) regarding the operation and development plan of IJUs, Vietnam is not necessarily in a subordinate position, but rather the Vietnamese side proactively demonstrates ownership in the commitment to IJU and is recognized for its “tactfulness” in eliciting cooperation or concessions from the donor countries.

This paper examines whether decoloniality can serve as an ethical basis for international educational development by analyzing Arturo Escobar's pluriverse theory and Bolivia's educational policies under President Evo Morales. The authors explore the challenges and implications of applying decolonial principles to international development.

The pluriverse theory critiques the global dominance of Western modernity, development, and capitalism, advocating for localized, community-based systems of knowledge and autonomy, along with “Vivir Bien”, a collective well-being concept rooted in indigenous traditions. Bolivia integrated this concept into its policies, advancing educational reforms that respect the languages and cultures of indigenous peoples. However, the policy of decolonization, which aimed to integrate indigenous values and traditions, faced challenges from the urban social elite and created friction with international educational development.

The authors point out that while the pluriverse theory and Bolivia's efforts function as an ethical critique of international educational development, they also highlight three issues, suggesting that decolonization should not be simply regarded as a desirable ethics. First, decolonization might act as an internal moral force that suppresses dissenting voices within a community or nation, potentially stifling internal diversity. Second, by justifying the decline of international educational development, decolonization might leave educational gaps unaddressed, with replacements driven by market forces rather than democratic values. Third, the concept of Vivir Bien is often vague and open to political manipulation, raising concerns about imposing a singular, essentialist vision of collective life.

The authors conclude that while decoloniality offers valuable critiques of mainstream international educational development, it cannot fully serve as its ethical basis. International educational development as an outside world for a vernacular community should adopt a reflective and critical approach that not only values local autonomy but prevents internal oppression.

In today's world, not only in academia but also in popular scenes, environmental sustainability is discussed globally. However, regardless of such prominence of the term, it is rarely used in the Development Studies literature, which is deeply involved in issues of global inequalities and poverty.

Driven by this consideration, this paper examines how environmental sustainability is treated in academic publications in the field of Development Studies. The exploration is done by contrasting the two discursive spaces of academic journals: one is the global English-medium publications labeled as Development Studies according to the Web-of-Science classification. Another is the Journal of International Development Studies, published by the Japan Society for International Development, which collects articles written mostly in Japanese. The objectives are twofold: First, it tries to understand the differences of Development Studies practices and discourses in English- and Japanese-medium journals. Then, it examines the positions of academic works related to environmental sustainability within these two journal spaces.

The authors use topic modeling of words and phrases used in the articles published in two academic spaces between 2015 and 2024. They revealed that in the Japanese context, there are two strong points of focus: one on the micro-level human development and social issues, such as education and livelihood, and another on the history, philosophy, politics, and evaluation of Japanese aid for developing countries, compared to the discussions incorporating voices from the Global South in Englishlanguage publications. The paper suggests that the Japanese discourse is less integrated with the global emphasis on environmental sustainability, particularly in areas like climate finance and resource governance.

The study highlights the need for Development Studies to foster interdisciplinary approaches to environmental sustainability, breaking away from the reproduction of closed disciplinary academic production. It also calls for a broader, more inclusive academic platform to integrate various perspectives to address pressing global sustainability challenges.

Net zero greenhouse gas emissions target requires transitions of socio-technical and socio-ecological systems and regimes, which goes beyond policy implementations and investments in technological measures, and thus the scope of environmental economics and policy studies. With conventional theoretical frameworks combined, sustainable transition research has emerged to understand transitions, power, politics, and governance to direct transitions toward sustainability, civil society, industry, business, and daily life in transitions, as well as implications for justice. Given the boosting research interests in the seemingly contesting agendas of sustainable business model innovation（SBMI）and just transitions, we conducted a systematic literature review with bibliometric analysis to elucidate how to reconcile SBMI with just transitions to make transitions just and sustainable. Our study reveals that just transitions are understood as energy community, universal access to sustainable energy, and environmental safeguard against mining projects in the context of SBMI, and few integrated analyses have been published due to the lack of conceptual and analytical framework enabling comprehensive understanding. It argues that integrated analyses are indispensable to understanding the impacts of emerging global value chains advancing sustainability transitions and international development research can make substantial contributions to the analyses. Our finding implies a wider space for international development studies to fill the research gap.

Forest and land use governance plays an important role in combating climate change and conserving biodiversity, and is one of the essential activities for ensuring environmental sustainability. However, this activity faces unique challenges, such as the uneven distribution of high conservation value areas in developing countries, compatibility with poverty reduction, and coexistence with indigenous societies and cultures, and thus requires unique considerations to mitigate trade-offs with other objectives. How have these trade-offs been addressed in forest and land use governance, and what aspects have been overlooked in discussions and practices to ensure environmental sustainability? By tracing trends in forest and land use governance discussions and practices, as well as trends among indigenous peoples of Sarawak, Malaysia, this paper discusses the shift in trade-offs that forest and land use governance may entail, and the potential contributions of development studies in addressing the overlooked issues.

Forest and land use governance has undergone a transition in terms of actors, discourses, and methods over the past 50 years, with global discourses such as climate change mitigation gaining significant influence in recent years. At the local level, however, these global discourses and practices of forest and land use governance have failed to capture changes in indigenous societies, and have become inconsistent with their own commitment to “environmental sustainability." In light of the above, we have raised the issue of meta-governance and the need for research to bridge the gap between micro-level agencies and macro-discourses/practices.

The global consumption of natural resources has significantly increased over the past decades, driven by economic growth and population expansion. Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) aims to address environmental challenges stemming from mass production and consumption by promoting policies such as cleaner production, green public procurement, and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) . As environmental concerns have intensified, SCP has gained global recognition, with key milestones including the 1992 Rio Summit, the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Agreement. This paper reviews the historical development of SCP policies and international discussions. Furthermore, it presents case studies from Thailand and Vietnam, analyzing the current state and challenges of SCP implementation in Asia. Thailand’s approach is heavily influenced by the “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy” (SEP), introduced by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which promotes moderation, resilience, and sustainability, while Vietnam is incorporating SCP elements into its state-led development plans. Both countries have introduced policy tools such as energy efficiency labels, but there are differences in their awareness and effectiveness. Changes in the values and behavior patterns of young people in both countries could be a turning point in consumption patterns. Finally, this study discusses policy directions for advancing SCP in developing countries to ensure long-term sustainability. Several key directions for promoting SCP in developing countries were pointed out: (1) cultural and traditional values can provide important foundations for sustainable practices when integrated into policy frameworks; (2) technological innovations, particularly digital solutions, offer opportunities to leapfrog conventional development pathways; and (3) circular economy approaches can be strategies that can simultaneously address economic development and environmental sustainability goals in the developing countries context.

The elimination of child poverty remains a critical challenge in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1. Recent studies have highlighted the plurality of parent-child relationships acting as a safety net for children. In this paper, we examine the functionality of child migration practices, such as customary adoption and fosterage. We model child migration as a network facilitating the transfer of financial resources and assess the likelihood of children falling into poverty through numerical experiments. Our results demonstrate that child migration creates mutual aid networks, effectively reducing child poverty. Furthermore, we theoretically show that child migration can facilitate wealth redistribution within society. This approach enhances our understanding of child migration's functionality and contributes to achieving the sustainable development goals.