Development studies is an interdisciplinary branch of social science. Development studies is offered as a specialized master's degree in a number of reputed universities around the world. It has grown in popularity as a subject of study since the early 1990s, and has been most widely taught and researched in developing countries and countries with a colonial history, such as the UK, where the discipline originated. Students of development studies often choose careers in international organisations such as the United Nations, World Bank, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), media and journalism houses, private sector development consultancy firms, corporate social responsibility (CSR) bodies and research centers. Professional bodies Throughout the world, a number of professional bodies for development studies have been founded: Europe: European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) Latin America: Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales (CLACSO) Asia: Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA) Africa: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) Arabic world: Arab Institutes and Centers for Economic and Social Development Research (AICARDES) The common umbrella organisation of these association is the Inter-regional Coordinating Committee of Development Associations (ICCDA). In the UK and Ireland, the Development Studies Association is a major source of information for research on and studying in development studies. Its mission is to connect and promote those working on development research. Disciplines of development studies Development issues include: Adult education Area studies Anthropology Community development Demography Development communication Development theory Diaspora studies Ecology Economic development Economic History Environmental studies Geography Gender studies Governance History of economic thought Human rights Human security Indigenous rights Industrial relations Industrialization International business International development International relations Journalism Media Studies Migration studies Partnership Peace and conflict studies Pedagogy Philosophy Political philosophy Population studies Postcolonialism Psychology Public administration Public health Rural development Queer studies Sociology Social policy Social development Social work Sustainable development Urban studies Women's studies History The emergence of development studies as an academic discipline in the second half of the twentieth century is in large part due to increasing concern about economic prospects for the third world after decolonisation. In the immediate post-war period, development economics, a branch of economics, arose out of previous studies in colonial economics. By the 1960s, an increasing number of development economists felt that economics alone could not fully address issues such as political effectiveness and