Prof Diana Mitlin, Managing Director, Global Development Institute

The majority of research at GDI is made available either Green or Gold Open Access, and our GDI Working Paper Series is always free to download. Open Access is key in supporting the core values that GDI holds as an Institute: inclusivity, responsibility, equity and sustainability.

GDI takes a three-pronged approach to delivering our vision of promoting a socially-just world, and one of the three is to produce and co-produce research that extends knowledge frontiers. This cannot be done unless research is available and disseminated widely and freely. And Open Access is exponentially important in a field such as Development Studies, where many of our colleagues and partner institutions in the Global South cannot afford expensive journal subscriptions. There is much to be done and that can be done to help close the information and research gaps between the Global North and South, and publishing Open Access whenever possible is a small step many of us can take.

Open Access Week is taking place for the 10th time this year, and the theme is “Open Access in order to…“. To celebrate, GDI will be highlighting Open Access research from across our research themes, so stay tuned.

Note:  This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole.