Global Development Institute Blog

We are delighted that the Simon and Hallsworth Fellowship are now open for applications. The Global Development Institute has a strong track record in these fellowships, and we are keen to support applicants for this year’s awards. We are especially eager to support applicants for the Hallsworth Research Fellowship in Chinese Political Economy and Hallsworth Research Fellowship with focus on External Engagement and Impact.

The fellowships last for three years, from 1 October 2024. They are open to excellent early career scholars who have completed a doctoral degree and have already demonstrated a potential for research in relevant subject areas. read more…

Diana Mitlin and David Hulme

It is with the deepest sadness that friends and colleagues of Professor Saleemul Huq OBE at the Global Development Institute, The University of Manchester mark his passing away on 28 October. Saleemul was an outstanding scientist (one of Nature’s ‘Top 20’ global scientists in 2022) who committed his early academic training in Botany towards the understanding climate change and its consequences alongside promoting policies and actions to reduce the negative impacts of climate change. For those of us at Manchester who had the privilege of working with Saleemul he will be remembered for his intellect, gentle nature, personal humility and generosity – with his time, his ideas and his companionship, especially when sharing fine Bengali food with his many visitors. read more…

Catch up with our recent GDI Lecture from Deborah Barros Leal Farias, who discusses Unpacking the Developing Country Classification. You can watch or listen to Deborah’s lecture below.

The division of the world into ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ countries has grown increasingly problematic in the past decades. Nonetheless, it remains embedded in legal documents, foreign policy discourse, and colloquial use. In this lecture, Dr Deborah explores this complexity by unpacking the different ways in which the ‘developing’ label is used in the international system, arguing that understanding the complexity around its use requires a rigorous analysis of the label’s diverse meanings and consequences. read more…

Richard Heeks, Bookie Ezeomah, Gianluca Iazzolino, Aarti Krishnan, Rose Pritchard, Jaco Renken & Qingna Zhou

What good-practice principles can be drawn from the literature on digital-transformation-for-development (DX4D)?

“Digital transformation” has become something of a buzz term within international development, with recent release of DX4D policies, strategies, reports, briefings, programmes and projects. Alongside this comes a growing body of more academic literature.

From a review of that literature – learning from both shortcomings and insights – a multi-disciplinary, multi-national team from The University of Manchester’s Centre for Digital Development, drew out a list of 13 DX4D principles. We do not claim these to be the last word on the subject. Instead, they can be used as a starting point for DX4D evaluation. read more…

Interested in undertaking a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the Global Development Institute? Here’s what you need to know about the application process.

The Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships are available to academics with a research record but who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post, to undertake a significant piece of publishable work.

The Global Development Institute is keen to support researchers who want to apply for the fellowship scheme. The scheme opens in January 2024, but researchers who are interested in applying are asked to identify a mentor and submit an internal expression of interest by 17 November 2023. This ensures support can be provided as part of the application process. read more…

Ethiopia stands out as a leading example of state-led development in Africa and yet in 2020 it descended into civil war. Tom Lavers’ new open access book offers a comprehensive, multi-sector analysis of Ethiopia’s project, charting the rise and fall of its ‘developmental state’.

 In the following summary, Tom outlines the key themes of the book.

Under the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) that ruled Ethiopia from 1991 until 2019, donors, academics and media alike lauded Ethiopia for shedding its past image of famine to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Ethiopia made rapid progress on virtually every available socioeconomic indicator and launched a series of mega-projects, including new railways, hydropower dams and industrial parks. read more…

 Kwame Asamoah Kwarteng and Emefa Tonorgbevi Awuku

There’s more than meets the eye in the world of cocoa and chocolate. Beyond the sweetness of your favourite chocolate bar lies a complex web of challenges and opportunities, particularly for those at the very beginning of the journey – the cocoa farmers. Today, we want to share a glimpse into our new journal article titled Understanding Sustainable Value Capture for Ghana’s Cocoa Farmers on the Cocoa-Chocolate Value Chain. Don’t worry; we promise to keep it simple! read more…

Nicola Banks and Chibwe Henry

Last month we were delighted to hold an intimate celebration marking the start of One World Together. We were joined by our magnificent Youth Board, our four inspiring partner organisations and a fantastic and welcoming audience at the University of Manchester.

This was not only an opportunity to introduce a movement that has been in the making for more than two years. It was a chance to really showcase what we are seeking to do, bringing in our four partners to highlight what this new collaboration means to them. Our Youth Board also demonstrated the way we envision One World Together becoming an engaged and dynamic youth-powered movement for change. read more…