Venezuela after Maduro: a country in tense calm
The following blog post by GDI PhD student Mariana Hernández-Montilla recounts her experiences in Venezuela during the recent capture of Nicolás Maduro. Mariana has kindly provided both English and Spanish versions of the piece. Please scroll down to find the Spanish version.
Research for Transformation: Why we need to be intentionally bold and ambitious
by Dr Helen Underhill, Research for Transformation Lab Manager
In November 2025, the Global Development Institute hosted Transformation Lab Week, a series of events and discussions marking the launch of its Research for Transformation Lab. The lab represents a pioneering effort to strengthen links between GDI’s research activities and real-world solutions within the development field. While bridging gaps between academia and impactful practice is complex, Lab Week gave us a valuable opportunity to broach the difficult discussions required to make such ambitions a reality. From the transformative impact of storytelling to unintended consequences of the research impact agenda dominating UK institutions, we covered a broad range of topics and came away with plenty of food for thought.
From the tech sector to One World Together: Alumni Interview with Laura Dempsey
How can a postgraduate degree from the Global Development Institute influence your career during a fragile time for the development sector? As part of our drive to gather stories from across our alumni community, we caught up with Laura Dempsey, GDI alumna and Head of Individual Giving at One World Together to discuss her ambitions, career trajectory, and reasons for studying in Manchester back in 2014…
GDI Conference: What is the future for global development?
GDI is hosting a conference asking ‘What is the future for global development?’, which will take place on 13-14 April 2026 in Manchester. Learn more about the conference and the agenda below.
Swapping metrics for shared values: what we learned from piloting a Cooperatives’ Observatory in Chile
By Luis Camilo Oyarzún, PhD student at the Global Development Institute
What does sustainability really mean for cooperatives beyond reports, indicators, and policy frameworks? This question has guided much of my doctoral research at the Global Development Institute, and over the past year it became the starting point for a practical experiment: piloting a Cooperatives’ Observatory of Sustainability with two cooperatives in southern Chile. Thanks to the support of the GDI Innovation Fund, this idea moved from theory to practice and, more importantly, into real cooperative spaces.
Welcoming Professor Tom Goodfellow to Manchester
We’re excited to welcome Professor Tom Goodfellow to The University of Manchester to take up a dual role as Professor of Urban Development at the Global Development Institute (GDI) and CEO of the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) – a position he will take over from Diana Mitlin in August this year.
Friends not Foes? Why Development Economics and Development Studies still need each other
By Professor Andy Sumner, Kings College London
In December 2025, GDI hosted the ‘future of development economics’ conference. One question that arose was the relationship between development economics (DE) and development studies (DS). Here’s my two cents.
In this blog I argue four things. First, that DS and the classical DE of Arthur Lewis and others share intellectual roots that are often forgotten. Second, that a rupture emerged in the 1980s/1990s as DE “became too much like economics” and DS developed “anti-economics” sentiment. Third, that many tensions sit within DE or DS themselves rather than between them. Fourth, that revisiting the Q2 mixed methods debates of the 2000s could prove fruitful in deepening the dialogue between DE and DS.
Origins of the Human-Nature Separation in Western Thought
by Blanche de Moidrey, PhD Student at the Global Development Institute
In this article, I explain the inherent limitations of Western ‘epistemology’ (way of knowing the world) in addressing the current ecological crisis. The Western worldview is based on the separation between humans and nature – I argue that a worldview that sees humans and nature as separate entities cannot possibly address the environmental crisis at hand, as it obscures the fact that humans are an integral part of ecosystems and have an active role to play as stewards of the land. The limitations of the Western way of knowing the world justify turning to Indigenous worldviews where human and non-humans are understood as kin in a shared world.
Reflecting on progress at COP30: Interview with José A. Puppim de Oliveira
Last month, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) hosted its annual conference of the parties (COP) in Belém, Brazil. Known as COP30, this year’s climate summit took place a decade after the milestone Paris Agreement at COP21, wherein countries set out pledges to help keep global temperature rises significantly below 2°C. At a moment of significant geopolitical, economic, and environmental upheaval, much has changed since the Paris Accords, with many lamenting a lack of progress towards its ambitious targets, though we have made some progress.
Taking a pause: wellbeing, warm conversations, and a sense of belonging
Dr. Lujia Feng, Programme Director, MSc Human Resource Management (International Development), writes about the mental health session & social dinner on Tuesday, 25th November 2025 for students on the course.
As we move toward the end of Semester One, our students have found themselves deep in the familiar whirlwind of the essay-writing period, juggling readings, deadlines, revisions, and the emotional weight that often comes with academic pressure. Add to that the challenge of settling into a new country and a new learning environment, and it’s no surprise that many students have been carrying their stress not just in their minds but in their bodies. Watching this unfold, I felt strongly that what we needed was not another reminder about time management, but a moment to pause, to breathe together, reflect, and reconnect. That was the spirit behind our mental health session and social dinner in the Pendulum Hotel on Tuesday, 25 November 2025, a gentle invitation to step out of the rush and into community.