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...
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...
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...
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. Register for the conference. Fresh assaults on overseas aid,...
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...
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...
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...
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...