Call for papers: The Politics of Development Studies Conference
DSA Politics and Political Economy Study Group
Sponsored by the Journal of Development Studies Conference fund and The Development Studies Association
Organised by Pritish Behuria (Manchester) and Tom Goodfellow (Sheffield)
Development studies – as a field – has been the subject of consistent criticism from neighbouring disciplines (political science, geography, economics and anthropology) and other interdisciplinary fields (global studies, international relations, urban studies). Not unlike other disciplines, development studies was rooted in colonial experiences. Fundamentally, the task of development studies was to understand the future trajectories of post-colonial societies. Given its close association with foreign aid-led development and particularly, the Truman project, this has made it an easy target for critics. However, it must be noted that this version of development studies is just one interpretation of the past of development studies and ignores other potentially more progressive versions like Bandung-oriented development studies (Mkandawire, 2011; Helleiner, 2014). Sumner (2022) goes further, highlighting four distinct ‘development studies’ that are currently envisioned by scholars working in the field. Development studies has also been criticised for lacking a specific canon or being too inter-disciplinary in an era where other social sciences (political science, economics) have become increasingly narrow and mathematised. read more…
GDI Lecture Series: FutureDAMS
Following the completion of the interdisciplinary FutureDAMS project in early 2022, this lecture delivered by the project leads reflects on what they have learned through their research, capacity development and policy engagement over the last four and a half years. Are there any over-arching conclusions about major water/energy/food/ environment initiatives that can be agreed upon on, or does everything depend on ‘context’? And importantly, what does the future hold for these major nexus programmes? read more…
In Conversation: Basma Albanna and Richard Heeks
Development studies often focuses on the negative: constraints, challenges, negative impacts, etc. But what if we could use new digital datasets to identify positive deviants: outlier individuals, households, districts and others that outperform their peers in achievement of development goals?
In this episode, Basma Albanna and Richard Heeks discuss the “Data-Powered Positive Deviance” (DPPD) programme. The programme built on an original idea by GDI researcher, Basma Albanna, that was fleshed out in a paper co-authored with Richard Heeks, GDI’s Professor of Digital Development. It argued that traditional methods of identifying positive deviants relied on costly and time-consuming primary data-gathering from the field. Instead, it might be possible to identify outliers in the growing number of digital datasets already available.
GDI Lecture Series – Autumn 22
The GDI Lecture Series is back, and after the last three years, we are finally In-Person.
As previously, the Global Development Institute Lecture Series provides space for leading development thinkers to discuss their latest research and ideas. Lectures are free and open to all. read more…
The issue of ‘skills’ and the importance of qualitative migration research
Juno Ellison, Wellcome EDI Research Placement intern
The outcomes for migrants are often determined by how states define and value their skill sets. Defining such skills has become increasingly controversial in migration research as there are a variety of contemporary criticisms on the nature of skills themselves: why they are socially constructed, how this translates into policy and legislation, and the consequent implications for our understanding of skilled migration. read more…
Who Is Poor and Ultra-Poor In Urban Bangladesh?
Nusrat Jahan, Dr Imran Matin and Prof David Hulme
Urban Change
Bangladesh’s cities are changing fast…make that very fast. They are rising and spreading as their populations are exploding. The share of the country’s urban population has been growing rapidly since independence in 1971 from a meagre 8%. It has doubled between 2000 and 2021, now standing at 39% of the total population. The emerging infrastructure in these largely unplanned cities on steroids—roads, flyovers, WASH facilities, for example—means that these bumper-to-bumper, no room on the pavement places are also building sites, exacerbating the already difficult urban life. read more…
In Conversation: Stefano Ponte discusses Business, Power and Sustainability in a World of Global Value Chains
In this episode, Stefano Ponte talks to Aarti Krishnan about his research into sustainability, the wine and seafood value chains in South Africa and his recent book Business, Power and Sustainability in a World of Global Value Chains.
Dr Stefano Ponte is a Professor of International Political Economy at Copenhagen Business School. His research looks at transnational economic and environmental governance, with a focus on overlaps and tensions between private authority and public regulation. Dr Aarti Krishnan is a Hallsworth Research Fellow at the Global Development Institute read more…
Can business associations link policymakers and academia? Reflections from Ghana
Dr Irene Okhade, Lecturer in HRM and International Development, Global Development Institute
The €1.4 million “ManaGlobal” project funded by the EU Horizon 2020 is an innovative research project that seeks to explore the evidence of management approaches practiced in Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Morocco and UAE. Key components of this collaborative project involve the exchange of knowledge and skills for conducting cross-cultural research, the way business is conducted and how organizations are managed locally and globally. read more…
Remembering Dr Ron Clarke
By Jayne Hindle, David Hulme, Merrick Jones and Debra Whitehead
It is with great sadness that the Global Development Institute (GDI), University of Manchester reports the passing of Dr Ronald Clarke (‘Ron’) on 12 September 2022 at the age of 89. Dr Ron Clarke was appointed to the Department of Administrative Studies (DAS) in 1975 when the department was in its infancy and had very few staff. Subsequently, and with major contributions from Ron, it evolved into the Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM). Ron taught at DAS and IDPM, as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer for almost 25 years until his retirement in 1999. In the 1990s he served as Deputy Director for IDPM at a time when the Institute was expanding and rapidly strengthening its academic reputation. read more…
Community of Practice (CoP) Engagement Series
GDI is launching a Community of Practice (CoP) – Engagement Series: a place designed to link students, academics, practitioners and alumni and we hope you can join us. read more…