Reflections on the International Forest Defenders Conference, Guinea-Bissau, 19-22 February 2025
by Dr Teklehaymanot Weldemichel
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the 5th International Forest Defenders Conference in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, where I was invited to speak on the role of colonialism in shaping contemporary land rights in regions of high biodiversity. The conference wasn’t a typical academic conference, bringing together indigenous community representatives, environmental defenders, civil society organizations, and donor agencies from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. In fact, I was one of only a handful of academics in attendance.
Can critique encompass hope and optimism? Reflections for “critical” ICT4D
Reflections from Cape Town: A Journey Through Digital Transformation and Inclusion
In January 2025, our Masters students in Management and Information Systems and Digital Development embarked on a field trip to Cape Town. Whilst there, they investigated how organisations of various types are developing digital solutions, and explored local landmarks and culture.
In the following blog, Stefhanie Chitra outlines some of the key takeaways from the experience. In another post, Tendai Getrude Kunje reflects on the positive effect of extracurricular activities over the course of the trip.
By Stefhanie Chitra – MSc Digital Development Student
How extracurricular activities enriched our Cape Town field trip experience
In January 2025, our Masters students in Management and Information Systems and Digital Development embarked on a field trip to Cape Town. Whilst there, they investigated how organisations of various types are developing digital solutions, and explored local landmarks and culture.
In the following blog, Tendai Getrude Kunje reflects on some of her most memorable moments. In another blog, Stefhanie Chitra discusses some of the more theoretical lessons she learnt on the trip.
By Tendai Getrude Kunje, MSc Digital Development Student
Reflecting on post-PhD research dissemination
By Epiphania Kimaro
Doing my PhD at the Global Development Institute gave me invaluable skills and opportunities, including the post-PhD research dissemination fund award. This award was an opportunity but also a challenge to share my research findings with participants and diverse stakeholders, which supports my broader efforts to explore the practical utility of my research. My research focused on the people and organisational aspects of ICT4D, where I worked with several digital social enterprises and technology non-profit organisations in East Africa, to understand how the organisational context may enable or hinder outcomes of ICT4D projects.
Bridging Theory and Action: Pragmatist-Critical Realism in Development Studies
When it comes to tackling real-world problems, researchers often find themselves choosing between two big philosophical approaches: positivism, which focuses on hard facts and objectivity, and constructivism, which highlights how people shape their reality. Both approaches have strengths, but also big weaknesses. This has left a gap in development studies, where action and change are as important as understanding the problems.
What is the city but the people? New documentary from the Social Homes for Manchester coalition
In late 2024, community reporters from the Social Homes for Manchester coalition began filming with production company On Our Radar to create a documentary exposing the crisis in social rent housing in the city of Manchester and highlighting their role establishing a new Commission focused on accelerating delivery of sustainable homes for social rent.
British Academy International Fellowships 2025 open for applications
We are delighted that the British Academy International Fellowships 2025 are now open for applications. The University of Manchester is especially keen to sponsor applicants from the global South.
Structural Transformation and Late Development in the 21st Century: Is the Lewis Model Still Relevant?
by Mahtab Uddin, PhD candidate, GDI, University of Manchester
In 1954, Arthur Lewis published a paper that set out his famous Dualistic Development Model, arguing that developing economies could foster capitalist growth by employing surplus labour from the subsistence sector. This intervention arrived at a critical juncture in human history. The world was recovering from the Second World War, many countries were emerging out of colonial regimes, achieving their first independence in centuries, and geopolitical dynamics were shaped by the tussles between capitalism vs. communism.
Development Studies Association Conference 2025 – Call for Papers Open
The Development Studies Association (DSA) is currently accepting paper proposals for its upcoming annual conference. Taking place at the Centre for Development Studies, University of Bath as a hybrid event between 25th and 27th June 2025, this year’s conference theme is “Navigating crisis: Dangers and opportunities in development” – providing an excellent opportunity for scholars to grapple with our unstable and unsettling times.
As ever, a number of academics within GDI have co-convened or helped with organising panels and workshops for the event (listed below). If you’re interested in submitting a paper to present at this year’s conference, you can view the full list of panels here. You’ll also find more information about DSA2025, including key dates and practical information, on the DSA’s website.