New open access book – Pathways to Development: From Politics to Power
GDI Professors Sam Hickey and Kunal Sen recently published Pathways to Development: From Politics to Power (OUP) – an open access book that provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the politics of development. The book represents a summary of a decade’s worth of research undertaken by the Effective States and Inclusive Development research centre (ESID) – a project exploring how politics shapes development across settings and sectors – as well as a related project on integrating ‘pockets of effectiveness’ in developing countries.
Pathways to Development asks why some countries experience rapid economic growth while struggling to deliver services, why some countries manage to govern natural resources effectively while failing to protect the rights of vulnerable citizens, and why some countries manage to avoid the so-called ‘natural resource curse’ while others do not.
The following extract situates Pathways to Development within broader trends surrounding the incorporation of politics into development debates, tracking the effects of this political turn on scholarship, policy, and practice. Read it for an overview of the book’s main aims, and don’t forget to read the whole thing open access here.
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Twin crises in Bangladesh could have long-term consequences for poverty reduction
Over the last 12 months, researchers at GDI and the South Asian Network for Economic Modelling (SANEM) have been exploring some of the effects of the “twin crises” in Bangladesh: the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent rise in the cost of living. This project is part of the Covid-19 Learning, Evidence and Research Programme in Bangladesh, which is managed by the IDS and funded by the FCDO.
Stories of Inclusion: What does it cost women to be in the room?
Anifat Ibrahim, PhD Candidate: Development Policy and Management
Last week, the world celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) – an annual celebration of women’s social, cultural, and political achievements, as well as a chance to raise awareness of issues surrounding gender-based discrimination across the globe.
In our latest blog post, PhD candidate Anifat Ibrahim marks IWD by reflecting on women’s continued underrepresentation in prominent roles and leadership positions. She explores the obstacles surrounding women’s participation in the workplace, as well as how we can advocate for women’s social and economic empowerment.
GDI Professor Bina Agarwal awarded first Global Inequality Research Award
Bina Agarwal, Professor of Development Economics and Environment at GDI, and James K. Boyce, University of Amherst, Massachusetts, have jointly won an inaugural prize “for their ground-breaking work in the field of social and environmental inequalities”.
Why Forests? The Sustainable Forest Transitions Project Launches at Manchester Museum
On Wednesday 6th March, the Manchester Museum hosted the launch of the Sustainable Forest Transitions research project. Led by Dr Johan Oldekop, Reader in Environment and Development at the GDI, the five-year research programme will study reforestation and what it means for forest communities globally.
Why attend communities of practice?
In 2024, the Global Development Institute will host a programme of communities of practice, inviting alumni, academics, students, and development practitioners to come together and discuss some of the pressing problems facing development leaders today.
Sessions will take place online and are open to all. If you’d like to discover more about communities of practice before signing up, we’ve put together some helpful information below.
GDI Lecture Series: Semester 2
The second semester of the GDI lecture series will start up again on Wednesday, 24th January with a lecture on ‘Industrialization and Assimilation’ by LSE’s Elliott Green. We’re excited to be hosting a wide range of guests to talk about issues affecting global development, and encourage staff and students to attend. Lectures are free and open to everyone.
Below, you will find the provisional list of lectures taking place this semester. As you will see, there are a few details left to be confirmed. Check our events page and Twitter account for the latest updates. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible, and please do remember to spread the word with friends and colleagues!
Building a community of practice: Lessons in migration and human mobility praxis
On Friday, 15th December, the Global Development Institute held an online community of practice session about supporting migrant- and refugee-led organisations. Organised in recognition of International Migrants Day (Monday, 18th December), the event offered valuable opportunities for alumni, academics, and practitioners to share ideas and experiences.
The event was hosted by Natalie Cunningham (Lecturer in Leadership for Development), with Pamela Hartley Pinto (Development Practitioner and Researcher), Matthew Cramm (Economic Development Programs Coordinator), and Oliver Bakewell (Reader in Migration Studies), kicking off proceedings by sharing their initial thoughts and prompts. Later, other participants shared their own insights and perspectives on the topic.
The following blog entry details Pamela’s reflections on the community of practice and its outcomes, including key lessons practitioners and academics can use to inform their work and improve the lives of migrants and refugees across a range of localities and contexts.
Development Studies Association Conference 2024 – Call for Papers Open
Scholars across the Global Development Institute are convening or co-convening a range of exciting panels at this year’s Development Studies Association Conference, taking place at SOAS between 26th and 28th June 2024. The event theme is ‘Social justice and development in a polarising world’, allowing attendees to explore issues surrounding rights and representation, redistribution and restoration, and reproduction and production.
If you’re interested in submitting a paper to present at this year’s conference, please view the full programme here. You’ll also find more information about DSA2024, including key dates and practical information, on the DSA’s website.
Billions have been raised to restore forests, with little success. Here’s the missing ingredient
Dhanapal Govindarajulu, University of Manchester
Protecting and restoring forests is one of the cheapest and most effective options for mitigating the carbon emissions heating Earth.
Since the third UN climate change summit, held in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, different mechanisms have been trialled to raise money and help countries reduce deforestation and restore degraded forests. First there was Koyoto’s clean development mechanism, then the UN-REDD programme initiated at COP13 in Bali in 2008. Voluntary carbon market schemes came into effect after COP21 in Paris in 2015, but all met with limited success.
In some cases, these schemes interfered with communities that have tended and nurtured forests for generations, restricting their access to the forest for fuel, grazing and food. Meanwhile, deforestation has proceeded under the aegis of global markets hungry for beef, palm oil and other commodities.