by Louisa Hann
As the Global Development Institute welcomes its latest cohort of students, many will be contemplating how an education in Development Studies will shape their futures. Most sectors and disciplines are undergoing seismic changes thanks to the emergence of new technologies, geopolitical dynamics, ecological challenges, and economic crises. The world of development is no different, with shrinking foreign aid budgets and the increased fragility of multilateralism fracturing what many had considered the status quo.
As an institute, we’re committed to maintaining strong ties with our alumni community, many of whom go on to enjoy impressive careers grounded in our shared principle of social justice. Last year, for example, we encouraged alumni to tell us all about how their careers are evolving in a volatile landscape. At the same time, many academic staff have also turned their attention to the challenges and opportunities impacting development practice. Such challenges were grappled with in depth at our recent conference, ‘What is the Future of Global Development?’, at which we were delighted to see a number of alumni engaging with the broader Development Studies community.
Thanks to all this activity, we’ve learned a few things about the future of development careers over the last academic year. Here are a few key takeaways…
Graduates will need to adapt to fast-changing situations
Last year, we spoke to three graduates at different stages of their careers about their experiences navigating the contemporary development and humanitarian landscape for the GDI podcast. What stands out from the discussion is the adaptability of all three guests. Recent graduate Anna Spethman, who moved back to the US after graduating in the midst of a Covid lockdown, describes applying for hundreds of jobs before landing roles in the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – which has, of course, since been dismantled. Today, she manages volunteer and civic engagement programs at the University of Nebraska and lectures on a course about 21st century global challenges.
Anna’s quick career pivots demonstrate an ability to weather a fragile employment market, requiring resilience and adaptability to the needs of the moment. Our other guests – Stephanie Lord and Shamilah Perumal – are slightly more established in their careers, but shared similar reflections about the demands of the contemporary development landscape.
Stephanie emphasised the scale and extent to which funding flows are being halted and disrupted across the world. However, she was quick to underline the passion with which practitioners support the populations and communities in which they live, continuing to bring their all to work in the face of adversity. She noted that the people who study and pursue development give her hope in their ability to work together and come up with innovative solutions that work in the interests of vulnerable communities.
Shamilah largely concurred, adding that scholars and practitioners are especially well-placed to address the dangers of societal polarisation, misinformation, and social media. They are not afraid to examine the polycrisis to which we can link such problems, identifying existential risks and coming up with small- and large-scale solutions without falling into despair. As she fittingly concludes, current and future development workers will need to tap into their optimism for the future.
Green transitions will top the agenda
Our latest alumni spotlight focuses on the career of Margaret Chebere, who graduated from GDI (then IDPM) in 1998 with an MSc in Human Resources Development. Margaret currently serves as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ghana to the Kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden, following posts as Director of the Human Resources Development Division (HRDD) for the Ghana Health Service and various consultancy roles for organisations including the World Health Organization and the World Bank.
As Margaret explains, Ghana faces difficult choices in the face of mounting climate change. While the country is focused on nurturing its economic interests, investment climate, and food and energy security, public servants like Margaret must consider how growth and investment decisions align with the urgent need for a green transition, especially given Ghana’s vulnerability to problems like drought, flooding, and agricultural decline.
To make matters more difficult, global shocks such as the recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz can throw economic systems into disarray, with Ghana’s dependency on imported goods making it particularly vulnerable. In such contexts, prioritising a climate-forward agenda requires imaginative thinking, a willingness to collaborate, and recognition of the role historical inequalities have played in shaping our socio-political environment.
For future graduates looking to pursue roles in governance, consultancy, and environmental stewardship, achieving development goals will remain very challenging, especially as global heating intensifies. The good news is that today’s GDI students benefit from a department with a strong focus on the dynamic relationship between development and the environment, giving undergraduate and postgraduate students ample opportunity to study modules exploring climate change adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development, while pursuing cutting-edge research on topics from reforestation agendas to the use of Earth Observation in conservation and development.
While the scale of climate change and biodiversity loss may seem daunting, the urgency of the situation provides graduates with the opportunity to use everything they learn during their studies to make a positive difference in the world. As Margaret attests, she has enjoyed a remarkable career that has taught her the value of learning from others and keeping an open mind.
AI will impact the day-to-day realities of development practice… but not its core principles
Students of all disciplines are bracing themselves for the impacts of AI on a fragile jobs market. While the manner and extent of such effects on the future of the development landscape are a little unclear, AI’s increasing ubiquity is sure to change professional expectations and processes for development practitioners in coming years.
As GDI’s employability lead Dr. Kelechi Ekuma argues in a recent blog article, AI is “already influencing how governments allocate public services, financial institutions assess risk, humanitarian organisations identify need, employers organise work, and universities evaluate learning.” For some development practitioners, these changes will throw up a host of logistical and ethical challenges. For others, it will mean learning new skills and adapting to new processes.
However, while the day-to-day realities of development practice are likely to evolve quickly, Kelechi argues that the distinctive capacity of Development Studies to interrogate power, inequality, ethics, and institutional change will remain steadfast. AI systems have, after all, been developed “within unequal global structures. Their development depends on large datasets, computational infrastructure, specialist expertise and considerable financial resources. These capacities are concentrated in a small number of corporations and countries. As AI systems spread into public administration, education, health, agriculture and development finance, they may create new dependencies for institutions that lack the resources or regulatory capacity to scrutinise them.”
Equipped with an education in Development Studies, graduates in the field will employ their critical thinking skills and contextual knowledge to approach AI with sufficient scepticism – as “part of wider struggles over knowledge, institutional power, inequality and human agency.” In so doing, they will play a vital role in ensuring the just and responsible use of technology as it advances apace.
Both short- and long-term thinking will be critical skills
Taio Gardey, GDI alumnus and Executive Director of Farming Out of Poverty (FOOP), recently joined the GDI podcast to discuss the challenges he faces working on the ground in Sierra Leone. FOOP is an NGO that helps subsistence farmers produce larger and better yields through regenerative farming techniques – a vital service in making agriculture more resilient and sustainable in the region.
Unsurprisingly, however, Taio’s job is complicated by various factors, from funding restrictions to the realities of climate change. As he notes in the episode, an important part of his job is navigating decisions that come with significant trade-offs, while also dealing with unexpected events such as extreme rainfall. Fortunately, experience has shown him that communities and organisations can be resilient if they’re able to juggle both short- and long-term approaches to evolving problems.
In the short-term, Taio emphasises the value of relationship-building and community in responding to immediate problems. Such approaches won’t necessarily treat the issues at the heart of the operation, however, so long-term plans and commitments are vital. As he concludes, you need a holistic understanding of the conditions that will allow you to implement your model – something with which a degree in Development Studies will surely assist.
There are big opportunities to do development differently
Another GDI graduate with an inspiring story to tell last year was One World Together’s Head of Individual Giving, Laura Dempsey. With a degree in International Development: Social Policy and Social Development, Laura initially put her skills towards a successful career in the tech sector in Canada.
Upon moving back to the UK in 2024, however, she became interested in the work of GDI’s Professor Nicola Banks, who was in the process of establishing One World Together, a global movement that aims to tackle the dysfunctions of established systems of charitable giving. One World Together’s model is grounded in the principles of solidarity, offering long-term, predictable and unrestricted funding to its partners, thereby avoiding the huge operational expenses and unequal partnerships that tend to characterise the NGO landscape.
As Laura notes, working with charitable organisations in her previous role had opened her eyes to the frustrations of project-dependent grant cycles, funding restrictions, and a lack of trust in communities. Working with One World Together provides an opportunity to push back against broken systems, building a global movement that values the input of supporters.
What’s more, the organisation has presented some excellent development opportunities for students, as explored in a podcast conversation with five outstanding GDI alumni navigating their first year after graduation. As they explain, getting involved with a grassroots movement during their studies helped them build the skills needed to stand out in a tough jobs market. With all five alumni having moved on to exciting new roles, the episode provides a crash course in career planning for current and prospective Development Studies students.
Of course, One World Together isn’t alone in trying to shift the dial when it comes to funding, with many grassroots organisations popping up to challenge dominant systems within the development landscape. As students continue to graduate from GDI, we look forward to hearing more about the kinds of bold and creative organisations they’re able to join, collaborate with, or even establish.
Are you a student or alumnus keen to share your story?
If you’ve been on the frontlines of a shifting development sector or want to share your thoughts about its future, we’d love to hear from you. We’ll continue engaging with our student and alumni communities over the next year to ensure the vital conversation around development careers doesn’t end. Whether you’d like to pen a blog, engage in a podcast, or something else entirely, get in touch with gdi@manchester.ac.uk with your ideas and we’ll get back to you.
Note: This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole.
The authors would like to thank the Global Development Institute’s Transformation Lab for financial support for this project.
Please feel free to use this post under the following Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Full information is available here.