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GDI climate justice experts awarded £1.3m to study land rights impact

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:25:55 +0000

Researchers at the Global Development Institute (GDI) have been awarded c£1.3 million by the to establish a research observatory studying the role land rights play in a just transition to a decarbonised future.

A team of GDI researchers will lead the observatory’s activities alongside co-investigators at the University of Ghana, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and the Federal University of Pará in Brazil.

Teams at the respective institutions will explore if, how, and under what socioeconomic and political conditions land rights reduce inequalities experienced by communities. They will also examine the environmental benefits in forest landscapes affected by decarbonisation processes. The observatory will specifically address a lack of knowledge surrounding the role of land rights in simultaneously conserving forests, securing livelihood benefits, and advancing decarbonisation agendas.

Dr Johan Oldekop, Reader in Environment and Development, and Dr Charis Enns, Presidential Fellow in Socio-Environmental Systems, will act as joint principal investigators for the project. Dr Oldekop explains: “We are seeing increasing competition for land to support rights for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), nature conservation and restoration, as well as mining linked to the green energy transition. Understanding how these demands intersect, and how communities can benefit while forests are protected and restored is essential to support more just environmental futures.”

GDI’s team will build on a sustained and world-leading record of environment and development research within the Institute. Most notably, the ongoing project that is exploring the effects of reforestation drivers on both forests and rural poverty, while the recently launched project is interrogating the social risks and benefits of increased use of data in conservation. Members of these project teams have already published impactful research, including a recent Nature Ecology and Evolution assessing the ecological and social impacts of Indigenous territories in Brazil.

Taking place over 3.5 years, the observatory team will combine large-scale geospatial and socioeconomic analyses with in-depth qualitative case studies in Mexico, Brazil and Ghana. A separate stream of work will aim to identify evidence gaps, expanding the thematic and geographical remit of the observatory to regions such as Indonesia or South Africa.

The award will also support Ghana-based researchers exploring the relationship between political settlements and the Just Energy Transition in Africa. Project lead Dr Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Ghana Business School and Honorary Research Fellow at GDI, explains: “The observatory represents a significant opportunity to develop our understanding the contested forests of Ghana, while strengthening ties between GDI and the University of Ghana. Bringing together big data, which will highlight changes in forest cover, land rights and socioeconomic indicators, together with an in-depth political economy analysis of what is driving these changes will help us to identify and champion approaches that benefit both people and the environment.”

Read more about research covering within GDI.

Land protection initiatives reduced Amazon deforestation by up to 83%, research finds

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:12:08 +0100

A new analysis shows that land protection initiatives in the Brazilian Legal Amazon (BLA) reduced deforestation by up to 83% between 2000 and 2010. Such impressive results highlight the vital role of land protection policies in achieving ambitious goals, including the UN biodiversity target to .

Reversing biodiversity loss in the Amazon while combatting climate change is recognised by Brazil and the international community as a key priority, but more ambitious solutions are required in coming years. Although deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon have recently declined, the region still lost 5,000 square kilometres of rainforest in 2023 – equivalent to three times the size of greater London.

Yet the research, published in , highlights that for Indigenous communities in the Amazon, land protection may come with hidden socio-economic costs. The study revealed that incomes in Indigenous Territories were up to 36% lower compared to other land uses, shining a light on the trade-offs decisionmakers must navigate when establishing and expanding forest conservation projects.

Researchers from the UK, Brazil, Sweden and the USA looked at three types of protection arrangements to uncover such trade-offs – Indigenous Territories (ITs) that return ancestral land and resources to Indigenous peoples, strict protected areas (SPAs) that protected from everything apart from light human disturbance, and sustainable use protected areas (SUPAs) that allow sustainable use of natural resources while protecting the area from widescale industrial production. By comparing both environmental and socioeconomic outcomes across protected and unprotected areas, used for agriculture and mining, the analysis provides a more holistic analysis of policy impacts on both people and the environment.

Indigenous people are the most disadvantaged group in Brazil, with 33% living below the poverty line. As the researchers emphasise in a based on the study, we must not leave Indigenous peoples behind due to a lack of social protection or alternative support programmes. Efforts to secure land rights must be accompanied by additional initiatives to ensure these communities are not socioeconomically disadvantaged, such as removing access barriers to existing social protection programmes and other forms of support.

Dr Johan Oldekop, at The University of Ұ��’s Global Development Institute, said: “Our research demonstrates that rights to land and resources for Indigenous people are necessary but perhaps insufficient mechanisms to bridge conservation and development.”

Recent scholarship asserts that ITs can prevent deforestation and other ecologically destructive practices. However, as lead author Dr Bowy den Braber explains: “Carefully weighing up the benefits and drawbacks of different land use options can help policymakers maximise progress towards both conservation and development goals.”

Co-author Dr Marina Schmoeller, who recently completed her PhD at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said: “We highlight the importance of indigenous territories for protecting biodiversity, which is timely considering the ongoing debates in the Brazilian Supreme Court that could potentially limit Indigenous people’s claim for lands not only in the Amazon, but in the whole of the country."

Dr Karl Evans, University of Sheffield, remarked that: “Protected areas and Indigenous Territories are highly effective at reducing deforestation in the Amazon. Protecting forests does more to support local people’s livelihoods and well-being than opening them up to large agri-business and mining, while also addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies.”

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Mauritius’ next growth phase: new plan needed as tax haven era fades

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:46:09 +0100

Mauritians will head to the polls and politicians are considering the economic direction of the island country.

For the last two decades, the country’s economic growth has depended heavily on its offshore sector – the provision of financial services by banks to foreign firms.

As an isolated country located in the south-western Indian Ocean, Mauritius has linked itself to global financial sectors by easing the flow of capital into and out of its economy. It has signed double taxation avoidance agreements with other countries, and its capital gains taxes are attractively low.

Through double taxation avoidance agreements, foreign entities can establish funds in locations outside their home countries, to take advantage of lower taxes.

But recent initiatives have dimmed prospects for the offshore sector. For instance, the OECD’s (the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) significantly limits the incentives available under double taxation avoidance agreements.

As a political economist, I take an interdisciplinary approach to studying development challenges in today’s connected world. My work examines how countries with relatively little economic power manage domestic and external forces to achieve economic transformation.

Tax haven strategies have allowed countries such as Mauritius to gain huge amounts of foreign exchange. But in a recent I argue that these strategies may not have the same appeal in years to come. This leaves Mauritius at a crossroads once again.

The Mauritian government has previously found ways to diversify its economy during times of crisis. First, from sugar to industry. Then to tourism. Later to the offshore sector. Now there is talk of investing in the , but there are few signs that a clear strategy has been defined. With offshore revenues threatened, the Mauritian economy may soon struggle to identify new sources of foreign exchange.

Diversified economy

Mauritius is Africa’s most democratic developmental state – held up as a . It transformed itself from a country with a per capita income of US$260 in the 1960s to one with a per capita income of more than $10,000 in 2021.

At independence in 1968, observers had little hope for the Mauritian economy. Nobel Prize winner James Meade a tragic future for the island nation. He cited sugar dependence, population density and diverse ethnic composition as its weak points.

Yet Mauritius has defied pessimistic predictions and conventional economic theory. It has become among the most African economies.

In the 1970s, economic development was largely focused on industrialisation to reduce dependence on imports. While there was minimal growth in exports, manufacturing employment grew from 5% to 20% of the labour force over the decade. But as sugar prices fell in the late 1970s, the Mauritian economy plunged into crisis.

In the early 1980s, Mauritius adopted reforms, adhering to conditions set by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The government decided to go further than simply liberalising its financial sectors and reducing capital controls. Against the advice of multilateral donors and foreign governments, Mauritian politicians decided to build an offshore financial centre.

In the late 1990s and 2000s, Mauritius was widely celebrated for rapid economic growth and diversity. This came from special economic zones (promoting textiles and apparel growth), tourism and the offshore sector.

For decades, African countries have sent government officials on to learn from Mauritian success.

But like most late developing countries (or former colonies), Mauritius is still heavily reliant on imports. Its offshore sector has provided vast amounts of foreign exchange to buy imports. If offshore sector revenues dry up, Mauritius might have to apply to the International Monetary Fund for loans.

Mauritius as a tax haven

In my paper, I describe the evolution of Mauritius as a tax haven. It started with strategic state involvement. The Mauritian government amended its banking legislation to offer lower taxation and exemption from exchange control.

Its tax treaty with India soon became the most significant avenue for the development of Mauritius’ offshore businesses. An increasing number of Indian funds moved their businesses to Mauritius to take advantage of tax benefits.

Similarly, Mauritian entities have been the leading investors in India since 2000. Mauritius-based funds have this century. But things are changing. There are signs that funds are now selecting Singapore (as well as other competitors to Mauritius) as the preferred destination for investments.

India’s response to the OECD’s convention to implement tax related measures has gone further than many other countries. The Indian government agreed to remove the capital gains exemption that entities held in Mauritius had enjoyed over the years. By 2018, Singapore had overtaken Mauritius as the leading investor into India.

In March 2024, India and Mauritius amended their double taxation avoidance agreement to comply with the OECD’s measures. Among the changes, firms do not qualify for tax incentives if the principal purpose of their transaction is simply to avoid tax.

What next for Mauritius?

The new amendments to the double taxation agreement are likely to constrain the growth of Mauritius’ offshore sector. The financial sector has not transformed beyond providing basic services like fund administration. This is unlike other more diversified financial sectors like Singapore, which specialises in capital markets, foreign exchange, commodity trading and corporate banking, aside from fund administration.

With foreign firms recently buying some of Mauritius’ biggest offshore management companies, there are signs that Mauritian banking will be relegated to simply doing basic work for larger financial centres. It is likely that overall revenues and foreign exchange from the sector will reduce.

Focusing resources on a new pillar for Mauritian growth is more urgent than ever.

In the last few years, Mauritian have been characterised by questions over Prime Minister ’s authoritarian turn, as well as accusations of corruption, nepotism and cronyism. The nation will have to reach a new political and economic consensus to avoid future economic difficulties.

, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Governance and Development, Global Development Institute

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

SEED recognition at the University's Making a Difference Awards 2024

Fri, 10 May 2024 10:58:48 +0100

The University of Ұ��'s 10th ceremony took place on Thursday 9 May in the University’s Whitworth Hall, and live streamed on YouTube.

The Making a Difference Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of our staff, students, alumni and external partners, and celebrate how they are making a difference. The School of Environment, Education and Development is always well represented at the awards, and this year received six wins, and two highly commended awards. Congratulations go to all those involved.

Outstanding benefit to society through research - Winner

Gindo Tampubolon (Global Development Institute) and the SMARThealth team

The Systematic Medical Appraisal Referral and Treatment (SMARThealth) intervention provides Indonesian health volunteers with resources to improve cardiovascular health in rural communities. With a third of adult deaths in Indonesia attributed to cardiovascular disease, SMARThealth provides vital preventative care in places with limited healthcare. This involved training village health volunteers to use the SMARThealth platform – operated via a mobile app and basic medical equipment – to assess villagers’ cardiovascular risk in real-time through the use of the SMARThealth platform and share results with qualified health professionals to prescribe treatment. The SMARThealth programme has since been adopted and scaled by the district of Malang, preventing 120,000 potential deaths by screening millions of residents.

Outstanding benefit to society through research - Emerging impact winner

Ұ�� Institute of Education’s Neil Humphrey and the #BeeWell team

#BeeWell is a programme that combines academic expertise with youth-led change to make the wellbeing of young people everybody’s business. The project annually surveys young people and uses the results, in collaboration with schools and partner organisations, to deliver positive change in all our communities. Over 180 schools across all 10 Greater Ұ�� local authorities have implemented the co-developed #BeeWell survey to systematically assess and monitor the domains and drivers of wellbeing of more than 60,000 pupils since 2021. Discover more at

Outstanding teaching innovation in social responsibility - Winner

Ұ�� Institute of Education's Andy Howes, Sian Morgan, Hannah Strickland, Rai Lock, Anna Warburg and Rosa Archer

The project hosts an annual green conference for student teachers, where multiple secondary PGCE subjects convene to host a day during which they address climate justice issues as well as include skills sessions to innovate the practice of student teachers entering the profession. The aims of the day are to develop student teachers’ understanding and confidence with climate justice issues. This annual conference has been established for four years and has been growing in scope each year. This year included alumni experts, who are now Early Career Teachers (ECTs), enacting their learning in schools and contributing to the development of future secondary school teachers in English, Geography, Maths and Science.

Outstanding contribution to social and environmental impact through entrepreneurship - Highly commended

Ahmed Abdullah Saad Mohamed, Karim Habib and Salma Khaled

Educuality

Educuality is an innovative educational platform aiming to democratize learning by providing accessible and impactful peace education and environmental education through gamification. The project’s purpose is to foster social change and promote peace by educating young minds in the areas of peace and climate action. They aim to bridge societal gaps, especially focusing on rural areas, and to create a sustainable model for social change through education.

Outstanding public engagement initiative: Local/civic engagement - Winner

Sarah Marie Hall, Liz Ackerley, Alison Briggs, Laura Fenton and Santiago Leyva del Rio (Geography) and Isis Barei-Guyot (Global Development Institute)

This project brings together academic and non-academic partners to develop knowledge and contribute to anti-poverty strategies in Ұ��, as well as to inspire other inclusive research engagement. Through sharing and learning with community groups, the project has built collectives, led innovative and engaging outputs, and contributed to policy development in tackling poverty, homelessness and intersecting crises. Their 2022 event ‘Sharing Untold Stories in Creative Ways’ brought together local organisations fighting austerity and poverty through collaboration and creativity, by providing listening spaces, engagement platforms, and opportunities for capacity-building.

Outstanding public engagement initiative: Local/civic engagement - Winner

Tess Hartland (PhD student in Sociology, School of Social Sciences, co-supervised by the Global Development Institute’s Tanja Bastia)

As part of her PhD, Tess co-produced ‘Echoes of Displacement’, a captivating comic book narrating the collective story of people growing older while seeking sanctuary in the UK. The aim for this comic book is to increase understanding and awareness by communicating research beyond academia, authentically represent and amplify the voices of older refugees and foster community engagement. The comic has been used by international NGOs (e.g. Age Platform Europe) and local government (e.g. Age-friendly Ұ��) as best practice example for translating research and raising awareness of ageing experiences of marginalised groups.

Outstanding public engagement initiative: Local/civic engagement - Highly commended

Ұ�� Institute of Education’s Kirstie Hartwell, Kelly Burgoyne, and Emma Pagnamenta, Vesna Stojanovik and Rebecca Baxter from the University of Reading

Working with Families to Co-Create Learning Materials for a Parent-Delivered Early Language Intervention for Children with Down Syndrome

This project worked closely with six families to co-create learning materials, such as storybooks and activity packs, for a parent-delivered early language intervention programme specifically developed for children with Down Syndrome. The project represents critical initial steps in developing evidence-based intervention and highlights the benefits of working with families.

Outstanding public engagement initiative: National/international engagement - Winner

Joanne Tippett (Department of Planning, Property and Environmental Management) and the RoundView Team

Building on 15 years of the University’s research, this project provides a big-picture, positive framework for sustainability learning and communication. It builds confidence by helping people systematically assess solutions against the fundamental principles of environmental sustainability. Working with UNESCO UK and the National Trust, more than 133,500 people have engaged with the RoundView since 2022. These hands-on learning tools facilitate global engagement, reaching audiences from youth to professionals and local to global leaders, inspiring both knowledge and action towards sustainability. Learn more at

Find out more about the Making a Difference awards on our

GDI academic awarded two prestigious research fellowships for project on African Political Economy

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 15:42:02 +0000

, Associate Professor in Politics, Governance, and Development at the Global Development Institute, has been awarded two prestigious grants for a project entitled ‘Varieties of African Capitalisms: The Contemporary Vulnerabilities of Developmentalism in a Neoliberal Global Political Economy’.

The grants include The British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship and The Leverhulme Research Fellowship – both highly competitive awards designed to aid experienced researchers in undertaking extensive projects and promoting public engagement within the humanities and social sciences.

Dr Behuria says: “I am so thankful to the British Academy and Leverhulme for awarding me with research fellowships. I am very grateful to have this recognition for my research. In the next year, I hope to make the most of this opportunity to fully dedicate myself to publishing my research based on over a decade of fieldwork. I am also extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to speak to me during my research and who has supported my research over the years.”

Dr Behuria is a political economist whose interests broadly centre on the political economy of development under contemporary globalisation. Set to begin in September 2024, he will dedicate his time to writing up several years of fieldwork examining state-business relations, industrial policy, and finance in Eastern and Southern Africa.

More specifically, the project will highlight how precarious domestic state-business relations and the increasing control of service economies by rentier interests have combined to constrain potential diversification strategies within the regions.

In so doing, the project will intervene in existing debates surrounding late development. As Dr Behuria explains: “Much existing social science scholarship draws lessons from European and East Asian experiences. As a result, they may deprioritise or overlook how our contemporary global political economy – characterised by decades of market-led reforms – is re-shaping the challenge of catch-up development for many countries in the Global South. The project will go some way to addressing this gap, developing our understanding of how contemporary capitalism re-shapes prospects for developmentalism in Eastern and Southern Africa.”

Relevant publications:

Transformational gift set to redefine global development research for the 21st century at University of Ұ��

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 10:30:00 +0000

The (GDI) at The University of Ұ�� has received a further transformational donation of £2 million from the .

The gift, which is the most recent donation to the University from the Foundation, will deliver an ambitious programme of work aimed at redefining the role of global development research in the 21^st Century. This supports the GDI’s overarching mission of addressing global inequalities and promoting a socially just world for all.

The gift aims to build equitable partnerships between the GDI, one of the foremost development studies research institutions globally and Universities across the developing world. The GDI aims to reshape, and lead by example, the way that leading North-based universities work with Global South partners to ensure knowledge creation is co-created.

Activity funded by the gift includes a new policy lab – aimed at translating academic research into policy change – and the creation of new PhD studentships focused on climate change and poverty reduction.

Recent GDI research has encouraged the UK government to launch new development programmes worth £270 million, catalysed improved gender equality for one million women working the supply chains of companies such as Nike and Marks & Spencer, and has resulted in improved life expectancy for over 3,750 Indonesians at risk of cardiovascular disease.

, Head of the GDI said: “The gift from the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks foundation will enable us to transform the ways in which global development institutes like ours operate.

“We want to do this by targeting new Global South partnerships. This is where we move beyond very short-term income-led forms of partnership, to much more durable and equitable relationships. The aim is to ensure that scholars in the Global South have a larger and louder voice in setting research and teaching agendas around global development, which has previously been captured very much by northern based academics.”

This new activity will build on the GDI’s track record of learning from and amplifying academic voices from across the globe. Gig economy workers in Ghana and Bangladesh are who are helping to rank platforms like Uber and Upwork. These rankings are driving up pay and conditions for workers in a wider range of low-income countries.

, a PhD researcher based at the GDI, is using his research to drive policy change in order to ensure that communities in his home country of Ghana benefit from prosperity brought to the country from the mining industry.

“The people who are really short-changed are often the local people. In order to make sure the local people benefit, it is important that their views are elevated to a level where they have a greater say in governance,” said Gerald.

“The University is number one in terms of research towards sustainable development goals. I have no doubt in mind that the nature of the GDI is contributing immensely towards this.”

The Brooks’ extraordinary contribution reflects a deep commitment to promoting sustainable development and social justice worldwide.

Rory Brooks is co-founder of the international private equity group MML Capital Partners. Rory graduated from UMIST (now The University of Ұ��) in 1975 and serves on the Charity Commission. He was the donor member of the Pearce Review into philanthropy in Higher Education in 2012 and was awarded the CBE in 2015.

Rory Brooks said: “Philanthropy, at its best, should be used to catalyse new and bold activity that is less likely to be funded through traditional channels. We are very encouraged and pleased to be able to support the ambitious plan of the GDI to recast global development research in partnership with Institutions around the world.”

The gift follows a recent £1.5 million gift to The University of Ұ�� from alumnus and businessman Simon Sadler, which will provide life-changing financial support for care leaver students.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor said: “The University of Ұ�� owes its very existence to philanthropy. As we step into our third century, philanthropic gifts play a critical part in delivering our goal of creating a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future.”

The University of Ұ��, renowned for its commitment to excellence in research and education, is the home of the Global Development Institute. This significant donation underscores the University's position as a leader in addressing complex global challenges and underscores its ongoing dedication to making a positive impact on society.

For more information about the Global Development Institute at The University of Ұ��, please visit

Trees can make farms more sustainable – here’s how to help farmers plant more

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 10:36:46 +0000

🌳 Trees can make farms more sustainable – here’s how to help farmers plant more.
— The University of Ұ�� (@OfficialUoM)

Written by , Postgraduate Researcher,

Imagine making one change to a farm field so that as well as producing food, it also generated building materials, fuel and fodder. At the same time, this change would nourish the health of the soil, regulate the micro-climate and support pest-controlling wildlife. In fact, it could even produce a whole other crop.

All these things could be possible by simply planting trees amid crops – and not just trees, but also shrubs, palms and bamboo.

This approach to farming is known as agroforestry, and it could improve the sustainability of agriculture worldwide. On a large scale, it could help mitigate climate change by in land that can still serve other purposes. Countries can even towards their reforestation commitments.

There is for planting trees on farms in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. But a lot of these plots – on average, less than 2 hectares (or two football fields). Any use of space has to really earn it.

So, how do we ensure trees work for farmers and the planet? India, where the last two decades have seen phenomenal changes in agroforestry, offers some insight.

India’s agroforestry experiment

India’s first effort to get more trees on farms started in 1999 with the Lok Vaniki scheme in Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India. The state government started the scheme to help farmers with degraded land secure additional income from timber and provided them with saplings of teak.

The scheme had a troubled start. The Indian supreme court had banned all tree felling except that permitted under the forest working plan three years earlier. Before farmers could sell the timber they grew, their request to fell the tree would need to be approved by the government.

Farmers were apprehensive about planting something they may not get permission to harvest, and teak trees take 20 years to yield timber. A cumbersome process for obtaining permits and high transport costs for small and marginal farmers scuppered the scheme.

The state responded by exempting certain trees from felling regulations. By 2014, India had a national agroforestry policy that offered farmers saplings and simpler procedures for harvesting and transporting trees. Still, the tree cover on farms didn’t budge. In fact, the last decade has seen in trees on farms in India, according to a study I contributed to.

The decline was pronounced among mature trees. Once these gnarled veterans had shaded open wells on farms and kept water from evaporating in the sun’s glare. Now deeper bore wells could be dug, rendering such trees obsolete.

The expansion of mechanised farming put a premium on treeless fields where tractors and farm vehicles could easily manoeuvre. Attacks by fungal parasites claimed other trees.

Some farmers were unsentimental. In interviews, many said they saw few benefits from trees, which could prevent sunlight from reaching crops. But the decline of native trees on farms like neem, mahua and jamun, once prized for their medicinal oils and nutritious fruit, , particularly in the poorest regions.

Trees on farms, not tree farms

While farmland trees dwindled across India, . These are essentially farms growing .

These plantations largely comprise exotic and fast-growing trees like eucalyptus, poplar and casuarina, which are all exempt from felling regulations. Enticed by the prospect of generating carbon credits on the international carbon market, and by demand for pulpwood for making paper, farmers with some of the smallest plots in India tried switching their crops to block plantations.

When the price of carbon credits dropped with the of the UN’s clean development mechanism in 2012, these small farmers were left with little to show for it. later confirmed that many would have been better off keeping their land for agriculture.

Although there is for pulpwood and timber in India, it is likely to favour farmers who can plant in large areas, cover harvest and transit costs, and wait for returns from plantations – a situation small and marginal farmers can ill afford.

These exotic plantations are either. For instance, eucalyptus consumes a lot of water and soil nutrients, leaving the land less fertile for future cultivation. Its leaves and flowers are less useful to birds than many native trees.

There is a rush globally to plant more trees on farms without considering what farmers will do with the tree in 20 years, or how it may interfere with crop production. This problem is not unique to India and has been noted elsewhere, .

Trees should still be encouraged on farms; preferably native trees that are beneficial for local diets and medicine. So far, though, the trend in India and elsewhere has been towards block plantations of exotic trees – a phenomenon largely driven by the lure of carbon credits.

The focus should be on supporting small and marginal farmers to grow native trees sustainably. Scattered trees of many species on small farms have bigger benefits for farmers and the environment than single-species plantations.

For that to happen, though, there has to be some way of financing this process. If carbon credit mechanisms can recognise this model of agroforestry and help small farmers add trees to their cropland, it would be a big shift in the right direction.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Billions have been raised to restore forests with little success - here’s the missing ingredient

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 13:50:49 +0000

Written by Postgraduate Researcher from the Global Development Institute

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 Kyoto’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 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 .

The world is far off track to reduce deforestation to zero by 2030, or meet its target of restoring over 350 million hectares.

At the current climate talks, COP28 in Dubai, Brazil has proposed a “tropical forests forever fund” with an outlay of US$250 billion, which would to conserve or expand their forests. But how can the world be confident that the result will be different this time?

The work of one academic, Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom, can tell us why previous efforts to restore forests have failed – and what a more effective approach might look like.

Bundles of rights

Nearly 295 million people in developing countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America live on land that has been identified as . The right to extract timber or plant trees ultimately lies with the state in these places, so it is up to the state to set targets for increasing tree coverage or how much carbon the land stores, regardless of how it affects the .

Over 73% (about 3 billion hectares) of global forested land is . One of the arguments for allowing governments to retain ownership of these forests, including the right to manage them, is the notion of the “tragedy of the commons”: in the absence of an all-powerful governing entity, people will overuse shared resources.

In fact, Ostrom’s work on the commons in forests, fishing grounds and grazing pastures shows that communities tend to protect and sustainably use common resources – provided they have rights, tenure, and the ability to decide rules for managing them.

A recent examined forest commons in 15 tropical countries, where governments own the forest but have allowed local communities informal or customary rights of use and management. The authors noted that these forest commons had a high variety of tree species, and offered enough fodder and fuel wood to sustain livelihoods in the local community. The wealth of biomass in these forests indicated a lot of carbon was also being stored.

These findings seem to affirm that forests used and managed by Indigenous and rural communities can support global objectives for carbon and biodiversity, while meeting the needs of local people.

Ostrom’s research identified five important that allow communities to sustainably manage a parcel of land in such commons. These are: access, withdrawal, management, exclusion, and alienation.

Access and withdrawal rights are the minimum required for communities to go into a forest and collect timber, flowers, leaves and grasses for their subsistence and to sell commercially. The most important of these rights, at least in terms of forest restoration, is management rights, including the right to decide where and what type of trees to plant in order to restore a forest.

But Ostrom found that these rights are worthless unless imbued with secure “” – in other words, confidence that land users would not be arbitrarily deprived of their rights over particular parcels of land.

Attempts by governments to provide partial management rights to local communities in recent decades have when it comes to restoring forests. For example, India has attempted to revive degraded forests since 1991 through its joint forest management programme, which offers partial rights to communities that are invited to help prepare a management plan. But without legally binding rights or secure tenure, this approach has shown .

In contrast, India’s forest rights act 2006, the first of its kind globally, provided local communities that had traditionally used an area of forested land with . The result has been restored forests and communities benefiting from increased sales of bamboo and tendu (leaves for rolling tobacco), .

Empower forest communities

To restore Earth’s forests and mitigate climate change, states should devolve management rights to the communities in these land parcels and grant them secure tenure.

But how should these commons be governed? Ostrom’s many years of research are, again, a useful guide. She for clear boundaries defining the community’s rights, rules for forest use, the rights of all members of a community to participate in making those rules (including women and marginal communities), collective decision-making on managing resources, effective monitoring, graduated sanctions for rule violations, conflict resolution mechanisms, and a nested governance structure when multiple communities have rights over the same resources.

There are clear limitations on Indigenous and forest-dependent communities to access the finance that might aid them in their restoration work. Brazil’s proposed fund, and existing climate finance mechanism such as REDD+ and the green climate fund, must be made accessible to these forest communities. This would be easier if they had secure rights and tenure, with a clear set of management rules.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

PhD Researcher at the GDI Wins Prestigious Entrepreneurial Prize

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 13:42:00 +0000

, a first-year PhD student at the Global Development Institute, has been awarded first place in the social category of the – a competition celebrating new businesses and social ventures in Venezuela.

Beyond her doctoral studies as part of the team, Mariana leads the . The IDEAS Contest recognised the project as the best of 395 applications – a testament to its potential to support healthy oceans and protect communities in Venezuela.

Designed to clear beaches of microplastics, the Biciola is a static, pedal-powered device that sifts waste materials from sand using vibrational sieves.

As well as protecting local environments and fighting marine pollution, the Biciola offers communities an enjoyable exercise opportunity and will soon provide local artisans with the materials they need to make new products.

In the upcoming months and years, the Biciola team, comprised of Venezuelan biologists Jemimah Rivera and Igor Castillo, along with designer María José Barrios, intends to obtain the necessary equipment to recycle microplastics into materials suitable for artistic creations and everyday essentials. Through this initiative, Biciola aims to boost local employment and contribute to the establishment of a circular economy.

Developed during lockdown, the Biciola has already featured in a range of media outlets and has been recognised as one of the top 50 proposals of 2023 by the Ocean Solutions Fund.

Having achieved such fantastic milestones, Mariana and the Biciola team have ambitious goals for the future. By scaling up the project and building strategic partnerships, they aim to eliminate around 100kg of microplastics per month from Venezuelan beaches. Within five years, they want the Biciola to have cleaned at least five beaches in the country, preventing the accumulation of around 3,000kg of plastic pollution.

The team will also prevent plastics from entering the ocean in the first place by providing educational talks and other incentives to strengthen citizen participation in conservation practices. As part of this goal, they plan to host community events featuring tents, music, and other recreational activities to build awareness surrounding the Biciola.

Thanks to the multi-layered approach of Mariana’s project, it manages to , including SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).

For more information about the Biciola Project, watch the video celebrating Mariana’s win (English subtitles):

African Cities Research Consortium starts new research pilot projects

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 16:03:44 +0000

The African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) based at The University of Ұ�� is commencing pilot action research projects in four African cities: , Kenya; , Zimbabwe; , Nigeria and , Somalia.

Aimed at reducing urban poverty and inequality, these interventions are the first in a portfolio of urban reform initiatives which ACRC is planning to implement, with the goal of accelerating transformative change in African cities.

Arising out of ACRC research findings and developed in consultation with local and city-level stakeholders, the four pilot projects were proposed by city research teams as potential solutions to address critical urban development challenges in their locations.

City-based researchers and practitioners – already versed in the ACRC research and approaches – will lead the projects.

In Nairobi, the pilot intervention focuses on improving children’s access to healthy diets. Current efforts to provide school meals in the city do not include informal schools and day care centres located in informal settlements, as they are not registered and are unrecognised by public authorities.

This project aims to strengthen and expand an existing school feeding programme to encompass schools located in informal settlements. It entails conducting action research to identify ways to link food production and supply systems within and outside the city, to sustainably supply food for the expanded school feeding programme.

The project in Harare centres around upgrading and regularising informal enterprises located in the Glen View Eight complex. Zimbabwe’s national government established the complex in the wake of its 2005 “Operation Murambatsvina” mass evictions, which saw more than 700,000 people lose their homes and businesses. Thousands of market spaces were provided for small entrepreneurs in the complex, but these were substandard, with inadequate connections to services and infrastructure.

The intervention will involve supporting the mobilisation of the informal traders, establishing a technical working group to address challenges faced by these entrepreneurs and conducting action research into processes of negotiation and implementation.

�Ѳ��ܲ��ܰ��’s intervention builds on an existing effort by the Borno State Geographic Information System (BOGIS), which aims to better integrate informal settlement residents into land titling processes.

Complexities around land tenure and ownership in Maiduguri lead to frequent contestation and evictions, with lowest income groups the most vulnerable. This project will conduct action research to unearth ways to tackle uncertainties around customary land tenure processes and advance the interests of disadvantaged groups.

The Mogadishu pilot seeks to increase tenure security and access to justice for informal settlers and internally displaced people (IDPs). While informal and formal mechanisms for securing rights exist currently, they are complex, confusing and rarely used effectively.

Building on a model already used in IDP camps and on policies accepted by the state government, researchers will work with informal settlement residents to support them in navigating these adjudication mechanisms more effectively, and conduct action research around the processes themselves.

With ACRC’s foundation phase research in 12 African cities drawing to a close, the next phase of the programme centres around implementing action research interventions in a smaller number of cities.

Of the four pilot project cities, Nairobi and Harare have been chosen to progress to the final implementation phase of the ACRC programme, along with Lagos, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana. The complete line up of cities for the next phase of work will be confirmed at the end of the year.

For more information about the work of the ACRC, visit .

GDI’s Professor Stephanie Barrientos Joins Fair Trade Foundation’s Board of Trustees

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:23:07 +0000

Global Development Institute Emeritus has been elected as a member of the .

Stephanie’s appointment follows 25 years’ worth of research experience in corporate social responsibility, trade and labour standards, gender, and fair and ethical trade in global value chains.

Stephanie gained recognition for her involvement in exploring the social and economic sustainability of Cadbury’s cocoa supply chain. The project covered Ghana, the Dominican Republic and India.

The team’s findings showed that poverty, gender inequality, and poor social provisions for cocoa farmers and workers were contributing to low productivity and threatened the sustainability of future production.

In response to the findings, Cadbury instigated major supply chain changes and obtained Fairtrade certification for key chocolate lines. Mondeleze subsequently launched the Cocoa Life programme, dedicating over £45 million to support cocoa growers and their communities.

Stephanie’s more recent work includes research into the contribution of women in global value chains. Through projects, such as the UK government-funded Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW), Stephanie has directly influenced gender equality strategies across a range of corporations, bringing direct benefits to more than 390,000 workers in their global value chains.

Stephanie is currently working on a book about fairer trade in global supply chains as part of a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship (2023-25).

Watch Professor Stephanie Barrientos, discuss her recent book Gender and work in Global Value Chains: capturing the gains? ():

Ұ�� researchers secure £2 million to establish how satellite and drone data can support socially just conservation

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 11:40:32 +0000

Advances in Earth Observation (EO) are transforming how we understand and respond to the global biodiversity crisis but are also creating urgent social justice challenges for people living in conserved lands.

EO data, derived from technologies such as satellites and drones, are increasingly integral to the design and management of conservation efforts globally. But the social impacts of the ‘technological turn’ in conservation are poorly understood – a troubling oversight given that conservation actions impact millions of lives.

The prevailing discourse around EO in conservation hails its potential to support delivery of environmental benefits. But this techno-optimistic discourse obscures the ways that use of EO also threatens to exacerbate existing and enact new social harms in conserved lands.

EO can be a valuable resource for battling injustice, such as when indigenous communities use EO data to strengthen land claims. But at the same time, drones are being used as part of conservation surveillance in places where suspected poachers are shot on sight. Microsatellite arrays developed by commercial entities are mapping conserved lands to centimetre-scale resolutions, with few safeguards against the harms this non-consensual visibility could bring to marginalised peoples.

Co-lead said:

The Justice in Earth Observation for Conservation research project aims to transform knowledge about the justice benefits and risks of increased use of EO data and technologies in conservation. As an action-oriented project, researcher will work directly with people developing, using, and impacted by EO data to understand and reform data-driven conservation practice, thereby enabling just and effective responses to the biodiversity crisis.

said:

The project approach is organised into three phases: revealing, reimagining, and transforming conservation EO datascapes. It will analyse the datascapes associated with four case study sites where EO is increasingly important in conservation governance: the Maya Biosphere Reserve (Guatemala), the Peak District National Park (UK), Albufera Natural Park (Spain) and the Mount Kenya Ecosystem (Kenya).

By framing these landscapes as embedded within larger-scale EO architectures, the project will gain unique insights into how factors inside and outside landscapes coalesce to produce different experiences of EO-data-driven conservation (in)justice.

The research team is formed of Rose Pritchard (The University of Ұ�� (UoM), UK; PI), Tim Foster (UoM; Co-PI), Charis Enns (UoM), Laura Sauls (George Mason University, USA), José Pablo Prado Córdova (Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala), Klerkson Lugasa (independent consultant, Kenya), Marina Requena Mora (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain), Casey Ryan (University of Edinburgh, UK) and Johan Oldekop (UoM).

For more information on the issues read the open access article by Natalie York and the research team.
For project updates, to the newsletter.

Two new professors at the Global Development Institute

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:30:29 +0100

Two GDI academics, Ralitza Dimova and Farhad Hossain, have been recognised for their contributions to Development Studies and made Professors.

has become Professor in Development Economics.

Ralitza’s research focuses on labour market issues in less developed countries, particularly those in Francophone West Africa and the Middle East and North Africa. She is particularly interested in the implications of intra-household decision making and social norms for labour market outcomes and food security. Her recent and ongoing field work involves behavioural field experiments.

Ralitza is currently part of the research project, , funded by Horizon Europe.

has been promoted to Professor in Public Management and International Development.

Farhad’s research focuses on administrative culture, public sector reform, decentralisation and local governance, NGO management, organisational behaviour and HRM, and policy and organisational aspects of microfinance institutions. He has published several books including and .

New International Advisory Board helps GDI chart the future of global development

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 14:19:14 +0100

The Global Development Institute is delighted to announce the formation of its new International Advisory Board. The board brings together high-level expertise and insights from a range of individuals based within international agencies, NGOs, think tanks, academic institutions and the private sector.

The Advisory Board is chaired by Professor David Hulme OBE and will provide external perspectives on the strategies and priorities for research, impact and teaching within GDI. It will regularly meet to reflect upon GDI’s current plans, activities and strategies, helping to keep the Institute firmly linked into the broader community of global development policy and practice.

The board held its first virtual meeting in June 2023. It discussed the strategy and future positioning of the Global Development Institute within a rapidly changing external context. The meeting also discussed the Institute’s wider contribution towards Development Studies going forward. Suggestions from board members were subsequently discussed by GDI academics at a recent strategic away day.

GDI’s recently appointed Head of Department, Professor Sam Hickey said:

The Global Development Institute Advisory Board comprises of:

Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, African Union Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation.
Professor Stephanie Barrientos, Emeritus Professor in the Global Development Institute, University of Ұ��.
Professor Anthony Bebbington, International Director of the Natural Resources and Climate Change program at the Ford Foundation.
Rory Brooks CBE, co-founder of the international private equity group MML Capital Partners and inaugural Chair of The University of Ұ��’s International Advisory Board.
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS and an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Professor Laura Camfield, Professor of Development Research and Evaluation, School of International Development, University of East Angelia.
Dr Beth Chitekwe-Biti, Director of the secretariat of Slum Dwellers International.
Professor David Hulme OBE, Professor of Development Studies at The University of Ұ��.
Professor Inge Hutter, Rector of the International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, of Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Professor of Participatory and Qualitative Research in Population and Development.
Dr Samuel Munzele Maimbo, Chief of Staff in the Office of the President of the World Bank Group.
Dr Imran Matin Executive Director, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development.
Professor Emma Mawdsley, Reader in Human Geography at The University of Cambridge, Vice-Principal of Newnham College, and Director of the Margaret Anstee Centre for Global Studies.
Professor Tania Murray Li, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto.
Professor Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira, Research Professor at FGV (FundaçãoGetulio Vargas), Brazil.
Professor Imraan Valodia, is Professor of Economics; Pro Vice-Chancellor: Climate, Sustainability and Inequality; and Director of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits).

Read the full biographies of the .

Three GDI academics receive prestigious Hallsworth and Leverhulme fellowships

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 09:21:02 +0100

Dr Elisa Gambino was the recipient of the Hallsworth Research Fellowship. The three-year fellowship will begin in January 2024 and will explore “African hubs, Chinese trade, and global circulation in West Africa”.

Her study will take a new approach, investigating more diffuse, smaller-scale patterns of investment and the entrepreneurial networks driving it. Deploying a mixed-method strategy combining survey, interview, and ethnographic data, it analyses how the internationalisation of Chinese private capital and the attendant proliferation of transnational trade networks are reshaping regional integration in West Africa. By providing a fuller account of Chinese outward engagement, the project contributes to wider political economy debates about how its rising power is reconfiguring economic globalisation.

Dr Smith Ouma, currently a post-doctoral researcher on the African Cities Research Consortium, was awarded a 36 month Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship. His project will be on Data Justice land struggles and right to the city in the global North and South.

Professor Stephanie Barrientos has been awarded the Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship for two years (October 2023-2025) to work on a book on Fairer Trade in Global Value Chains. The award is in addition to her Emeritus Professorship at the University of Ұ��. Below is an abstract from her forthcoming publication: Fairer Trade in Global Value Chains: Does it Work?

Peace in Sudan depends on justice for the Darfur genocide

Wed, 24 May 2023 15:24:38 +0100

Written by

I asked the pilot to deviate from our approved flight path and go low over Darfur. It was 2003 and I was the United Nations Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator in Sudan investigating reports of violence. What I saw was a genocide unfolding on my watch. This was a decade after the 1994 Rwanda genocide, which I also , and where we had sworn “never again”. But , watching village upon village burning.

Large-scale horrendous brutalities were being committed across Darfur, a region in western Sudan that’s roughly the size of France. They were , targeting black African ethnic groups such as the Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit. Eyewitness testimonies indicated that were Arab militia, with Sudanese government backing. The was the permanent removal of the black population in the area so that nomadic Arabs could take over.

��ܻ岹��’s has deep roots. It goes back to its ancient role as a marketplace for . The subsequent divide-and-rule and militarised dictatorships further entrenched it.

Between 2003 and 2005, half of Darfur’s population of 5-6 million was . Their fragile means for surviving the arid environment – such as wells and irrigated farming – were completely . At least 200,000 , and thousands of women and girls were raped.

This was – as was confirmed by Sudanese authorities with whom I remonstrated. When they told me that they wanted a “final solution” to the Darfur insurgency, I was left in no doubt that the 1948 – which prohibits ethnically targeted destruction – applied.

The UN and world powers to listen and for speaking out publicly. But extensive lobbying extracted a in 2004, and the first-ever to the International Criminal Court in 2005. This meant that the court could exercise jurisdiction over Sudan and initiate formal investigations.

It was gratifying to provide evidence that enabled Omar al-Bashir to enter history in 2009 and 2010 as the for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. He was alongside who obstructed us in bringing relief to Darfur.

But this was no consolation - Bashir remained in power despite international arrest warrants. Meanwhile, Darfuri lands, emptied of their African inhabitants, were rehabilitated with generous and by Arab groups. With the demography of the region changed, this is a clear example of ethnic cleansing.

As humanitarian affairs, with particular expertise in tackling crimes against humanity, disaster and conflict management, I argue that without – justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by involving those who have been affected – there cannot be peace.

The failure to hold Darfur rights abusers accountable emboldened the national government and security apparatus to redouble their oppression around Sudan. This ignited several violent rebellions and inevitable countrywide instability. In fact, the crisis in Sudan today involves key military players who rose to power under Bashir during this time.

Darfur’s toxic legacy

In 2013, as a Special Representative of the , in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan state the scorched-earth policies of its governor, Ahmed Harun. He was a close associate of Bashir. Even though Harun had been in 2007, he carried out new ethnically targeted crimes against black Africans of the Nuba and in Blue Nile state. His tactics were further of what he had deployed in Darfur a decade earlier.

Bashir and Harun effected the original Darfur genocide through their militia, alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces. The Janjaweed were then formalised into the Rapid Support Forces. They were strengthened through for border control to stem refugee flows into Europe. They gained further combat experience and money by being recruited to fight in .

The international community’s pragmatic Sudan policy has favoured quick fixes rather than systematically tackling underlying problems. are also in play as nations vie for access to ��ܻ岹��’s, and riches. And so, deal-making trumped principles to boost the perpetrators instead of demanding their accountability.

��ܻ岹��’s military elites triumphed further when the international community undermined the popular pro-democracy uprising that led to . In a massive policy error, the UN, US and EU pushed for a that left Bashir’s military successors in control: Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – aka Hemedti – for the Rapid Support Forces.

The violent power competition between these two generals is the immediate trigger to ��ܻ岹��’s current conflict. There are consequences amid that repeatedly fail.

Making peace

Peacemaking is never easy, but conflicts hallmarked by war crimes and crimes against humanity are impossible to end without restorative justice. Extraordinary hurts necessitate through grieving, forgiving and healing. That requires acknowledging wrongs done, penalising wrongdoers, compensating victims and their suffering through monuments that become places of pilgrimage to educate future generations.

That is how the helped post-Nazi Germany and Europe to move on. And how the strove to heal the Balkans from the 1995 genocide.

Justice is best served closest to the people who suffer but, at the same time, crimes against humanity in one place are crimes against all humanity everywhere. So, the whole world must be part of legal processes that ensure transparency and fairness, provide lessons and reset global norms. The tribunals for the 1970s and 1994 genocides did that with hybrid domestic and international mechanisms.

Where this does not happen, old wounds fester, even ancient ones such as those from the genocide a century ago or the 1930s genocide of Ukrainians. More recently, the unrectified genocides of the , and , and in continue to cause turmoil and encourage impunity. That is why “never again” is happening “again and again”.

Shabby peace deals

There is no shortage of mediators for ��ܻ岹��’s current crisis. But their impatient peace panaceas underestimate the impact of the generation-long Darfur genocide and its direct connection to current events. Shabby deals for short-term gains – appeasing the generals and further consolidating their power at the cost of civilian democracy – will unravel.

The bulk of the Sudanese at the centre, by an Arabic elite – authorities, intelligentsia, rich – ignored the generation-long inhumanities at the peripheries of their vast land. But, sooner or later, there is no alternative to the path to peace in Sudan that is walked hand-in-hand by all its diverse peoples.

This will be a long journey. Short-changing justice and accountability will make it longer still. The handover of Bashir and other indictees to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in Darfur should be integral to all peace negotiations, and a condition for aiding recovery. Furthermore, fresh crimes being committed in the current conflict must not go unpunished.

��ܻ岹��’s stakeholders in Africa, the Middle East and globally serve the nation best – and also their own self-interests – by not standing in the way of peace through justice.

, Professor Emeritus in Global Health & Humanitarian Affairs,

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Global Development Institute staff and alumni recognised for their commitment to social responsibility

Fri, 12 May 2023 13:41:33 +0100

We are delighted that staff and alumni from the Global Development Institute have been recognised at two University award ceremonies, the Volunteer of the Year Awards and Making a Difference Awards.

Rita Robert Otu graduated from GDI with an MSc in International Development (Economics and Management of Rural Development) in 2007. She was recognised at this year’s Volunteer of the Year Awards for her work to help fight hunger and empower local farmers, in particular women, in her home country Nigeria.

The Making a Difference Awards, saw GDI linked projects Highly Commended in two categories. The awards recognise the impact our staff, students, alumni, and external partners are having on the social wellbeing of our communities and wider society.

The Muungano-Community Savers-GDI Teaching Alliance were highly commended in the Outstanding teaching innovation in social responsibility category for ‘Decolonising development pedagogies while supporting inclusive development practice’. The project brings together GDI researchers, Nicola Banks, Diana Mitlin and Maria Rusca with Muungano wa Wanavijiji in Kenya, Shack/Slum Dwellers International and Community Savers in Ұ��.

Our alumna Malavika Krishnan was high commended in the Outstanding social innovation and environmental impact category for ‘One thing that should never be taken away from you is your education!’

Volunteer of the Year Awards

Alumni winner Rita Robert Otu has been helping fight hunger and empower local farmers, in particular women, in her home country Nigeria since she graduated with an MSc in International Development (Economics and Management of Rural Development) in 2007.

Rita grew up in a community that suffered from poor nutrition, specifically a lack of vitamin A. UNICEF estimates that at least one in two children under 5 years old suffer from this ‘hidden hunger’ due to nutritional deficiencies in Nigeria.

But she has returned home an “assertive, pragmatic, go getter” to found Beau Haven Farms, a social enterprise that empowers communities to address malnutrition and lack of economic opportunity with environmentally sustainable farms.

Rita, a United Nations Empower Women Global Champion, has also led the initiative ‘Uforo Iban Uto Inwang (#She’s Empowered Through Agriculture) to enable 50,000 women, especially widows, to build their financial and entrepreneurial skills and self-confidence to start their own commercial cassava farms. And she has volunteered with HarvestPlus Nigeria, raising awareness of good nutrition and farming opportunities at an event attended by 5,000 Nigerians.

Making a Difference Awards

Outstanding teaching innovation in social responsibility
Muungano-Community Savers-GDI Teaching Alliance, Decolonising development pedagogies while supporting inclusive development practice

This project involved co-producing a series of teaching innovations to decolonise development studies teaching and give students first-hand insight into the strategies and practices of community activists fighting for more inclusive urban development in Ұ��, Kenya and Uganda. It offers critical balance to traditional pedagogies that prioritise engagement with development theories and professional practice by bringing unheard voices into the classroom. These teaching innovations have simultaneously paved the way for the Global Development Institute to help facilitate and support the emergence of a new network of women’s savings groups across Ұ�� and Sheffield, thus strengthening global urban development practice.

Outstanding social innovation and environmental impact
Malavika Krishnan, One thing that should never be taken away from you is your education!

This project aimed to ensure that inequalities and the pandemic aren’t a reason for poor learning outcomes. It supported government school students who are discriminated against in schools and receive insufficient pedagogical attention, to ensure that the pandemic does not exacerbate these existing inequalities. As part of Chalo Padhe Online, this project supported 200 girls and students from lower-income families in Delhi with school supplies, smartphones, internet packages and specialised online learning programmes.

Prof Sam Hickey becomes Head of the Global Development Institute

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 11:29:10 +0100

has taken up the role of Head of the Global Development Institute. Sam follows on from who completed his term at the end of March.

Sam will oversee both the strategic direction and the day to day running of the institute over the next three years. He will also oversee the first cohort of undergraduates at the Institute who will begin the BSc Global Development this September.

Sam’s research focuses on the politics of development including issues of state capacity and elite commitment, natural resource governance, gender equity and the politics of social protection and social justice.

He is currently Deputy CEO of the , a six-year programme funded by FCDO, which seeks to generate new insights and approaches to tackle complex problems in Africa’s rapidly changing cities, and enable them to become more productive, equitable and inclusive. He previously, served as joint Director of Research within the DFID-funded (ESID) Research Centre, which pioneered work around the politics of development, and concluded in 2019.

He is also President of the Development Studies Association, a UK based membership organisation for all those studying, researching and teaching in the field of global development. His term will end this summer.

Sam will be joined by a number of new members of the GDI’s Senior Management Team, who will serve until 2026. becomes Deputy Director (Teaching and Learning) alongside Deputy Director (Staff). is Director of Undergraduate Teaching and is Director of Postgraduate Teaching. is Director of Research, whilst will remain Director of the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Doctoral College. becomes chair of the GDI Forum.

Low emission energy systems can create water conflict without smart design

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 16:32:02 +0000

A new study published today in has found that using hydropower dams to generate low emission energy can cause problems for other economic sectors such as food production unless smart designs are employed.

Access to sustainable electricity is required to deliver the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, but over 700 million people around the world still lack reliable electricity access. Renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind and solar are increasingly being called for to meet rising global electricity demand and climate objectives, and energy planners and investors are rushing to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production.

The most common large-scale renewable energy today is hydropower – it accounts for 40%, with 55% coming from solar and wind. Hydropower’s big advantage is its flexibility – the ability to turn it on or off quickly means it can act like a vast battery, balancing the grid when wind and solar power are insufficient. When operated strategically, it can allow systems to reply more on those intermittent sources of energy.

However, a study led by experts from The University of Ұ�� has found that operating hydropower exclusively with this goal can have a negative impact on other sectors like food production which rely on the current way most hydropower dams are used – the production of a consistent supply of ‘baseload’ energy.

It highlights how power generation systems are embedded in complex human–natural systems in which changes affect water, food and the environment to differing degrees. The study shows how cleverly diversifying renewable energy sources and connecting them strategically can enable the creation of low emission resource systems that help the global fight to mitigate climate change.

In Ghana, the researchers used a design tool assisted by artificial intelligence to show how balanced management and investment strategies can help to calibrate good roles and locations for hydropower, bioenergy, solar and wind energies. They found that the solution is a better design brought about by strategic thinking on a national scale and careful multi-sector analysis.

If avoiding multi-sector conflict of hydropower reoperation is an objective from the start, and mitigated with advanced system-scale design methods, excellent solutions can be found which reduce emissions as well as guaranteeing other economic sectors get water when and where they need it.

Navigating trade-offs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions requires significant policy and operational integration within governments, typically across multiple ministries - but few countries, if any, have the ability to identify and negotiate such issues. This design tool will help planners to consider the potentially negative impacts on water, food and ecosystems of inappropriately re-operating energy systems to exclusively increase intermittent renewables. Instead, it helps invest in power systems in a way that balances multisector performance while reducing CO2 emissions.

“Ghana has many development priorities alongside reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement,” said Dr Emmanuel Obuobie, Senior Research Scientist at Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). “This study shows how different environmental, economic and social objectives can be balanced at system scale when selecting infrastructure investments.”

Groundbreaking new analytical framework can provide economic benefits for Nile countries

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 16:35:07 +0000

New research led by The University of Ұ�� has developed unique river basin modelling software which, for the first time, combines reservoir management, economy-wide performance, and artificial intelligence techniques to design adaptive plans for various climate change situations.

Published in , it reveals solutions that can provide greater economic benefits for the nations affected by the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) - Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt - when compared with a negotiated proposal.

The dam has triggered political tensions between the three countries, with negotiations yet to reach an agreement on how to fill the reservoir and on its operation during periods of drought.

Uncertainty exists about the impact of future climate change on the Nile’s economies and water-dependent sectors - this further complicates the frictions over the GERD, which have been ongoing since 2011 and remain unresolved as work on the dam nears completion.

Negotiations have not thus far considered the impact of climate change on the dam, and proposals for its management often result in economic gains for one country being prioritised to the detriment of the others.

The implications of climate change uncertainty for the Nile’s hydrology (for example, streamflow and irrigation demands) and the economies of the countries it flows through (for example, future economic development trajectory, population growth and climate policies) mean non-adaptive dam management could perform poorly especially when rules are designed based on current and past conditions.

Adaptive management plans involve short-term actions and adaptation mechanisms as climate change unfolds, and using such plans to manage the Nile’s infrastructure helps it to better cope with climate change uncertainty. Designing management strategies for large dams in such ways benefits from a multi-dimensional approach to encourage collaboration, identify efficient trade-offs and optimise economic performance.

“Nile negotiations have aimed to produce static long-term agreements, but there is high uncertainty on the medium and long-term impacts of climate change on the basin’s rainfall, streamflow, temperature, and socio-economic systems - this paper proposes an analytical approach that can help design adaptive agreements given these uncertainties,” said Dr Mohammed Basheer, the first author of the paper.

This new study, which uses unique joint river-system and economy modelling simulators coupled with artificial intelligence techniques, enables the estimation of economic and engineering performance metrics under various management plans and climate change projections. It reveals how several compromises exist which can improve performance for all three countries compared to the latest published proposal.

Dr Amani Abou-Zeid awarded honorary doctorate

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:57:24 +0100

Below is the citation of Dr Amani Abou-Zeid by .

Chancellor, distinguished guests and colleagues I am privileged and honoured to present Dr Amani Abou-Zeid to you today.

To cover all of Dr Abou-Zeid’s achievements would take many hours but I’ll cram them into a nutshell. Dr Abou-Zeid graduated from the University of Ұ�� with a PhD in Socio-economic Development in 2001. She had great intellectual ability and great energy – successfully studying for a Masters degree at Harvard University while writing up her doctoral thesis. Over the 30 years of her distinguished career she has become one of the University’s leading alumni in the sphere of international development. Her links with Ұ�� continue - Amani chairs the Global Development Institute’s International Advisory Board for the African Cities Research Centre.

Dr Abou-Zeid, who is from Egypt, has served in leadership roles at international organisations including the United Nations Development Programme. Her early career focus on poverty reduction has broadened into infrastructure and energy programmes. In 2017, she was elected as Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union, the multilateral body which promotes cooperation and development in its 55 member states. Amani was re-elected for a second term in February 2021. She has advanced many programmes at the AU including the Single African Air Transport Market and the Broadband Commission for Africa.

Previously, Dr Abou-Zeid was Director of the African Natural Resources Centre at the African Development Bank. This innovative Centre supports African governments in the effective and inclusive governance of natural resources. Alongside this she forged deep links between the African Development Bank and Morocco and successfully contributed to the Bank's mobilization of concessional finance for low-income African countries.

Dr Abou-Zeid has received numerous international awards for her leadership and professional excellence. Accolades include being selected as one of Africa’s 100 Most Influential Women, being decorated by HM King Mohamed VI of Morocco, and being recognised as a World Young Leader by the European Union. In her spare time Amani competes regularly at desert car rallies.

Three aspects of Dr Abou-Zeid’s distinguished career stand out. First, her personal commitment to seeking to make the world a better place. The programmes she has run pursue the goal of social inclusion and not just economic growth: this is the contemporary challenge for the African continent. Second, Amani has shown the benefit of inter-disciplinary approaches to real-world problem solving. Her BSc is in Electrical Engineering, she has an MBA in Project Management and her PhD research focussed on the socio-economic analysis of poverty-reduction programmes. Third, Dr Abou-Zeid sets an example for women in high-level leadership positions. Her career has been in male-dominated institutions, but she has successfully broken through glass ceilings and championed gender equality. She provides an outstanding role model for the next generation.

Chancellor, I am very pleased to present Dr Amani Abou-Zeid to you for the Degree of Doctor of Social Science honoris causa.

Balancing economic policy outcomes for sustainable development

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0100

Researchers at the University of Ұ�� have which seeks to allow policymakers to identify development options which balance economic, social and environmental goals.

The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim at jointly improving economic, social and environmental outcomes for human prosperity and planetary health. However, designing economic policies that support advancement across multiple SDGs can be hindered by multi-sector economies and conflicting policies.

Governments are usually charged with crafting economic policies to achieve sustainable development but face challenges in optimising across sectors - ideally, policymakers and stakeholders would develop economic policies that create synergies and manage trade-offs between different goals.

To address the challenge of designing balanced, sustainable economic policies, researchers have developed a tool which combines economy-wide sustainability simulation with artificial intelligence-driven multi-objective, multi-SDG policy search and machine learning.

The framework the tool creates can help to develop consensus across often competing economic, social, and environmental government mandates. Using a case study of Egypt, the research shows that integrated policy strategies can help achieve sustainable development while balancing adverse economic, social and political impacts of reforms.

“Economy systems are complex with many competing sectors - the proposed artificial intelligence-based approach can help policymakers and stakeholders navigate economic complexities to design balanced policy interventions to progress towards the SDGs,” said Dr Mohammed Basheer, another author of the paper.

GDI recognised at Making a Difference Awards

Thu, 19 May 2022 12:23:13 +0100

Colleagues and alumni were recognised in the and categories.

The work of the Global Development Institutes researchers and alumni was recognised at The University of Ұ��’s .

The ‘Ageing Well In Place’ project won the Outstanding Contribution to Local and Civic Engagement Award. Professor Diana Mitlin and Whitney Banyai-Becker are working with Sophie King and residents of Hopton Court, a tower block, based near The University of Ұ��. The project brings together tenants, their housing provider, the Ұ�� Local Care Organisation, local voluntary and community sector organisations and two universities to co-produce solutions for elderly and vulnerable tower block tenants. It aims to generate the evidence and impetus to have the flats classified as a ‘Naturally Occurring Retirement Community’, gaining additional support for older residents.

The project stems from Diana’s longer-term support of the initiative, modelled on the Shack Dwellers International approach to community organising.

Sophie and Hopton Court organiser Tina Cribbin recently .

Our alumna was also recognised at the awards, receiving a highly commended in the category. Her project, ‘Musical Agriculture: A Song for Climate Change’, seeks to address challenges such as deforestation, climate change and environmental injustices, by using music and food to initiate a variety of educational programs for key groups such as women and children.

Rita commented: “Our world is facing many challenges, such as poverty, hunger, resource shortage, environmental degradation, climate change, and increased inequalities and conflicts. To address such challenges, The project Musical Agriculture (IWA-ANEM): A Song for Climate Change is directly related to five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and in helping to create a better world. Through the catalytic power of music, we confront environmental disaster and climate change. Our project uses music and food to initiate a variety of education focusing on women and children on topics such as sustainable agriculture, recycling, food security, Agroecology and environmental degradation. On behalf of People Environment and Sustainability (PEAS) Foundation, we want to say a big thank you to the University of Ұ�� for highly commending our projects for the Making a Difference (MAD) Awards, 2022. We want to thank our Sponsors and Partners; IFOAM Organics International, Semek Farms, Beau Haven Farms, Dr Unenobong Udoka (Paediatrician) and my other colleagues for their support towards the success of this project. A special thank you message to all the rural women farmers and children in Nigeria for their support and encouragement. We are grateful. A fight for Climate Change is everyone’s responsibility. Act Now!!!”

REF recognises GDI as the best place to do Development Studies research in the UK

Thu, 12 May 2022 10:12:38 +0100

The Global Development Institute is delighted that both the quality and impact of its research has been confirmed in the Research Excellence Framework 2021. In an impressive assessment across the board, GDI was the only Development Studies department to score 100% for its research environment. This measure considers how research and impact is organised and supported, as well as its contribution to the vitality and sustainability of Development Studies as a whole.

Overall, GDI research was ranked second in the UK for Development Studies. Over 85% of our research outputs were judged as either world leading or internationally excellent by an expert panel - the highest proportion within Development Studies. The impact of GDI’s research was also very highly rated, with our work overwhelmingly receiving the top ‘world leading’ grade.

GDI’s Managing Director, said “I’m very proud that the excellence of GDI’s research has been recognised in the latest REF assessment. We always strive to achieve both academically rigorous and socially relevant research, within a dynamic and supportive Institute. Excellent ratings across the board are a clear testament to this, and to the hard work of all GDI academics. To be the only Development Studies department to score full marks on the environment assessment underscores our commitment to support impactful research. It is clear evidence of the esteem the development community holds for GDI and its contributions to the field. The Global Development Institute is where critical thinking meets social justice, which the REF assessment wholeheartedly confirms.”

GDI’s research is organised around seven , which create a critical mass around key themes and issues. Groups are augmented by a number of major projects, such as the research centre, whose analytical framework is currently being built upon by the . The recently finalised project demonstrated an innovative interdisciplinary approach to practical development challenges, while shed important light on the economic integration and influences of the major emerging economies.

Impact lead, , commented “GDI researchers are tackling some of the most pressing questions in today’s rapidly changing world. For a University that places social responsibility as one of its key strategic aims, it’s great to see the impact of our research rated so highly in the REF. From improving corporate responsibility, helping development actors to better understand , developing innovative health treatments, and creating sustainable farming practices, GDI researchers are taking important steps towards addressing global inequalities.”

GDI’s REF 2021 assessment follows on a positive REF assessment in 2014, despite a larger field. Within the last few months the quality and relevance of our research has also been recognised in the QS World University Ranking by , and as part of The University of Ұ��’s impressive THE Impact Rankings for contribution towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

See the full REF assessment

New Open Access Book: The Politics of Distributing Social Transfers: State Capacity and Political Contestation in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:26:00 +0000

Social protection has risen to a prominent position on the global development agenda since the turn of the millennium. Considerable attention has been devoted to debating the merits of different policy designs and the political factors shaping the adoption of different models. Yet ultimately, the ability of any social transfer programme to deliver on its promises is dependent on the effective implementation and distribution of social transfers in line with its objectives.

Edited by , provides a systematic analysis of the political processes shaping the distribution of social transfers in six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In doing so, the book addresses a notable gap in recent research on social protection concerning the politics of implementation.

is available as a free, open access e-book and in hardcopy, published by Oxford University Press. It extends the analysis of the 2019 open access publication, , which challenged the assumption that the popularity of social protection programmes is driven by international development agencies. The research for both books was undertaken as part of the (ESID) research centre.

Individual chapters examine international and sub-national variation in programme implementation in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal and Rwanda. Each study draws upon a common analytical framework that highlights the importance of state capacity and reach, rooted in histories of state formation, and contemporary political competition in shaping the distribution of social transfers.

Comparative analysis of the case studies supports the view that variation in the capacity and reach of the state within countries is a centrally important factor shaping the effectiveness and impartiality of distribution. Yet state capacity alone is insufficient. Political competition and power relations shape how this capacity is actually deployed in practice.

As such, this book underscores the inherently political nature of implementation and questions common technocratic efforts to improve implementation by de-politicizing the social protection policy process.

Tom Lavers said: “Even where the implementation of social protection is relatively impartial, politics plays an important role in shaping programme choices and outcomes. Ultimately, the interactions and power struggles of state officials, politicians and social actors determine the ability of social transfer programmes to deliver on their objectives.”

New research funding for sustainable forest transitions announced

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 11:05:00 +0000

Reversing forest loss is essential for climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. We are pleased to announce that has been awarded a grant of €2 million to investigate sustainable forest transitions from the European Research Council.

aims to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of ecosystems such as forests. Amidst growing interest in natural climate solutions, such as tree planting schemes around the UN climate negotiations, the aims to restore 350 million hectares of forests globally by 2030 – an area larger than India.

While researchers have devoted much attention to deforestation, our knowledge of the processes driving the reverse phenomenon – reforestation, and their socioeconomic implications are poorly understood. This lack of understanding significantly risks undermining forest restoration efforts that are both environmentally effective and socially just.

Over the next five years, the REFOREST research project led by Dr Oldekop will investigate the environmental and social outcomes of reforestation processes. The project will analyse high resolution public social and environmental datasets at an unprecedented scale in Mexico, Brazil, India, Nepal - all countries with globally important forest cover. The results will be used to develop key performance indicators, data visualisations and spatial mapping tool to support to the design and evaluation of forest restoration interventions.

The REFOREST project builds on Dr Oldekop’s world-leading research into forests and livelihoods, and his numerous international collaborations. Previous research in Nepal showed that community forest management reduces both deforestation and poverty, while Nature Plants published work examining the mega trends that will affect forests over the next decade.

Dr Oldekop will lead a team of two post-doctoral research assistants and three PhD students. The team will work with four in-country partners and an international advisory board.

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Exploring the experiences of migrants living in Latin America through the Covid-19 pandemic

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 15:30:38 +0000

, Global Development Institute, and colleagues and , recently ran a to document the voices and images of migrants living in Latin America through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Funded by the SEED Social Responsibility Catalyst Fund, the competition sought submissions from migrants from any country in the world living in or moving across Latin America, as well as migrant organisations from any country in Latin America (South America, Central America and the Caribbean).

The competition received submissions from 10 different counties, which were judged by a panel of experts including migration specialists and photojournalists.

Submissions formed a , in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and a selection of the entries have been printed as a set of cards, which will be used in educational settings and to generate awareness about migration and how migration has been affected by Covid-19.

Black Professional Women face ‘concrete ceiling’ in career progression

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 12:16:46 +0000

Black Professional Women in England face an almost impenetrable ‘concrete ceiling’ when it comes to career progression, according to from The University of Ұ�� and Lancaster University.

There are more than 1.2 million Black and mixed-race women of Black heritage in England, many of whom work in organisations in diverse sectors and of varying types and sizes. However, despite their valuable contributions, they encounter several barriers that negatively impact their professional trajectories and hinder their progression to leadership positions.

Much of this can be explained by the fact that they live at the intersection of sexism and racism, a system of perverse discrimination that perpetuates inequalities and prevents career advancement. However, little is known about the barriers that they have to overcome to reach leadership positions.

The researchers examined the experiences of Black Professional Women (BPW) through interviews and an online survey, in addition to analysing the major research trends exploring the topic, in order to identify the unique barriers imposed on them at the workplace as well as to examine how they have defied and overcome those barriers.

Among their main findings, social, organisational and personal barriers were identified as main obstacles that Black professionals face in England, and a four element, racism, was present in all of these levels.

In the organisation or workplace, they found that lack of social capital and lack of transparency in promotion opportunities are the most prevalent barriers. They found that BPW face more than merely a racialised glass ceiling - they come up against a ‘concrete ceiling’ - an almost impenetrable barrier which requires exceptional skill and force to break through.

Participants perceived that organisational culture is set by those who lead and steer it. Without exception, the senior leadership of the organisations for which the interviewees work was shown to be entirely white and, commonly male.

Such lack of diversity at senior levels impacts the decisions taken and the direction, tone and culture of the organisation, all of which affect the lives of employees. The biases and stereotypes of BPW led to many participants feeling voiceless, or the need to ‘neutralise’ their cultural identity.

The researchers propose a number of recommendations to address this, including a proposal that organisations should engage in strategies to create safe space for active listening, sharing & allyship in the workplace, and that they develop a programme or set of materials to better understand, acknowledge and support diverse employee identities.

“We have seen a growing interest in race-related issues recently, but there is a long way to go for this to translate into a real impact on Black lives,” said Fernanda Teixeira of Alliance Ұ�� Business School. “For this reason, we focused on listening to the experiences of Black women at work and, based on the barriers to career progression reported by them, we propose some recommendations so that organisations' interest in having a more diversified leadership is transformed into action.”

It is hoped that this research, which was facilitated by Collaboration Labs, based at The University of Ұ�� with funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, undertaken in partnership with She Leads for Legacy, an organisation which seeks to reduce the barriers faced by Black female professionals aspiring for senior leadership and board level positions - will contribute to a wider conversation about gender and race inequality, and lead to positive change in the workplace.

“The unique challenges that Black women face in the workplace are real, pervasive and result in complex layers of discrimination and inequality – yet, despite a wealth of anecdotal evidence, there is a woeful lack of research into them,” said Sharon Amesu, Co-Founder of She Leads for Legacy. “We are delighted to partner with The University of Ұ�� and the researchers of Breaking the Glass Consultancy on this report, and to help organisations find better ways to support Black female colleagues.”

Outputs from the project were a comprehensive research report yet to be published, and its findings and recommendations will be taken forward in a as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences.

Matthew Tyce awarded Dudley Seers Memorial Prize

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 16:53:27 +0100

Dr Matthew Tyce has been awarded the prestigious Dudley Seers Memorial Prize for 2020.

Matthew has won the award for the best article in volume 56 of the Journal of Development Studies for his paper on Kenya’s horticultural sector entitled ‘A “Private-Sector Success Story”? Uncovering the Role of Politics and the State in Kenya’s Horticultural Export Sector’.

Each year the Journal of Development Studies awards the Dudley Seers Memorial Prize to the best article to appear in each volume of the journal. The award was judged by three independent panellists and the editorial board.

In the article Matthew shows that domestic political economy dynamics have played a more central role in Kenya’s horticultural success than has hitherto been recognised, in particular by shaping the inclination and ability of the state to perform various roles within the sector.

These findings challenge the market-focused readings, supporters of which seize Kenya’s horticultural success as an exemplar for their market-led beliefs, inadvertently assisted by GVC/GPN scholars who underplay the explanatory power of domestic political economy in favour of more transnational dynamics.

Dr Matt Tyce’s research explores the drivers of, and pathways to, economic transformation in late-developing countries, using a comparative political economy approach. He is currently a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the GDI, researching the politics of climate change, renewable energy and incumbency in Ghana and Kenya. Matt was awarded his PhD from the Global Development Institute in 2018.

You can read the paper abstract below, and the full open access article .

Abstract

Kenya’s horticulture sector is often heralded as one of sub-Saharan Africa’s principal success stories. The country has become the region’s largest exporter of fresh fruits, vegetables and cut flowers to Europe and the sector is a major source of foreign exchange, employment and poverty reduction. Generally, the existing literature presents this as ‘a private-sector success story’, whereby a supposed limited role for the state allowed the private-sector to develop independently and innovatively react to shifting global market dynamics and sourcing strategies of European lead firms. This reflects the fact that research on Kenya’s horticultural sector has been dominated by scholars from a Global Value Chains/Global Production Networks (GVC/GPN) tradition, who tend to neglect the explanatory power of domestic political economy. This paper challenges these market-focused readings, arguing that the Kenyan state – and particularly the broader political context in which it is located – has played a more important role in Kenya’s horticultural success story than has generally been acknowledged. Using an historically-grounded form of political settlement analysis, this paper shows how domestic political economy and state-business dynamics have fused with the more transnational factors identified by GVC/GPN scholars to drive rapid and constant growth in Kenya’s horticultural exports since the 1970s.

Researchers question Council land sales in Ұ��

Tue, 11 May 2021 15:39:23 +0100

The report highlights a lack of transparency around public land deals and questions whether Ұ�� City Council is getting value for money when disposing of its land assets to private developers.

The report estimates that Ұ�� may be paying nine times more for land in the rapidly gentrifying neighbourhoods of Ancoats and New Islington than it has received in revenue for land in the same neighbourhood. In some cases, prime city-centre land appears to have been leased to developers for hundreds of years for free, or a nominal amount of £1.

The researchers ask additional questions about the use of public land to build luxury apartments that are unaffordable to the majority of Ұ��’s residents. Despite the Council’s own policy that all new developments should include 20% affordable units, the report identifies numerous developments on public land that contain no social or affordable housing.

One striking case identified by the researchers is ‘Oxygen’: an £82 million, 32-storey luxury apartment complex that includes a gym, cinema room, 25-metre swimming pool and 5-star spa. According to data obtained by the researchers through the Freedom of Information Act, the Council leased land that matches the address of the Oxygen site to Store Street Developments (a company registered at the address of the Property Alliance Group) for a total of £1. No affordable or social housing provision is included in this development.

The report also raises concerns about the Council’s ‘Ұ�� Life’ partnership with Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the private equity company owned by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. The report estimates that over 4 hectares of public land have been transferred to ADUG in order to build over 1400 housing units, none of which are classed as affordable. On top of this, it has been reported in a that the Council receives none of the rental income from Ұ�� Life’s property portfolio.

The report calls for Andy Burnham to use his strong new mandate to follow the and establish a Greater Ұ�� Land Commission. This would mean that representatives of the public, private and voluntary sectors and academia can develop proposals for how best to use public land in order to address social and environmental needs.

The research was undertaken by (University of Ұ��) and Dr Jon Silver (University of Sheffield) in collaboration with local housing campaign group .

Dr Tom Gillespie, Hallsworth Research Fellow at the University of Ұ��, said:

“Like many cities, Ұ�� is currently facing a housing crisis and a climate emergency, and there is a shortage of both affordable and social housing and public green space in the city centre. In this context, it is worrying that the Council appears to be using public land to enable private developers to build unaffordable luxury apartments. The questions raised by this report indicate the need for greater transparency and accountability around public land disposals in the city”

Isaac Rose, campaigner from Greater Ұ�� Housing Action and Greater Ұ�� Tenants Union, said:

“The findings of this report indicate that the question of how we use our remaining public land assets as a city is of vital importance in the years ahead. We are calling on Andy Burnham — newly re-elected with a huge mandate — to keep to his manifesto commitment and establish a GM Land Commission, along the lines of that being developed in the Liverpool City Region. We are also encouraging councillors to do ward-level audits of disposed land and existing public land assets in their area, to begin a community-led strategy of using these resources for public good. This would mean prioritising council housing and green space on existing public land assets.”

Chloe Jeffries, campaigner from Climate Emergency Ұ��, said:

“Climate Emergency Ұ�� welcomes this important report. We hope it sparks a discussion about what is built, where, by whom and for whom in this city. As we have seen with Ұ�� City Council’s response to the climate emergency and its failure to reduce city-wide emissions, the development of public land is another example where there is a significant lack of transparency and failure to demonstrate taking into account the long-term interests of the city’s residents”.

Dr Jonathan Silver, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield, said:

“Public land is a valuable asset and in this work, we’ve tried to understand how this is disposed of and under what terms. We’d really welcome the Council responding to this research and explaining to the public the way they value land and whether in their opinion they are capturing the true value for the Ұ�� public. Land disposals are shaping our future city and we think this should be a key issue to be discussed and debated by the public who are ultimately the owners of such land.”

For more information:

Tom Gillespie, Hallsworth Research Fellow, University of Ұ��: thomas.gillespie@manchester.ac.uk.

Isaac Rose, campaigner, Greater Ұ�� Housing Action and Greater Ұ�� Tenants Union: isaac@tenantsunion.org.uk.

Chloe Jeffries, campaigner, Climate Emergency Ұ�� chloe@climateemergencymanchester.net.

The UK and the UN SDGs: Make or Break Time

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 09:00:00 +0100

This week, the UK government sought to put itself firmly in the global driver’s seat for cutting carbon. The Prime Minister an amazingly ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 78% from 1990 levels by 2035. This is world-leading, if delivered, and bolsters the UK’s role as chair of the COP26 (annual global meeting to tackle climate change) in Glasgow in November 2021. It allows the UK to claim that it is “putting its money where its mouth is”.

At one level this is good news, but, set against the context of recent UK policy changes this could be an attempt to hog the spotlight whilst leaving the stage. At the same time as the UK is claiming global leadership on decarbonisation it is relinquishing the global role it played with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The UK has a proud history of taking a lead in formulating and achieving UN goals. Around 2000 Clare Short, Gordon Brown and Labour Party colleagues made foundational contributions to 193 countries agreeing the UN Millennium Development Goals or MDGs (the predecessor of the SDGs) and energised MDG implementation. The goal of committing 0.7% of GNI to development assistance won cross-party consensus in 2005, was met in 2013, then enshrined in law in 2015.

In 2012-2015 Prime Minister David Cameron, of the Conservative Party, took on a key role in the formulation of the SDGs. He was the ‘rich world’ co-chair of the UN’s High Level Panel on post-2015 development goals and established a UK Cabinet Office-Department for International Development (DFID) team that fed directly into UN negotiations. One negotiator at the 70-seat meetings told me that the UK’s technical capacity and commitment was so trusted that “…sometimes the text from London is cut and pasted straight into the new draft document”. While many foreign aid agencies worked only on spending aid DFID collaborated with other UK departments (the Treasury, Environment, Trade) in an effort to achieve ‘joined-up policy’ in the UK.

But, those days of UK global leadership on poverty reduction and the SDGs have faded, as four recent policy actions appear to confirm. First in 2020 DFID, regarded by most professionals as one of the world’s best bilateral development agencies, was merged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) development is a secondary goal and ambassadors or high commissioners can weave diplomatic and geopolitical goals into UK development efforts. The FCDO has been steadily losing its dispirited senior officials from DFID ever since.

Second, the UK has reduced its aid spending from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%: in effect suspending the 2002 International Development Act. In the space of just a year, the aid budget will be slashed by almost one third, from £14.5 billion in 2020 to £10 billion this year. While the government has claimed that Covid-19 indebtedness makes this necessary work by the that this cut makes a ‘negligible difference’ to UK public debt. The cut reflects the UK reducing its moral commitment to helping the world’s poorest people.

Third, the reduction of the aid budget has been badly managed by FCDO. It has led to sudden reductions in humanitarian support for conflict victims in Yemen and Syria that may mean that people go hungry or die for lack of food. It has also led to the UK’s Conservative government-designed being slashed so that UK-developing country university partnerships on health, environment and scientific problems have been disrupted. (I must declare an interest here as the project I lead has been cut).

Finally, the Conservative’s much trumpeted of security, defence, development and foreign policy focuses on security and defence and says little about global development and the UK’s contribution to global public goods to achieve the SDGs. Scant attention is paid to key SDGs such as Goal 1 (eradicate poverty) and Goal 10 (reduce inequality).

So, the UK and its government appear to be at a crossroads. Is delivering on the global development commitments within its last election manifesto being replaced by big promises on decarbonisation?

UK withdrawal from genuinely contributing to global leadership is a possibility, but it is being energetically challenged by British civil society – NGOs, religious communities, independent media, think tanks, universities and others. Over the last 25 years many individuals and groups in the UK have committed themselves to the idea of a world that can meet the needs of all its people and of a Britain that thinks beyond its self-interest to contribute to global public goods and social justice for all. British civil society is for the UK to maintain its global role in achieving the SDGs.

While UK civil society may not have the mobile numbers of Boris Johnson (as ) or Rishi Sunak (as ), it can use morally and legally legitimate forms of advocacy and lobbying to get the government to see that achieving the SDGs will improve the future prospects of UK citizens now and in the future.

New project on migration management in Africa and the Middle East

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 13:44:24 +0000

The new interdisciplinary research project (2020-2024) is titled 'Effects of Externalisation: EU Migration Management in Africa and the Middle East' (EFFEXT).

The project produces knowledge on the dynamics of migration and the effects of the EU’s external migration management in Lebanon, Jordan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana and Libya. While previous studies have examined EU policies in continental Europe, this project examines the impact of the policies beyond Europe – providing new insights on these complex dynamics.

Bringing together scholars working on different case countries and aspects of migration, EFFEXT explores the broader landscape of migration policy in Africa and the Middle East. Preventing irregular migration has become a major European priority and to achieve this they have partnered with countries beyond their borders to develop an external infrastructure necessary to manage migration.

Migration plays an important role in development across countries in Africa and the Middle East so it seems paradoxical that they collaborate with European partners to reduce migration and increase returns. This project seeks to understand the incentives driving these partnerships and the impact beyond the European borders of these policies that aim to manage migration.

EFFEXT's research and findings will improve our knowledge and understanding of the impact of the EU's external borders, beyond continental Europe. This will inform the work of communities, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in improving the quality of migration policy at home and abroad. By producing excellent academic research, the project will also contribute to theory building in an under-explored area.

The project is based at the in Bergen, Norway and the GDI is one of the institutional partners alongside the (DIIS) and the at Oxford Brookes University.

will be leading this project at GDI and will be responsible for coordinating the Ethiopia case-study and work on analytical comparison and theory development across all case studies. He will be working with a post-doctoral researcher based in Addis Ababa. During 2021, they will prepare a desk review of Ethiopian national policies and European-Ethiopian relations on migration. From 2022, this will be followed up by interviews and analysis of the policy implementation and the impacts of external migration interventions in Ethiopia.

"I seized upon the opportunity of joining the EFFEXT project team as it gives me a great opportunity to explore some questions that have puzzled me for a long time as I have followed debates about African migration. Over the year, I have seen how common sets of practices and ideas about migration policy have spread across the continent. These are often supported by external donor funding, especially from the EU. This raises questions about the extent to which ideas of migration management and good policy practice balance the interests of African states and these donors."

You can find out more about the project, funded by , and keep up-to-date with the latest developments on or .

Research forecasts environmental disaster due to the disposal of menstrual products in India

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 09:42:29 +0000

Rising disposable income, intensive product marketing and NGO encouragement has seen more women in India adopting modern pads and tampons instead of traditional menstrual management methods. But this has resulted in adverse effects on environment and waste management systems, currently reaching 100,000 tons of waste per year, according to new research by Mariana Lopez.

India is home to 20% of the world’s menstruating women. While only 58% use menstrual products, the result is over 12 billion pads discarded in India annually. Modern, non-biodegradable products – which are 90% plastic - are now found in water supplies, piled on dumpsites, or left to be removed by waste pickers who are then exposed to diseases.

Despite using modern sanitary products, menstrual taboos still affect the ways women dispose of products, Lopez found. Women believe that menstrual blood is “bad” and can harm those who come into contact with it. Some users attempt to hide blood by wrapping them in plastic bags, increasing the waste’s lifespan. Other users also wash these products before disposing of them.

Lopez’s research estimates that by 2030 the number of discarded pads in India could reach 30 billion, equivalent to 800,000 tons of waste per year. If these products were also washed and wrapped, this would result in an extra 1,800 million tonnes of plastic and water. With countries such as China and Brazil also seeing increasing sales of modern menstrual products, the environmental impact is global and rapidly scaling.

To address these issues, Lopez is calling for policies that address stigma, and prioritise disposability as much as accessibility of products, in line with the different socio-cultural and religious needs as well as working with existing sanitation and waste management systems.

This issue is increasingly relevant as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause shortages in product supplies and mobility restrictions that are increasing the difficulties to dispose of these products and hampering waste pickers’ ability to manage this waste.

“We cannot simply promote the uptake and use of sanitary products without a more holistic approach to the life-cycle of the product and consideration of the consequences on the livelihoods of individuals who work in waste management. We must look at the taboo surrounding these issues, the culture in which people live, and the very practical issue of how these items can be discarded that does not impact public health or the environment. ”

Lopez conducted interviews with consumers, waste pickers and commercial, civil society and policy stakeholders across two locations in India to inform her research which .

Indian women experience far more Covid-related hardship than men, research finds

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:05:41 +0000

New research has revealed that women in India have suffered much more than men during the coronavirus pandemic, and in more ways than is usually recognised, due to pre-existing gender inequalities.

Professor Bina Agarwal from The University of Ұ��’s Global Development Institute found that women have suffered more job losses than men under the COVID lockdown, and their post-lockdown recovery has also been much lower. They face economic insecurity due to meagre savings and assets, double work burdens, digital inequalities, and restrictive social norms.

Urban women reported substantial or total loss of income during the lockdown. Those employed as domestic workers were laid off in large numbers - many went back to their villages, and most have not returned since as they are not easily rehired. Even the women who have managed to find jobs, or have re-established their trades as self-employed workers, have not had an equivalent restoration of incomes.

Poorer women with limited or no revival in earnings have had to deplete their meagre savings. Many have become indebted, and, in time, could be forced to sell their limited assets such as small animals, bits of jewellery, or even their tools of trade, such as carts. A loss of assets would seriously jeopardise their economic futures, and raises the spectre of deepening poverty, even destitution.

Indeed, women are disproportionately affected even when men lose their jobs. For example, the return of unemployed male migrants to their home villages has led to overcrowding in local jobs that women depend on. Women’s housework burdens - cooking, childcare and fetching firewood and water - have also risen substantially. The burden of food shortages has also tended to fall more on women, due to social norms where women eat last and least.

In addition, overcrowding of homes under COVID has intensified domestic violence, but many women cannot report this to the authorities due to lack of access to mobile phones. The research also found that male mortality due to COVID has adversely affected widowed women, who face restricted mobility and hence increased social isolation.

Despite all this, Agarwal’s research shows that rural women’s livelihoods have remained more viable when they are based on group enterprises. This is particularly apparent in Kerala, where the state government promoted women’s neighbourhood groups for savings and credit, and the members of these groups then took up joint enterprises, especially group farming.

Most of the 30,000 women’s groups in Kerala that had been cultivating collectively pre-COVID were largely protected from economic fallout, since they had group labour for harvesting, and many sold their produce to women-run community kitchens. In contrast, many individual male farmers lost their produce due to labour shortages or a lack of buyers. In eastern India, those farming in groups reported being more food secure, since they had higher foodgrain yields than the individual small farmers who had to depend on the less-reliable government public distribution system.

Agarwal argues that India has huge potential for expanding group enterprises among its 6 million self-help groups. During the pandemic, an estimated 66,000 women members of these self-help groups survived by producing millions of masks, hand sanitisers and protective gear. In rural areas, group farming could provide sustainable livelihoods for these groups.

The full report is available to view at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X20304393#b0185.

Irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa are consistently falling short of their promises

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 09:45:25 +0000

Irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa don’t measure up to their plans according to new research into the projects by scientists. Many of the schemes were found to be consistently delivering a much smaller area of irrigation or are completely broken and things aren’t improving.

Large-scale irrigation infrastructure projects are back on the development agenda in sub-Saharan Africa after a near 30-year hiatus, despite projects having had disappointing results, with social and environmental side effects outweighing benefits. Such projects are planned in response to water scarcity pressures and are seen as a solution to intensify agricultural production, support rural economic development and enhance resilience to climate change.

New Research, published in , from a University of Ұ��-led consortium quantified the performance of 79 African irrigation schemes. They did this by comparing planning documents to satellite-derived land cover maps to give the percentage of irrigation delivered and those that had stopped working. The found schemes are consistently underperforming and there have been no trends in project delivery success between 1948 and 2008.

The schemes delivered a median of 16% of the proposed area. 16 out of 79 were completely broken. 20 schemes delivered over 80% of the proposed area.

The University of Ұ�� led team argues that it is the political and management frameworks underpinning African irrigation development leading to the underperformance. The financial viability of schemes are limited by low value crops that are promoted for increased grain production and national food security. Secondly, proposals are unrealistic to start with: planning is afflicted with optimism bias and political requirements for on-paper profitable projects. And finally, schemes are managed by centralised bureaucracies, lacking technical expertise, local knowledge or financial resources to ensure long-term maintenance.

First author of the new research, Postdoctoral research associate at The University of Ұ��, Tom Higginbottom said: "Irrigation schemes have been constructed in sub-Saharan Africa for nearly 100 years, our research shows planners have consistently over-promised how much land can be developed and failed to achieve this. Future plans should be mindful of issues faced by previous schemes to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

“Our findings show that irrigation schemes are consistently smaller than planned and have non-trivial rates of complete failure, with no noted improvements over 60 years of development. These findings are consistent with evidence on outcomes from wider infrastructure mega-projects, which are often associated with large cost overruns and poor delivery compared to initial plans.” said Roshan Adhikari, The University of Ұ��

This research was supported by The University of Ұ��’s flagship £8M Global Challenge Research Fund project ‘F’

FutureDAMS CEO Professor David Hulme of The University of Ұ��’s , says: “One aim of The University of Ұ��’s FutureDAMS research project is to improve the planning and governance of water-energy-food-environment systems. We are delighted to produce this analysis which could assist in more sustainable development of Africa’s natural resources.”

Chrissie Wellington OBE wins Outstanding Alumni of the Year award

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 12:43:43 +0000

Chrissie Wellington is an iconic figure in the history of triathlon. She is the only triathlete, male or female, to have won the World Ironman Championship less than a year after turning professional. She is now Global Head of Health and Wellbeing at Parkrun.

In 2001, she graduated from The University of Ұ�� with a master’s degree in International Development, before becoming an advisor at the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). While at Defra, she negotiated for the UK at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and contributed to policy development, including post-conflict environmental reconstruction and water and sanitation.

Chrissie left the UK in 2004 to work for Rural Reconstruction Nepal, where she managed a community water sanitation and health project. On her return to the UK, Chrissie not only went back to Defra but also started competing in triathlons as an amateur athlete. She won the world age group championships in September 2006 and became a professional athlete in 2007, aged 30.

Her rise was meteoric. After winning a number of triathlon races around the world, she travelled to Korea to enter her first ever Ironman triathlon, a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile cycle and a 26.2-mile run, and won.

Chrissie’s win in Korea secured qualification for the World Ironman Championship in Hawaii which, less than a year after turning professional, she also won - a feat described by the British Triathlon Federation as a “near impossible task”.

Domination followed. Chrissie won three consecutive world titles and became world champion for the fourth time in 2011. She has held three world records, and two still stand eight years after her retirement: the overall ironman distance world record and the record for the cumulative time for all Ironman-branded triathlons.

Since retiring from competing, Chrissie has published two books, including her 2012 Sunday Times bestselling autobiography A Life Without Limits.

She is now Global Head of Health and Wellbeing at Parkrun, a charity which organises volunteer-led, free, weekly 5km events around the world. She came on board with Parkrun to develop the incredibly successful junior Parkrun series, and has since developed partnerships with the Royal College of General Practitioners as well as leading the establishment of events on the custodial estate around the UK, and overseas.

While Chrissie’s kudos as a world-class athlete opens doors, Parkrun’s chief operating officer Tom Williams says it’s not that which brings about the success she achieves: “She is a force of nature. Regardless of her achievements, her skills, her athleticism, she genuinely cares about doing things and doing the right things.

"She is not driven by financial motivation or ego – she is incredibly driven to do good things. The things we have achieved would not have happened without her.”

You can listen to Chrissie talk about winning the award and her achievements in a recorded by the Global Development Institute.

New research reveals ‘megatrends’ that will affect forests in the next decade

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 10:41:57 +0000

A group of experts from academic, governmental and international organisations have identified five large-scale ‘megatrends’ affecting forests and forest communities, published today in Nature Plants. These are likely to have major consequences - both positively and negatively - over the coming decade.

Around the world, 1.6 billion people live within 5km of a forest, and millions rely on them for their livelihoods, especially in poorer countries. They are also home to much of the world’s biodiversity, and regulate key aspects of the carbon cycle. In short, forests are vital in global and national efforts to combat climate change and biodiversity loss, and eradicate hunger and poverty.

Despite their importance, research on forests and livelihoods to date has mainly focused on understanding local household and community-level dynamics - identifying the links between human and natural systems at the regional and global scales is critical for future policy and action.

The five trends revealed by the research are:

1. Forest megadisturbances

Droughts and excessive precipitation are increasing forests’ susceptibility to diseases and human-induced wildfires and floods - this is leading to defoliation, tree mortality and declines in forest productivity at unprecedented scales, and there is increasing evidence that forest disturbance can result in the emergence of diseases with the ability to spread globally.

Policy responses to these disturbances will require balancing a range of mitigation and adaptation efforts - whilst opportunities and challenges are likely to arise from efforts to align forest conservation and restoration with other sustainability priorities, such as poverty alleviation.

2. Changing rural demographics

Increased migration to urban areas is causing an unprecedented exodus among forest-reliant communities. The effects of these demographic shifts, including forest resurgence on formerly agricultural lands and participation in decision-making, are not well understood.

Populations shifts could result in opportunities for effective forest conservation, whilst on the other hand could lead to deforestation as greater urban demand and large industrial projects are created.

3. The rise of the middle class

By 2030 the middle class in low and middle income countries will grow to almost 5 billion people - around 50% of the global population. The growth in demand that this creates will increase pressure on land and other resources.

Growing consumption and demand of commodities has already seen large scale corporate-led land acquisitions for industrial production of cattle, soy and palm oil in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Between 2001-2015, 27% of forest disturbance was attributed to commodity-driven deforestation. Further growth in demand and a continuing culture of consumerism will alter local and global consumption patterns, with potentially severe effects on deforestation rates, emissions, wildlife populations, ecosystem services and rural communities.

4. Use of digital technologies

Access to digital communication technology has grown exponentially in recent years, with a sevenfold increase in internet and mobile cellular use since 2000. The majority of this growth has come outside industrialised countries, and is likely to have a transformational impact on the forest sector. Technologies that collect and disseminate data are increasingly accurate and easy-to-use, including land mapping tools, real-time satellite data and crowd-sourced data.

Although they can be accessed by those involved in illicit activity such as logging and mining, these technologies also provide opportunities. Increasingly available data can benefit a wide range of forest sector stakeholders including policymakers, oversight bodies, non-governmental actors, managers and local communities. New technologies are already supporting the surveillance and certification of global production networks, which is aiding regulatory control of forest-based products and people threatening forests.

5. Infrastructure development

Large scale infrastructure projects such as China’s Belt and Road initiative are likely to have transformational impacts on forests and rural communities. To accommodate demand for energy, natural resources and transport, many countries have planned ambitious infrastructure growth.

By 2050, there is expected to be at least 25 million km of new roads globally to help facilitate commodity flow between transport hubs; governments in the Amazon basin alone are developing 246 new hydroelectric dams; and illegal mining activities are expanding rapidly across the globe. These can lead to forest loss, displaces people, disrupts livelihoods and provokes social conflicts as communities lose access to land and resources.

These five megatrends are creating new agricultural and urban frontiers, changing landscapes, opening spaces for conservation and facilitating an unprecedented development of monitoring platforms that can be used by local communities, civil society organisations, governments and international donors. Understanding these larger-scale dynamics is key to support not only the critical role of forests in meeting livelihood aspirations locally, but also a range of other sustainability challenges globally.

“The trends we identify are important, because they represent human and environmental processes that are exceptionally large in geographical extent and magnitude, and are difficult to reverse,” Oldekop says. “Developing a new research agenda that is able to better understand these trends and identify levers of change will require novel ways of combining new and existing data sources, the strengthening of existing collaborations between researchers, local communities and policymakers, as well as the development of new types of partnerships with public and private stakeholders.”

“The assembled expert panel is unique as it brings together a range of subject expertise, region-specific knowledge, as well as academic, governmental and non-governmental institutions, including international donor organizations,” adds Laura Vang Rasmussen, an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, and one of the lead authors of the report.

The report can be accessed at .

Researchers win new Grant to study the Role of Natural Resources in India-Africa Development Cooperation

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:06:08 +0100

The project, starting in October will research a particular aspect of India’s development cooperation activity linked to natural resources in Africa. This element is under-appreciated compared to other countries like China and Brazil, for whom natural resources are often discussed as a major motivator. However, India’s engagement in African oil and minerals is significant.

The project’s central question is how state-business relations and India’s natural-resource strategies affect the country’s development cooperation. This includes analysing where efforts to build bilateral relations have been focused and the rationale behind international partnerships like the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor and International Solar Alliance.

But equally crucial here is the role of India’s private sector. It conducts development activities independently, for instance through corporate social responsibility programmes. Private companies are also important agents in India’s government development cooperation activity, for example through ExIm loans.

and Professor Ricardo de Oliveira will be undertaking new research using interviews with key decision-makers and analysis of secondary material. The project seeks to provide a deeper conceptual understanding for the how and why of India-Africa development cooperation in the African context, unearthing new knowledge about India’s development cooperation and what, as well as who, drives its decision making.

This grant is awarded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) who are funding the India-UK Development Partnership Forum (IUKDPF), partly based in the Margret Anstee Centre at the University of Cambridge. The Forum aims to build knowledge and partnerships between India and the UK and is particularly focused on researching the rise of India as a development actor.

For more information regarding the project you can contact the researchers directly via email:

barnaby.dye@manchester.ac.uk or ricardo.soaresdeoliveira@politics.ox.ac.uk

Master of Leadership for Development  course launched in partnership with The University of Melbourne

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 15:32:10 +0100

The 100% online course, which will commence in March 2021, aims to strengthen the leadership capacity of professionals working in the global development sector and will be delivered jointly by The University of Ұ��’s (GDI) and the University of Melbourne’s (SSPS).

The collaboration is a flagship initiative of Melbourne’s ‘International Strategy 2017 – 2020’, which enables students to benefit from two world-class institutions and each university to reach new markets.

Melbourne’s academic team will be led by Dr Violeta Schubert, lecturer in development studies.

“The unique space of development calls for a different way of thinking about leadership,” Dr Schubert says. “There is great advantage in having a combined approach, across two world-class institutions. Working together, Ұ�� and Melbourne are able to offer incredible richness and depth in terms of case studies, expertise and a more holistic pedagogy.”

“Between us, we also have extensive links with industry, and students will be connected to global development thinkers, practitioners and influencers.”

The course is designed to respond to a changing global environment and build the leadership knowledge and capacity of managers, planners, policymakers, consultants, educators, entrepreneurs, researchers and community advocates working in or alongside the global development sector.

, Global Development Institute at the University of Ұ�� said: “I’m delighted to be collaborating with the University of Melbourne on this online Master of Leadership for Development. This first-of-its-kind innovative course will play a significant role in developing the necessary skills to make a real impact in key areas of international development such as poverty alleviation, addressing inequality, delivering social development and generally making the world a better place for all."

He added, “I believe the legacy of a course of this nature has the potential to be far-reaching”.

It will give students the opportunity to access resources from each institution, build international connections and study from anywhere in the world.

Professor Mark Considine, Provost at the University of Melbourne, said: “We are thrilled to join with the University of Ұ�� to offer this exciting new program. Each institution brings their global expertise to this joint degree making it a compelling offer."

“Global development couldn’t be more important than at this time and we are excited that our first collaboration with Ұ�� has the potential to make a tangible difference. We look forward to seeing the first cohort use their newly developed skills and global connections to positively impact communities around the world.”

Professor April McMahon, University of Ұ�� Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students stated: “We are excited to enter into this partnership with the University of Melbourne, building on our existing research links to collaborate on joint teaching programs in a flexible learning space. We hope Leadership for Development will be the first of many similar collaborations.”

The University of Ұ��’s GDI has been at the forefront of Development Studies for the last 60 years and spearheads the University’s efforts to tackle global inequalities. It ranks first in Europe and third in the world for impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Melbourne’s SSPS is also a well-established school and ranked 18th in the world for Development Studies (QS World University Rankings, 2019).

Global Development Institute secures £32 million for African Cities research

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 08:54:56 +0100

Researchers from the have been awarded a new research contract of £32 million to establish the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) as part of UK Aid.

Led by , ACRC and its international partners will tackle complex problems in some of Africa’s fastest growing urban areas. Over 6 years, research will generate new evidence to catalyse integrated, sustainable, inclusive approaches to urban development.

African Cities will approach urban areas as complex systems, undertaking engaged political analysis, in order to address large scale development challenges. A ‘city as a system’ approach aims to move beyond the sectoral silos of research and interventions by treating each city as a complex system. It builds upon the political settlements analysis establish by our research centre, and will integrate political and technical analysis undertaken alongside key players on the ground.

The African Cities Research Consortium brings together engaged partners including the UK-based , , and , African-based groups such as , and , as well as international organisations, such as the and the . Closer to home, it will utilise expertise from across The University of Ұ��, particularly within the and the Global Inequalities research beacon.

CEO Diana Mitlin said, “The long term prospects for much of Africa will hinge on creating more sustainable, equitable and inclusive cities. The African Cities Research Consortium will enable us to tease out the complexities and highlight potential solutions to improve urban centres across the continent.”

ACRC has the ambitious aim of generating new evidence to catalyse integrated, sustainable, inclusive approaches to urban development challenges. An initial focus on 13 cities - Accra (Ghana), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Bukavu (DRC), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Harare (Zimbabwe), Kampala (Uganda), Khartoum (Sudan), Lagos (Nigeria), Lilongwe (Malawi), Maiduguri (Nigeria), Mogadishu (Somalia), and Nairobi (Kenya) - will allow us to undertake focused, interconnected research that delivers real insights for local authorities, civil society and donors.

Tade Akin Aina, Executive director of the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), based in Kenya will be the Uptake Director for the Consortium. He said, “Covid-19 is highlighting structural inequalities within cities across Africa. By taking a holistic approach and bringing together communities with local authorities and donors, I’m confident the African Cities Research Consortium will play a vital role in improving urban areas.”

Tackling inequality is key for post-Covid economic recovery say experts

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 08:38:00 +0100

Safeguarding people's living standards, re-evaluating the role of key workers in society, and reducing racial and social inequality are crucial for the UK’s economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s according to a group of researchers and scientists who have contributed to a new released today (Wednesday, 30 September) by The University of Ұ��.

However, the academics also say that investing in local innovation, harnessing the green sector, and combating the climate emergency must remain key priorities for the government, despite the ongoing pandemic and impending second wave. have been identified by Ұ�� experts across five overarching universal subject matters (health, economic recovery, inequality, growth of the green sector and innovation).

On our economic recovery, Professor Bart van Ark, Managing Director of the newly-founded Productivity Institute at Alliance Ұ�� Business School, says: “As we are mitigating the impact from a second wave of new cases on public health, it is also critical to safeguard people's living standards. First, we need to limit the number of job losses as a direct result of the crisis and then we need to find a path to economic recovery that creates new jobs and raises their incomes.”

That includes key workers and the roles they have in society adds Professor Miguel Martinez Lucio from the Work and Equalities Institute: “There's been a lot of applause for NHS workers. There's been a lot of symbolic support. But amongst many work and employment academics, what we begin to realise, is that the real issue is that these workers have to be financially rewarded.”

James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Ұ��, says another pathway to economic recovery is the “devolution of innovation”. He explains: “The Ұ�� model of innovation – design, make and validate – is core to what we do here in Ұ��. We often refer to it as ‘make-or-break', accelerating from the initial discovery through to applications and bringing products rapidly to market.

“As we move towards a post-COVID world, we're now seeing new factors are increasingly important for customers and industry. For example, the need for local supply chains for the manufacture of things like personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used locally.”

sees world-renowned experts offer thought leadership and suggestions on how the global response to COVID-19 could also act as a catalyst to combat other major challenges. Some of the ideas are a complete shift in the way society currently looks at a range of global situations and solutions.

Professor David Hulme, Executive Director of the Global Development Institute, says: “COVID-19 has brought many issues into a very sharp focus. It's a health crisis, and at the same, time it's an economic crisis. But it may also be an opportunity to start to rethink some of the ways in which the world is governed and think about the strategies that countries and organisations have been pursuing.”

When it comes to combating climate change, Professor Alice Larkin from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Head of the School of Engineering, says: “There are two important lessons that we've learnt so far from the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, that our priorities can be different. And secondly, that change can happen quickly.

“These observations can also be harnessed to tackle the climate emergency because with everything going on in the world right now, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that we're in one.”

To tackle the roots of inequality, especially for ethnic minority communities who have been disproportionately hit hardest by the pandemic, Professor James Nazroo, says: “The outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic points to the need to establish a wide independent inquiry into ethnic inequalities in health, and one that moves to focus on recommendations to address the fundamental causes of these long-standing and profound inequalities.”

For more information and to view all the lectures visit manchester.ac.uk/covid-catalysts

Filling Africa’s largest dam risks political tension if engineering realities are ignored

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0100

A hydro dam currently under construction in Ethiopia is set to be the largest hydropower plant in Africa, but could be heading towards controversy for international agreements on water sharing.

from a University of Ұ�� led consortium points out that some negotiated strategies for filling Ethiopia’s new Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dam could be infeasible in critical river flow conditions due to the limited ability of the dam to release water at low water levels.

The University of Ұ�� led team argues that the possible inability of the dam to follow an eventual international agreement could create controversy and complicate future efforts to share water and electricity in East Africa.

The GERD dam, a large hydropower dam with an installed capacity of 5,150 Mega Watts, is under construction on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia. Construction began nearly a decade ago and when completed, the GERD will be the largest hydropower plant in Africa and the tenth largest globally.

The main purpose of the dam is domestic and regional electriﬁcation and it is expected to improve electricity access in East Africa through existing and planned power interconnections. But realising beneﬁts will require ﬁlling the associated reservoir by retaining water that would have otherwise ﬂowed downstream.

The volume of the GERD reservoir is around 1.5 times the average annual ﬂow of the Blue Nile. This means filling it up in one go is out of the question, as that would prevent any water from flowing downstream and deplete most of the Nile river.

Debate on the GERD’s filling have been ongoing since the dam was announced. Negotiations between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt on the initial reservoir ﬁlling and long-term operation of the GERD took place in Washington in November 2019 to February 2020.

The Ұ�� team state that the consideration of engineering constraints due to the dam design and construction should inform negotiations over initial reservoir filling to help prevent unnecessary political tension later on.

First author of the new research, PhD student at The University of Ұ�� and a , Mohammed Basheer says: “Because the design and construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile were carried out before a transboundary agreement, the ongoing negotiations between the Ethiopian, Sudanese, and Egyptian governments over the initial filling and long-term operation of the dam must consider the engineering characteristics of the dam outlets.”

The African Union convened further negotiations in July and August 2020. An agreement has not been reached but several proposals have been made and discussed. So far, negotiations have not fully recognised the engineering requirements of the dam including the hydraulic capacity of the dam’s outlets, which determines how much water it can release.

Lead senior author Professor Julien Harou, Chair of Water Engineering at The University of Ұ�� comments: “Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt are at a crossroads regarding their ability to collaboratively manage the limited and stressed water resources of the Eastern Nile. Preventing eventual predictable sources of contention will help the three countries avert political tensions and lay a foundation for trust, collaboration, and regional prosperity.”

This research was partially supported by The University of Ұ��’s flagship £8M Global Challenge Research Fund project ‘Future Design and Assessment of water-energy-food-environment Mega-Systems’ ().

FutureDAMS CEO Professor David Hulme of The University of Ұ��’s Global Development Institute, says: “One aim of The University of Ұ��’s FutureDAMS research project is to reduce possible negative impacts of river infrastructure development. We are delighted to produce this analysis which could assist in the negotiated use of East African natural resources.”

is one of The University of Ұ��’s - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

Kunal Sen is awardee of the 2020-22 V.K.R.V Rao Chair Professorship

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:14:52 +0100

is Professor of development economics at the Global Development Institute and served as Joint Research Director of the Effective States and Inclusive Development research centre. He is also currently based at UNU-WIDER where he is their director.

The is named after one of India’s most important economists, is awarded biennially to scholars of international eminence, and is one of India’s most distinguished visiting chairs.

The chair is awarded to scholars with significant academic or policy contribution and has been held by renowned economists such as Ravi Kanbur – Professor of Economics at Cornell University and a former Chair of the UNU-WIDER Advisory Board – Gita Gopinath – at Harvard University and currently the Chief Economist of the IMF – Kaushik Basu – former Chief Economist of the World Bank and currently at Cornell University –T. N. Srinivasan – Chairman of the Department of Economics at Yale University – and Michael Goldman, David E. Bloom, and Ashutosh Varshney.

As Chair, Kunal will spend a few weeks at ISEC and will interact with faculty and students, give lectures and seminars to PhD students, and undertake collaborative research.

, established in 1972 by the late Professor V.K.R.V Rao, is a national centre of excellence specializing in interdisciplinary research and training in social sciences and analyses of critical issues affecting the transformation of economy, polity, and society.

Sam Hickey elected president of Development Studies Association

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 10:42:59 +0100

Sam Hickey, Professor of Politics and Development, has been elected as president of the (DSA), taking over from .

Sam forms part of the and is currently joint Director of Research within the DFID-funded .

He also served as part of the DSA board, leading on DSA publications alongside and co-chaired the 2018 DSA annual conference which was held at The University of Ұ��.

Sam commented:

"I was delighted to be elected by acclaim as DSA’s new President during our highly successful annual conference #DSA2020. Having the support of members, to go along with that of my fellow Council members, who nominated me in the first place, will help drive my efforts to work with the Council and the wider membership to ensure that the DSA continues to strengthen our community and promote development studies more broadly.

We all know that the UK development community faces significant challenges in the coming years. Just as COVID-19 emphasised the need for a deeper appreciation of global interconnectedness and greatly improved forms of global cooperation, the move to merge DFID with the FCO signalled a move towards a more self-interested and parochial positioning of ‘global Britain’. Confronting these and other challenges will require that the DSA continues to open itself up to new and more diverse audiences and allies, plays an even stronger role in shaping public debates around development and seeks new ways to develop and adapt our discipline to new realities. We have already started to move in this direction. The past month has seen DSA Council issue three public statements on critical issues: , and .

What matters now is to not only maintain a public voice on critical issues but to start pushing more directly for the types of changes that we’re calling for. On the DFID-FCO merger, we will continue to advocate for development cooperation to have a strong and autonomous institutional presence within government. However, an international development paradigm focused on aid has only ever been part of the wider project of global solidarity and cooperation that is now required more than ever. Development studies needs to adapt to these new realities and one way in which we will foster progress towards this will be through a new ‘global development’ study group that will critically explore the need for a new paradigmatic approach to development that is more fit-for-purpose. This ongoing conversation will directly inform a further challenge we face, namely the current lack of an in-house journal through which the DSA can actively frame and steer our field of study, something most other learned societies take for granted.

Meeting challenges also means getting our own house in order, including around issues of race and other forms of inequality that continue to shape development studies. Our new efforts around and strong support for the involvement of global South members are positive steps in this direction, but we need to go further in both these and other regards.

Plenty to be getting on with then! Fortunately, the last Council under Sarah White’s excellent leadership established a strong platform from which to address these challenges and we now have an excellent set of new colleagues on Council to help move us further forward still."

Ұ�� researcher helping to tackle coronavirus in Kenya’s slums

Mon, 11 May 2020 12:21:44 +0100

A new initiative designed by Professor Diana Mitlin of The University of Ұ��’s Global Development Institute, alongside long-term collaborators SDI Kenya, is helping to address the enormous challenges of dealing with Covid-19 in informal settlements.

The global spread of Covid-19 poses specific risks for the billion people who live in informal urban settlements in the global South. A range of factors make transition of the virus more likely, and strategies to tackle it extremely difficult to implement. Responses such as social distancing and isolation are almost impossible in extremely dense, low income settlements.

The new initiative - funded by The University of Ұ�� and the Global Challenges Research Fund - will map community responses, develop solutions that work in specific local environments, and rapidly share its findings within Kenya and beyond.

Over three months, the projects aims to monitor 400 communities via an accessible, online platform. It will pilot community handwashing stations in areas with little running water, as well as community isolation shacks suitable for a variety of different contexts within a settlement.

Working with SDI Kenya, Professor Diana Mitlin hopes to address the challenges of Covid-19 in Kenya’s slums head on.

SDI is a global network of federations of women-led savings schemes, with affiliates in 34 countries of the global south. Their members are concentrated in urban informal settlements.

SDI Kenya are leading efforts to tackle Covid-19 within the SDI global network. They have already established a network of community mobilisers building on their work to date, and have been invited to join the Ministry of Health’s Task Force on Community Engagement for Covid-19 ensuring the speedy dissemination of their information and facilitating follow-up.

Jack Makau, director of Slum Dwellers International Kenya, said "SDI Kenya periodically profiles slums in Kenya’s cities and towns as the Government census doesn’t recognise and disaggregate population by slum geographies. Support from The University of Ұ�� is allowing them to build a community-based Covid monitoring system, filling a gap in the ability of government to track and plan response in the slums. This is important given that in the last week of April, there were 5000 Covid-19 testing kits in a country with over 51 million citizens.”

The latest insights and results from the initiative can be found at .

The University of Ұ�� has a growing list of scientists and academics who are either working on aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak or can make a valuable contribution to the national discourse. Please check out our .

Our people are also and with partners from across society to understand coronavirus (COVID-19) and its wide-ranging impacts on our lives. to support the University’s response to coronavirus or visit the University’s to lend a helping hand.

University researcher publishes Handbook of Migration and Development

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 14:23:16 +0100

, a Reader at the , co-edited with Professor Ronald Skeldon. Tanja has published over 20 articles and 3 books and is currently developing new research on (i) migration and ageing and (ii) migration and cities in the global south.

The links between migration and development can be traced back to the post-war period, if not further, yet it is only in the last 20 years that the 'migration–development nexus' has risen to prominence for academics and policymakers. Starting by mapping the different theoretical approaches to migration and development, this book goes on to present cutting edge research in poverty and inequality, displacement, climate change, health, family, social policy, interventions, and the key challenges surrounding migration and development.

While much of the migration literature continues to be dominated by US and British perspectives, this volume includes original contributions from most regions of the world, as well as reviews of the existing literature in French, German, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, to offer alternative non-Anglophone perspectives.

Given the increasing importance of migration in both international development and current affairs, the Routledge Handbook of Migration and Development will be of interest both to policymakers and to students and researchers of geography, development studies, political science, sociology, demography, and development economics.

For a 20% discount on the handbook please see the .

Reviews

“When I open the pages of this handbook, I find many an entry challenging established wisdom and asking new questions in the field of migration and development. I trust that it will come to be an indispensable source of inspiration for focusing crucial debates and sharpening existing research in this vital area of scholarship” Thomas Faist, Professor of Sociology of Transnationalization, Migration and Development, University of Bielefeld, Germany.

“This volume includes contributions from leading scholars working at the interface of migration and development. The emphasis on inequality and on migration ‘corridors’ in the Global South offers new insight into the complexities of these relationships and the need to situate migration within wider economic, political and social processes” Heaven Crawley, Director, UKRI GCRF South-South Migration, Inequality and Development Hub, Coventry University, UK

Healthcare workers are still coming under attack during the coronavirus pandemic

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 16:22:38 +0100

From balconies, windows and door fronts around the world, citizens are applauding healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 response for their commitment and care. Despite these visible shows of support, all is not well – because in addition to the risks of exposure to a largely invisible enemy, these medics also face threats of various kinds in the workplace.

We usually think of as something that happens in the context of war or . Such attacks have been reported in , , , the and . In these cases, the attackers are usually aiming to gain a or to deny healthcare to enemy forces and civilian populations.

But what the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates is that attacks against healthcare can – and do – . Since the start of the pandemic, different forms of aggression have combined to interfere with the professional and personal lives of healthcare workers. As well as exposing them, in some cases, to real physical danger it also increases psychological pressure at a time when many are already under a huge amount of stress.

Intimidation

Silencing is a key example. Healthcare workers in , Thailand, and have faced intimidation or arrest for casting doubt on government policies or for suggesting that casualty numbers and infection rates have been minimised or obscured.

In the and staff also report being gagged for criticising the lack of proper made available to them.

This lack of transparency about the response and the difficult working conditions can be partially attributed to the politicisation of the COVID-19 response. In a contentious political environment, observers and authorities are more likely to interpret criticism in a partisan way. Authorities are judged by the success of their actions, often in comparison to other governments.

Xenophobia, nationalism and are byproducts of this politicisation. The need to demonstrate governmental competence is visible in the one-upmanship on victories over the virus and and controversies. For example, Germany accused the US of “”, after much needed face masks were diverted while in transit. The US denied any .

Death threats and assaults

There is public pressure too. Anthony Fauci, a key figure in the US national response and the of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has received death threats accusing him of contradicting the president and politicising the response. He now requires a . The fact that healthcare workers and scientists around the world are discouraged from speaking freely directly hampers the effectiveness of the response on a local, national and international level.

Healthcare and other key workers in , and the have all been subjected to deliberate coughing and spitting. This constitutes a deliberate weaponisation of COVID-19.

People have also been and due to their association with the COVID-19 response and assumed access to medicine and food. In the , spitting and other assaults on emergency workers were already happening regularly and were addressed in the .

With the COVID-19 lockdown, widespread uncertainty and economic repercussions have contributed to a rise in . In one case in Italy, a man is alleged to have , who was a medical student. He falsely accused her of exposing him to COVID-19.

Medics have been experiencing stigma and ostracism and been verbally assaulted or evicted by fearful landlords in the , , , and the .

These incidents contribute to safety issues and economic hardship at a time of profound personal and professional pressure. In general, healthcare workers are subject to severe psychological stress, raising concerns about their mental wellbeing. One Italian nurse tragically – an act that colleagues attributed to the stresses of her work caring for COVID-19 patients.

Recently, fact checkers had to rectify social media reports claiming that an had been charged with killing over 3,000 COVID-19 patients. Disinformation campaigns have resulted in a backlash against suspected patients. In , residents attacked busses with evacuees from China after a hoax email falsely attributed to the Ministry of Health suggested some carried the virus.

The virus highlights preexisting pressures and violence against healthcare workers. In many cases, it has aggravated them. Like the spread of the virus, COVID-19-related violence has proliferated around the globe, so far largely out of sight and unchecked. It is in all our interests that such violence is closely monitored, addressed and – where possible – prevented. Only then will the people responsible for keeping us alive be able to work without fear for their safety.

, Presidential Academic Fellow in Medical Humanitarianism, and , Senior Lecturer, Humanitarian Studies, . This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Our people are also and with partners from across society to understand coronavirus (COVID-19) and its wide-ranging impacts on our lives. to support the University’s response to coronavirus or visit the University’s to lend a helping hand.

GDI ranked in the world’s top 10 for Development Studies

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 09:41:17 +0000

The Global Development Institute (GDI) has retained its position as one of the top 10 places to study in the . The Institute was ranked as the 9th best for Development Studies in the world.

Professor Khalid Nadvi, Managing Director of the GDI, said: “I am delighted to see that the GDI has been recognised by the QS as one of the top 10 development studies institutions globally. The rankings reflect the cutting edge and impactful research, as well as the fantastic and high-quality teaching, being carried out by colleagues across the Institute. We look forward to strengthening our position in the future, with research and teaching that addresses global inequalities and promotes a socially-just world.”

The annual subject rankings are based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact.

New book explores China's impact on the Global South

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 16:43:19 +0000

In the early 2000s, Chinese demand for imported commodities ballooned as the country continued its breakneck economic growth. Global markets in metals and fuels experienced a boom of unprecedented extent and duration. Meanwhile, resource-rich states in the Global South from Argentina to Angola began to advance a range of new development strategies, breaking away from the economic orthodoxies to which they had long appeared tied.

In China’s Wake reveals the surprising connections among these three phenomena. shows how Chinese demand not only transformed commodity markets but also provided resource-rich states with the financial leeway to set their own policy agendas, insulated from the constraints and pressures of capital markets and multilateral creditors such as the International Monetary Fund.

His new book combines analysis of China-led structural change with fine-grained detail on how the boom played out across fifteen different resource-rich countries. Jepson identifies five types of response to boom conditions among resource exporters, each one corresponding to a particular pattern of domestic social and political dynamics. Three of these represent fundamental breaks with dominant liberal orthodoxy—and would have been infeasible without spiralling Chinese demand.

Jepson also examines the end of the boom and its consequences, as well as the possible implications of future China-driven upheavals. Combining a novel theoretical approach with detailed empirical analysis at national and global scales, In China’s Wake is an important contribution to global political economy and international development studies.

. Columbia University Press is currently offering a 30% discount with the code CUP30, making the paperback or ebook £17.50.

Praise for 'In China’s Wake':

"The commodity boom driven by China’s demand has come and gone. Yet Nicholas Jepson shows that this boom transformed the developmental landscape of natural resource exporters forever. In China’s Wake is the most comprehensive account to date of the different responses to the boom across the global South and their consequences. It is an incisive introduction to the post-neoliberal, post-China world of development."

Ho-fung Hung, author of The China Boom: Why China Will Not Rule the World

"This is an excellent book about China’s rise and its major ramifications for developing countries. Focusing on the role of commodities exports, Jepson employs a thoughtful, carefully honed analytical approach. He further adds quantitative analyses and fieldwork interviews. This book makes an important contribution to development studies."

Jan Nederveen Pieterse, author of Multipolar Globalization: Emerging Economies and Development

"Among the excellent books that explore the consequences of China’s externalization for the global South, In China’s Wake is perhaps the best. Theoretically robust and empirically rich, it engages with the implications of China-driven shifts in global market conditions for the development trajectories of fifteen countries across four world-regions. This is a path-breaking and stunningly original contribution that substantially advances our understanding of China’s relation to global transformation."

Jeffrey Henderson, professor emeritus of international development, University of Bristol

"While much of today’s China scholarship focuses on the negative impact of China’s growing technological and economic power on other countries, this important book looks at the other side of the argument: how China’s break with neoliberal orthodoxy benefited resource-rich countries, particularly during the boom period of commodity exports. This balanced account is a must-read for anyone interested in China’s global role in developing countries."

Richard P. Appelbaum, co-author of Innovation in China: Challenging the Global Science and Technology System

Prof Khalid Nadvi becomes Managing Director of Global Development Institute

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 10:42:00 +0000

has taken up the role of Managing Director of the Global Development Institute. Khalid follows on from who completed her term at the end of August. David Hulme, who was in the New Year Honours list, covered the role in the intervening period.

Khalid will oversee the day to day running of the institute as well as its strategic vision over the next three years. He’ll also lead Ұ��’s Global Inequalities research beacon.

Khalid is Professor of International Development and focuses on issues relating to trade and industrial development. He recently coordinated the programme, while leading research on labour standards and governance of global production. Khalid is currently working alongside Stephanie Barrientos on : decent work in regional value chains and South-South trade and is a key member of our research group.

Taking up the role, Prof Nadvi said: “It’s a huge honour to have been chosen to lead the Global Development Institute. We’re at a fascinating time for Development Studies, with some of the fundamental ideas, actors and interventions changing rapidly under our feet, which creates both opportunities and challenges. The Global Development Institute is rightly proud of its commitments to promoting social justice and reducing global inequalities through its teaching and research. I’m looking forward to helping my exceptional colleagues to make even more of an impact in the world.”

Alongside Khalid, a number of other colleagues took up new posts as part of the GDI’s Senior Management Team. has taken up the new post of Deputy Director of the Global Development Institute. has been appointed as Director for Research and takes up the role of Director of Teaching and Learning. All three posts run for three years.

Newsroom University of Ұ������

GDI climate justice experts awarded £1.3m to study land rights impact

Land protection initiatives reduced Amazon deforestation by up to 83%, research finds

Mauritius’ next growth phase: new plan needed as tax haven era fades

Diversified economy

Mauritius as a tax haven

What next for Mauritius?

SEED recognition at the University's Making a Difference Awards 2024

Outstanding benefit to society through research - Winner

Outstanding benefit to society through research - Emerging impact winner

Outstanding teaching innovation in social responsibility - Winner

Outstanding contribution to social and environmental impact through entrepreneurship - Highly commended

Outstanding public engagement initiative: Local/civic engagement - Winner

Outstanding public engagement initiative: Local/civic engagement - Winner

Outstanding public engagement initiative: Local/civic engagement - Highly commended

Outstanding public engagement initiative: National/international engagement - Winner

GDI academic awarded two prestigious research fellowships for project on African Political Economy

Transformational gift set to redefine global development research for the 21st century at University of Ұ������

Trees can make farms more sustainable – here’s how to help farmers plant more

India’s agroforestry experiment

Trees on farms, not tree farms

Billions have been raised to restore forests with little success - here’s the missing ingredient

Bundles of rights

Empower forest communities

PhD Researcher at the GDI Wins Prestigious Entrepreneurial Prize

African Cities Research Consortium starts new research pilot projects

GDI’s Professor Stephanie Barrientos Joins Fair Trade Foundation’s Board of Trustees

Ұ������ researchers secure £2 million to establish how satellite and drone data can support socially just conservation

Two new professors at the Global Development Institute

New International Advisory Board helps GDI chart the future of global development

Three GDI academics receive prestigious Hallsworth and Leverhulme fellowships

Peace in Sudan depends on justice for the Darfur genocide

Darfur’s toxic legacy

Making peace

Shabby peace deals

Global Development Institute staff and alumni recognised for their commitment to social responsibility

Prof Sam Hickey becomes Head of the Global Development Institute

Low emission energy systems can create water conflict without smart design

Groundbreaking new analytical framework can provide economic benefits for Nile countries

Dr Amani Abou-Zeid awarded honorary doctorate

Balancing economic policy outcomes for sustainable development

GDI recognised at Making a Difference Awards

REF recognises GDI as the best place to do Development Studies research in the UK

New Open Access Book: The Politics of Distributing Social Transfers: State Capacity and Political Contestation in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

New research funding for sustainable forest transitions announced

Exploring the experiences of migrants living in Latin America through the Covid-19 pandemic

Black Professional Women face ‘concrete ceiling’ in career progression

Matthew Tyce awarded Dudley Seers Memorial Prize

Researchers question Council land sales in Ұ������

The UK and the UN SDGs: Make or Break Time

New project on migration management in Africa and the Middle East

Research forecasts environmental disaster due to the disposal of menstrual products in India

Indian women experience far more Covid-related hardship than men, research finds

Irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa are consistently falling short of their promises

Chrissie Wellington OBE wins Outstanding Alumni of the Year award

New research reveals ‘megatrends’ that will affect forests in the next decade

Researchers win new Grant to study the Role of Natural Resources in India-Africa Development Cooperation

Master of Leadership for Development course launched in partnership with The University of Melbourne

Global Development Institute secures £32 million for African Cities research

Tackling inequality is key for post-Covid economic recovery say experts

Filling Africa’s largest dam risks political tension if engineering realities are ignored

Kunal Sen is awardee of the 2020-22 V.K.R.V Rao Chair Professorship

Sam Hickey elected president of Development Studies Association

Ұ������ researcher helping to tackle coronavirus in Kenya’s slums

University researcher publishes Handbook of Migration and Development

Reviews

Healthcare workers are still coming under attack during the coronavirus pandemic

Intimidation

Death threats and assaults

GDI ranked in the world’s top 10 for Development Studies

New book explores China's impact on the Global South

Prof Khalid Nadvi becomes Managing Director of Global Development Institute

Newsroom University of Ұ��

Transformational gift set to redefine global development research for the 21st century at University of Ұ��

Ұ�� researchers secure £2 million to establish how satellite and drone data can support socially just conservation

Researchers question Council land sales in Ұ��

Master of Leadership for Development  course launched in partnership with The University of Melbourne

Ұ�� researcher helping to tackle coronavirus in Kenya’s slums