Institute of Development Studies

Power and Empowerment

Our work explores how power can be used to promote change, tracing and learning from many micro-level efforts, successes and failures, including:

• power concepts, analyses and tools
• labelling and stigma
• power relations in the international aid system
• women's empowerment

Related Projects

• Big International NGOs - Exploring power and relationships with BINGOs (Ongoing)
• Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme Consortium - International research and communications programme finding out what works to enhance women’s empowerment (Ongoing)
• Powercube: Understanding power for social change - The powercube is an innovative conceptual tool used for understanding and analysing power in processes of governance, in organizations, and in social relationships (Ongoing)

Related Publications




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• Harvey, B. (2010) 'Learning from Power in Development Cooperation: Lessons from Senegal', Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences 2.1
• Harvey, B. and Langdon, J. (2010) 'Re-imagining Capacity and Collective Change: Experiences from Senegal and Ghana', IDS Bulletin 41.3:79-86, Brighton: IDS
• Gaventa, J. and McGee, R. (2010) Citizen Action and National Policy Reform: Making Change Happen, London: Zed Books
• Eyben, R. (2010) 'Subversively Accommodating: Feminist Bureaucrats and Gender Mainstreaming', IDS Bulletin 41.2:54-61, Brighton: IDS
• Jolly, S. (2010) 'Pleasure and Empowerment: Connections and disconnections', Development 53.2:227–231, Palgrave Macmillan



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