Institute of Development Studies

Participation Research Projects and Outputs

The Participation, Power and Social Change team presents the following research projects and outputs organised by theme.

Power and empowerment

• Aid Relationships - Exploring aid relationships to promote organisational learning (Ongoing)
• Big International NGOs - Exploring power and relationships with BINGOs (Ongoing)
• How International Aid Labels People - Exploring the power of labelling in development practice (Ongoing)
• Participation and Development Relations - Promoting a rights perspective to the challenges of poverty, inequality and insecurity. (Ongoing)
• Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme Consortium - International research and communications programme finding out what works to enhance women’s empowerment (Ongoing)
• Power and Relationships - Exploring the interplay of power, procedures and relationships in international aid (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)

How change happens

• Assessing Social Change - Exploring the opportunities and challenges for assessing and learning about social change (2005 - 2006)
• Complexity, Theories of Change and Aid Impact - Challenging and querying theories of change and applying these to development practice (Ongoing)
• Immersions for Aid Practitioners - Promoting and developing immersions as a practical training method for people working in international development (Ongoing)
• Participation and Development Relations - Promoting a rights perspective to the challenges of poverty, inequality and insecurity. (Ongoing)
• Reflective Practice and Organisational Learning and Change - Deepening individual and collective self-awareness of how our knowledge and values shape our relationships with others (Ongoing)
• The Development Impact of Child Sponsorship - Critically assessing the effects of sponsorship on sponsors, sponsored children, their families and communities (Ongoing)

Identities, rights and social justice

• Critical Research Social Justice and International Aid - Seminar series for inter-disciplinary discussions on the relationship between research, aid and social justice (Ongoing)
• Participation and Development Relations - Promoting a rights perspective to the challenges of poverty, inequality and insecurity. (Ongoing)
• Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme Consortium - International research and communications programme finding out what works to enhance women’s empowerment (Ongoing)
• Sexuality and Development Programme - Supporting the realisation of sexual rights and access to basic services for those facing poverty and injustice (Ongoing)
• Voices on Three Crises: The impacts of the Financial, Food and Fuel Crises on Developing Countries - Exploring how households and communities cope and respond as well as the wider social and political implications (Ongoing)

Inclusive citizenship and governance

• Champions of Participation - Promoting greater citizen participation in local governance through international dialogue and exchange. (Ongoing)
• Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability - Exploring approaches that work to strengthen rights and meaningful citizenship for poor people (Ongoing)
• Participation and National Policy - Citizen engagement with the state and the formation of national policies (Ongoing)

Learning and social change

• Capacity Collective - Exploring and addressing the challenges facing capacity development to bring about change in a purposeful way (2008 - 2011)
• Facilitating Learning and Action for Social Change - Initiative to facilitate effective learning for social change through a better understanding of theory, experience and practice of reflection and learning (Ongoing)
• Learning and Teaching for Transformation - Enhancing the capacity of higher learning institutions to deliver effective education programmes that contribute to the wider transformation of individuals, institutions and society. (Ongoing)
• The Capacity to Have an Effect: An Efficacy Study of the Caribbean Child Support Initiative - (Ongoing)

Participatory methodologies

• Action Learning, Networking and Support for Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) - Supporting the acceleration, spread and quality enhancement of community-led total sanitation (Ongoing)
• Citizens' Media and Participatory Communication - A scoping study of the role and potential of participatory communication practices across a diverse spectrum of research programmes. (Ongoing)
• Participation and Development Relations - Promoting a rights perspective to the challenges of poverty, inequality and insecurity. (Ongoing)
• Participation Resource Centre - Practical and theoretical resources on participation from around the world, including participatory methods, approaches and critiques (Ongoing)
• Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) related Familiarisation Workshops - Series of short workshops for participants wishing to get a taste of PRA and PLA approaches (2007 - 2007)