Institute of Development Studies

Biography

Alex Shankland is a social scientist with over two decades' experience of working in Brazil, Peru, Angola and Mozambique as a researcher, NGO manager and social development consultant. He has researched, taught and published extensively on rights, participation and policy, particularly in the health sector, and his doctoral thesis was on representation and health policy in the Brazilian Amazon. His current research interests centre on theories and practices of democratic representation and citizen-state engagement, with particular reference to the political strategies of indigenous peoples and other marginalised minorities engaging with development and climate change policies.

Formerly the Research Manager for the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability, Alex joined the Power, Participation and Social Change Team as a Fellow in June 2010. He currently convenes the PPSC Team's "Unruly Politics" research programme and is engaged in ongoing research on citizen action, local governance, health system reform and the political economy of climate change in Brazil, Mozambique and Angola, as well as on the role of Brazil and other emerging powers in reshaping international development.

Selected Projects and Recent Work

• Rising Powers in International Development
• Learning Hub
• The Governance of Service Delivery
• Understanding the Political Economy of Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Development
• Future Health Systems Research Programme Consortium
• Brazil Indigenous Health System

Thematic Expertise

BRICS; Climate Change; Health; Participation.

Geographic Expertise

Latin America and the Caribbean; Angola; Brazil; Mozambique; Peru.

Selected Publications »»

• Raul Chambote and Alex Shankland (2011) 'Country Ownership, Stakeholder Participation and the Political Economy of Priority-Setting in the Mozambique Pilot Program for Climate Resilience' , IDS
• Shankland, A. and Chambote, R. (2011) 'Prioritising PPCR Investments in Mozambique: The Politics of ‘Country Ownership’ and ‘Stakeholder Participation’' 42.3, Wiley-Blackwell
• Shankland, A. and Hasenclever, L. (2011) 'Indigenous Peoples and REDD + Regulation in Brazil: Beyond the War of the Worlds?' 42.3, Wiley-Blackwell
• Shankland, A. and Roque, S. (2011) 'Participation, Mutation and Political Transition: New Democratic Spaces in Peri-Urban Angola' in Cornwall, A. (eds), Spaces For Change? The Politics of Citizen Participation in New Democratic Arenas, Zed Books
• Shankland, A. (2010) 'The Indigenous Peoples’ Movement, ‘Forest Citizenship’ and struggles over Health Services in Acre, Brazil', Zed Books
• Shankland, A, (2010) 'The Indigenous Peoples’ Movement, ‘forest citizenship’ and struggles over health services in Acre, Brazil' in (eds), Mobilizing for Democracy, Zed Books
• Cornwall, A., Romano, J. and Shankland, A. (2009) 'Brazilian Experiences of Participation and Citizenship: A Critical Look (Research Summary)', IDS Research Summary 389, Brighton: IDS
• Cornwall, A., Romano, J. and Shankland, A. (2008) 'Brazilian Experiences of Participation and Citizenship: A Critical Look', IDS Discussion Paper 389, Brighton: IDS
• Shankland, A. and Cornwall, A. (2008) 'Realising Health Rights in Brazil: The Micropolitics of Sustaining Health System Reform' in Bebbington, A. & McCourt, W. (eds), Development Success: Statecraft in the South, Palgrave Macmillan
• Bebbington, A. & McCourt, W. (2007) Development Success: Statecraft in the South, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
• Shankland, A. and Athias, R. (2007) 'Decentralisation and Difference: Indigenous Peoples and Health System Reform in the Brazilian Amazon', IDS Bulletin 38.1:77-88, Brighton: IDS
• Shankland, A. (2006) 'Making Space for Citizens: Broadening the 'New Democratic Spaces' for Citizen Participation', IDS Policy Briefing 27, Brighton: IDS
• Chambers, R., Gaventa, J., Kabeer, N., Morago, L., Norton, A., Nyamu, C., Scoones, I., Singh, R. and Shankland, A. (2004) 'The Rise of Rights: Rights-based Approaches to International Development', IDS Policy Briefing 17, Brighton: IDS
• Shankland, A. and Pasteur, K. (2002) 'Linking Rights and Livelihoods: Insights from Experience in Brazil'
• Gaventa, J., Shankland, A. and Howard, J. (2002) 'Making Rights Real: Exploring Citizenship, Participation and Accountability', IDS Bulletin 33.2, Brighton: IDS