Opinion

Opinion

Burnham’s plans amount to a much-needed infrastructure of nurture. Now he needs to deliver it

Andy Burnham’s first Labour party conference speech as Prime Minister offered something that British politics has lacked for too long: some serious plans for social care, housing, water and opportunities for young people. These are the everyday essentials that we all need for a decent life,...

Nicholas Nisbett

2 October 2026

Opinion

Can social audits help realise the right to food? Evidence from Odisha, India

Millions of people are entitled to public services and benefits, from subsidised food rations to maternity payments and child nutrition services. Yet for many, especially the poor, these entitlements remain out of reach, often because they do not know what they are owed, or fear speaking up when...

Jean-Pierre Tranchant & 4 others

1 October 2026

Opinion

“Zimbabwe is growing without transforming” says the World Bank, but what transformations for whom?

The new Zimbabwe Growth and Jobs Report from the World Bank argues for a major structural transformation of the economy, taking advantage of the recent period of relative macroeconomic stability and new prospects for debt and arrears clearance. However, the big unanswered question is:...

Ian Scoones

15 September 2026

Opinion

Burnham can empower local decision-making and strengthen democracy: here’s how

Andy Burnham became Prime Minister with a pledge to decentralise decision-making away from Westminster and into the hands of regions, hailing it as the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen”. Putting this policy at the heart of his domestic ‘Manchesterism’ agenda presents an...

Shandana Khan Mohmand

Sophie Robinson

14 September 2026

Opinion

Who really controls the minerals powering the green transition?

The transition to clean energy, digital infrastructure, militarisation in defence and artificial intelligence all depend on minerals whose extraction is disproportionately concentrated in resource-rich developing economies. As innovation accelerates in these sectors, so does pressure to expand...

Anabel Marín

11 September 2026

Opinion

Twenty-five years after land reform in Zimbabwe: a short documentary on lessons learned

What have we learned from our study, 25 years after land reform in Zimbabwe? Drawing on the research that we have been doing since the early 2000s, we wanted to highlight some of the key findings. Alport Ndebele and team put together an excellent short video offering some highlights. There will...

Ian Scoones

10 September 2026

Opinion

The Nepal-Tibet floods show why the UK must step up global climate action

The glacial collapse and catastrophic floods in Nepal and Tibet are not isolated tragedies. They reflect accelerating climate disruption that disproportionately affects countries and people least responsible for global emissions. Such cascading catastrophic events are not ‘natural...

Lyla Mehta

4 September 2026

Student Opinion

Applying for Chevening? Learn how to stand out from the crowd

Wadhah Hubaishi is a Chevening Scholar and an IDS alum from the MA Development Studies programme (class of 2019-20). Today, he leads humanitarian response operations across the Middle East for World Central Kitchen, coordinating emergency food responses across Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and beyond....

Wadhah Hubaishi

MA Development Studies (class of 2019-20)

25 August 2026

Opinion

What will happen if we forget Afghanistan?

Imagine growing up in a country where, all of a sudden, you are told that you can no longer continue to go to school, work, participate in sports, or freely access public spaces. Imagine being told that your voice should be kept quiet so that men outside do not hear you because it is considered...

Zohra Jalal

25 August 2026

Opinion

Nurturing a jungle of solidarity: Towards a politics of hope

And who will join this standing up and the ones who stood without sweet company will sing and sing back into the mountains and if necessary even under the sea: we are the ones we have been waiting for. From "Poem for South African Women" by June Jordan During a workshop in Sri...

Natalie Lovell

25 August 2026

Opinion

Pastoralists gather in Mongolia for the UN Desertification conference

Today, COP17 of the UNCCD (UN Convention to Combat Desertification) kicks off in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Top of the agenda is how to manage rangelands that support millions of pastoralists worldwide in sustainable ways. 2026 is the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), and...

Ian Scoones

24 August 2026

Opinion

“Just go to Lidl”: the backlash against public restaurants

On 7 July 2025, our research project, DISHED, a UKRI-funded initiative to test the piloting of public restaurants in Nottingham and Dundee, was announced. The following day, the Daily Telegraph published a full-length article headlined "WWII-style restaurants to help feed poor families?" By 12...

Marsha Smith & 2 others

20 August 2026

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Showing 1–12 of 2518 results

Burnham’s plans amount to a much-needed infrastructure of nurture. Now he needs to deliver it

Can social audits help realise the right to food? Evidence from Odisha, India

“Zimbabwe is growing without transforming” says the World Bank, but what transformations for whom?

Burnham can empower local decision-making and strengthen democracy: here’s how

Who really controls the minerals powering the green transition?

Twenty-five years after land reform in Zimbabwe: a short documentary on lessons learned

The Nepal-Tibet floods show why the UK must step up global climate action

Applying for Chevening? Learn how to stand out from the crowd

Wadhah Hubaishi

What will happen if we forget Afghanistan?

Nurturing a jungle of solidarity: Towards a politics of hope

Pastoralists gather in Mongolia for the UN Desertification conference

“Just go to Lidl”: the backlash against public restaurants

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