Opinion

Development interventions: The agenda behind their persistent inconsistency

Where are children’s voices on the World Day Against Child Labour? 

The World Day Against Child Labour serves as a stark reminder that not all children are equal and there is an urgency, now more than ever to understand the causes of and eliminate the worst forms of child labour. Yet, amidst the backdrop of a global pandemic, Covid-19, exposes children to...

Danny Burns

Child workers needs rights, not policing, to weather the pandemic

How to improve safe access to water during and after Covid-19

In Nairobi’s informal settlements nearly two out of three people do not have access to adequate water at home. This creates challenges for the physical distancing measures needed to suppress the spread of Covid-19 as people have to leave home to collect water. Globally, 2.2 billion people lack...

Development must change in the face of injustice and inequality

From the tragic death of George Floyd in the US, to reports of the collapse of the health system in Yemen, stories of the terrible and deep-seated injustices and inequalities that pervade our world continue to be at the forefront of our minds. As an Institute for development studies, we are...

Melissa Leach

Dire conditions for Hazara Shia pilgrims during Covid-19 quarantine in Pakistan: six women share their experiences

Hazara Shia pilgrims returning home to Pakistan after travelling to Iran were quarantined beyond the recommended 14 days for Covid-19, in poor conditions and with little access to information or medical care. Was their extended quarantine and poor treatment due to them being Hazara Shia, an...

Sadiqa Sultan

Zimbabwe’s land reform areas twenty years on (5)

Ian Scoones

Covid-19’s impact on social divides – a spotlight on Africa

Covid-19 is a universal challenge, and one that is exposing and exacerbating economic and social divides around the world. In turn, these divides are magnifying the spread of the virus. Whilst the global and national institutions that help provide stability and support prosperity and justice are...

Aminata Niang

Peter Taylor

Linking Covid-19 responses to structural change in food systems

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted global food systems, food markets, and food value chains. International food trade is one important indicator to understand the impact on food systems. The World Bank and FAO, amongst other multilateral organisations, published a statement before the...

Evert-jan Quak

India’s Muslim minority experiences increased targeting and violence during Covid-19

Covid-19 cases linked to an international gathering of Muslim missionaries in Delhi quickly descended  widespread Islamophobia on social media and discrimination and violence towards ordinary Muslims across India, writes Amjad Nazeer, Executive Director of the Institute of Development Research...

Amjad Nazeer

Covid-19 and new struggles over gender and social justice

Backlash against gender and social justice was well underway prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, as Naomi Klein has demonstrated, such crises provide fertile ground for the ‘exceptional politics’ required to dust off and push through illiberal ideas, allowing particular...

Chloe Skinner

Zimbabwe’s land reform areas twenty years on (4)

Ian Scoones