The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) has published our Annual Review 2023-24, highlighting the progress we have made towards our vision of a more equitable and sustainable world.
Read the Annual Review 2023-24
IDS Board Chair Deepak Nayyar said:
“The need for world-class development research which reflects lived experience, as well as rigorous analysis, has never been greater. Facts, knowledge, and understanding provided by research can help to find solutions. With a reputation for excellence and for teaching the leaders of tomorrow, IDS has a clear-cut contribution to make – in influencing policies and practices, reframing narratives, and mobilising new networks – borne out by the wide-ranging impact stories showcased in our Annual Review.”
IDS Acting Director Peter Taylor said:
“As IDS moves towards the end of its current strategy in 2025, we reflect back whilst also “recasting forward”. Our vision of a more equitable and sustainable world, where people everywhere can live their lives free from poverty and injustice, feels more vital, relevant and urgent than ever. In our Annual Review we celebrate many positive achievements over the past year that show how our contributions through research, teaching and engagement are having real impact.”
Here are five highlights from the past twelve months, but there are many more which you can read about in our Annual Review 2023-2024.
1. We have used our research and expertise to influence policy
Over the past year, the Rwandan government changed key aspects of its tax policy following pioneering research by the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD). ICTD researchers also collected statistics on taxpayer behaviour in six other African countries, and their findings are contributing to better global understanding of equitable ways to increase revenue in lower-income countries.
2. Our participatory action research is co-creating knowledge that is leading to tangible change
In Bangladesh, through the CLARISSA programme, children used their own experiences and evidence to develop theories of change for tackling the issue of access to education. In the Kurdish Region of Iraq, as part of the BASIC programme, the knowledge co-created is improving social assistance practices that were problematic for local people.
Participatory action research was also used in the Living Roots project, where IDS has worked with a council in the west London borough of Ealing to explore how chronic health inequities could be addressed by involving local people more closely in health planning.
3. We continued to nurture the development leaders of the future
In the last year we celebrated MA Power, Participation & Social Change student Ana Palma Garcia winning the DSA’s Master’s Dissertation Prize 2024, and MA Governance, Development & Public Policy student Jigyasa Agarwal guest edited the IDS podcast. Our year-end survey revealed the satisfaction levels of our master’s students was an all-time high of 98 per cent.
4. We are shaping debates on food systems inequities
Members of the Food Equity Centre contributed to a report on reducing inequalities for food security and nutrition, highlighting how inequalities within food systems impede opportunities to overcome food insecurity and malnutrition, which is being turned into a set of policy recommendations. IDS also launched the Pathways to Equitable Food Systems report which was cited in the UK House of Common, to highlight how the state is failing to address increasing levels of hunger.
5. We are forging equitable partnerships and contributing to a shift in decolonising knowledge in international development
As part of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), our Acting Director Peter Taylor co-authored a reflection paper exploring the practical steps to decolonise knowledge, and as part of the second phase of our work with Southern Voice reflecting on what equal partnerships and decolonising knowledge entails in practice, we are co-creating an agenda to improve research partnerships in global development.
This is just a snapshot of what we have achieved through working with almost 600 partners during the past year. To find out more, read our Annual Review 2023-2024.
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