IDS Research Fellow Stephen Devereux has been shortlisted for this year’s Newton Prize in his role as project lead on a UK – South Africa research partnership.
Stephen Devereux, who is co-founder of the Centre for Social Protection at IDS and well-known for his work on food security, famine and social protection, is on secondment as SA-UK Bilateral Research Chair for the Newton Fund project on Social Protection for Food Security in South Africa, with the University of the Western Cape. The project is supported by delivery partners the British Council and the National Research Foundation, South Africa.
The research seeks to interrogate why food insecurity and hunger persist in South Africa, despite the country having a comprehensive social protection system, and to identify how social protection measures could be improved to address food security problems. The findings are helping to fill gaps in academic research and development policy and helping policymakers to address inequalities and issues such as seasonal hunger among farmworkers.
With the impacts of Covid-19 putting further pressure on the social protection system in South Africa, Stephen Devereux has recently been sharing his research on social protection widely in the media and at online events.
The winning projects from the shortlist will be announced in November 2020, with prizes awarded of up to £200,000 to fund further research.
In total the shortlist for the Newton Prize 2020 includes 27 research and innovation projects between the UK and Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, South Africa, and Turkey.
An initiative of the UK government funded Newton Fund, the Newton Prize celebrates outstanding international research partnerships that play an important role in addressing challenges in developing countries and around the world.
