Pakistan is urbanising at an increasingly rapid rate – as of 2023, almost 40% of the population lived in urban areas. This poses major challenges, in relation to such things as housing, essential services, pollution, and security. However, it also presents major opportunities for economic...
28 July 2025
Recently, we had the privilege of participating in the Global Climate and Health Summit 2025. It was a gathering that, for the first time in our experience, brought together climate scientists, air pollution experts, food systems researchers, health professionals, and policymakers in one...
24 July 2025
We, as guest editors, are seeking expressions of interest for a special issue of Global Studies of Childhood, entitled Children as rights holders in the digital world. Interested contributors should send a 500 word abstract (250 words for non-academic work) and a short bio of each...
23 July 2025
Mvurwi area is in Mazowe district, some 100km north of Harare. It is a high potential area where tobacco production has expanded dramatically since land reform thanks in large part to the support from multiple contracting companies operating in the area. This was traditionally a tobacco...
22 July 2025
Following up from our previous blog, in this blog we lay out critical pathways for the development community to lead in shaping responsible, context-sensitive AI systems for inclusive development. Moving beyond reactive responses requires addressing the epistemological, technological, and...
14 July 2025
In community-based research, the process does not end with data collection and analysis. A vital but often overlooked step is validation, where findings are shared with participants for feedback. This helps check researcher interpretation, supports relationship building and empowers communities...
14 July 2025
As the AI for Good Global Summit 2025 convenes this week, the development community finds itself at a critical juncture. While digital rights and AI governance have dominated discussions within the international development sector—among agencies, donors, NGOs, and practitioners—we in the...
9 July 2025
It isn’t charity, it isn’t a treat, it’s universal. A public infrastructure, much like public libraries and public transport, ‘public restaurants’ are state-subsidised eateries which offer universal access to nutritious, appetising and sustainably produced foods. They have enormous...
8 July 2025
A central question for our new research exploring changes in livelihoods 25 years after land reform is what are the trajectories of accumulation – or indeed the opposite? In other words, how well have those who got land following the land reform of 2000 fared? The farmers occupying the small-...
7 July 2025
Hitomi Fujimoto, MA Poverty & Development, Class of 2014-15, currently works at the Global Survivors Fund as an Advocacy and Policy Officer for Asia. In this blog post, Hitomi talks about why she decided to study at IDS, how it has impacted on her career path, and advice for prospective students...
7 July 2025
A growing concern today is that the acceleration of the so-called ‘twin transition’ — green and digital — is dramatically increasing global demand for critical minerals (CMs). In response to this increasingly recognised challenge, several research agendas have emerged. A central...
4 July 2025
In May 2025, Keir Starmer held a press conference to launch an Immigration White Paper, stating that without stricter immigration rules, the UK risks becoming an ‘island of strangers’. This White Paper – aspects of which are already being implemented – proposes, among other things,...
4 July 2025
