This year is the 60th anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies based at the University of Sussex. IDS has been an independent institute linked to the university since June 1966, so the birthday party is not due quite yet.
Since its early days with a focus on training civil servants and others in the newly independent former colonies it has come a long way. The institute’s founding director, Dudley Seers, laid out a vision for ‘development’ that was progressive and far-reaching, aiming to generate economic independence and wealth in ways that would banish the idea of a separate, poor, marginalised ‘third world’ over time.
This article is from Zimbabweland, a blog written by IDS Research Fellow Ian Scoones. Zimbabweland focuses on issues related to rural livelihoods and land reform in Zimbabwe.