Dr. Jo Howard is a Research Fellow and Leader of the Participation, Inclusion and Social Change Cluster. She co-convenes the Master’s programme in Participation, Power and Social Change. She is also a course facilitator for the Using Participatory Action Research to Improve Development Practice short course.
Jo has worked in research and learning for over 20 years. She has long had an interest in citizen participation and local governance and has worked in Latin America, Europe, India and Africa. Since joining IDS in 2014, she has strengthened and deepened her work on participation to investigate how participatory research processes contribute to empowerment, citizenship and inclusion, and to a broader social justice agenda. Her work, like that of colleagues in the PISC cluster, is to facilitate participatory and action research processes with people living in poverty and marginalisation. Since 2012, she has worked with the Participate Research Network which brings participatory approaches to explore and open up pathways to accountability for marginalised groups and communities, in the context of the SDG commitment to leave no one behind. Collaborative and participatory research through this partnership, supported with a British Academy grant, enabled deeper understanding of intersecting inequalities as a foundation for building accountable relationships in Uganda, Ghana, South Africa, Egypt and India. Jo’s work has highlighted the relevance of intersecting inequalities for inclusive development policy and practice in the context of Roma inclusion policies, and she is currently collaborating with the CREID programme to explore the use of participatory action research methodologies for engaging and researching with religious minorities in contexts of intersecting inequalities.
Additionally, Jo designs, delivers and advises on training and learning processes with civil society and governmental organisations in Participatory Action Research, and reflective and collaborative learning for development practitioners, including through her role as Learning Journey Manager with the K4D programme.
She previously worked as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments, and the Cities Research Centre, both at the University of the West of England (2003-2012). Jo is on the Editorial Board of the Community Development Journal.
