Our research on governance, power relations, participation and citizen engagement, informs change processes in pursuit of social justice and social change. With power and politics central to our analysis, we support the generation of new evidence that contributes to improved processes for good governance, citizen engagement, empowerment and accountability.
We pioneer new ways of working with governments, communities, activists and academics, to understand the complex relationships and processes that exist across states, markets, and citizens, and between formal and informal institutions, to tackle issues such as digital inequalities, women’s participation and empowerment, decentralisation and local governance, rapid urbanisation, migration, taxation and domestic resource mobilisation, food security and hunger and nutrition. These draw on our extensive expertise in complex approaches to how change happens. Through our research and policy partnerships we are also bringing new insights on the role that rising powers and emerging economies such as China and Brazil have in relation to global governance and tackling development challenges such as sustainability and poverty. Our world-renown participatory research has a particular emphasis on systematic social exclusion facing women, people living in extreme poverty, people with disabilities, slaves bonded labourers, indigenous peoples and others. We advance cutting edge methodological development in action research, participatory visual methods, participatory mapping, participatory statistics, participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) amongst others.
In alignment with the ‘leave no one behind’ framing of the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development, the PMA programme is working with groups of people living in poverty and marginalisation to strengthen processes of citizen-led accountability.
The International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) provides research evidence that supports developing countries in raising domestic revenues equitably and sustainably, in a manner that is conducive to pro-poor economic growth and good governance.
A recent IDS initiative with partners in China has helped to strengthen cross-country networks and foster future leadership for development globally.
Global development is at a turning point. Traditional approaches to development are being increasingly questioned by governments, practitioners...
In this episode of Between the Lines, IDS Head of Knowledge, Impact and Policy, Kelly Shephard, talks to author and broadcaster, Helen Lewis about her book, Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2vj8gFstqwP76Agwx1Z8Cf
In looking at the...
Non-filing refers to taxpayers who fail to submit a tax declaration, thus becoming ghosts in the eyes of tax authorities. It is a widespread phenomenon in sub-Saharan Africa, and has a number of detrimental fiscal effects.
Non-filing has been largely unexplored in the literature, which focusses...
The Humanitarian Innovation and Evidence Programme was established in response to the paucity of evidence and the need for innovation to identify and help overcome the methodological and operational barriers to delivering humanitarian interventions and programming in fragile and...
This Emerging Issues report highlights research and emerging evidence to policy-makers to help inform policies that are more resilient to the future.
It provides comprehensive conflict analysis of North Eastern Kenya by outlining the conflict profile in the region and exploring the root causes...
A new collaboration forged by IDS alumna, Tanjila Mazumder Drishti, is helping to support the menstrual health and wellbeing of more than 100,000 women and girls in Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, Covid-19 has significantly reduced household income for many families in urban slums and rural villages...
More research activities with children with disabilities are urgently needed, and it is important that conventional and existing ethical practices used with children are further developed to embrace disability inclusion. This will encourage the realisation of children’s right to participate...
This brief focuses on cross-border movement in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) and its implications for development of risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) strategies aimed at preventing transmission of Covid-19 in the ESA region.
Given the extensive risk of cross-border...
Uprootedness, exile and forced displacement, be it due to conflict, natural disasters or even so-called 'development', affects the lives of millions of people across the globe. The numbers of people affected are increasing, as shocks and crises force people to flee their homes and find safe...
Esta Nota de Política analiza las actitudes de los exintegrantes de las Farc-EP frente al proceso de reincorporación en su primera etapa, usando los datos del Registro Nacional de Reincorporación (RNR) realizado entre diciembre 2018 y enero 2019.
Tras mostrar que hay aspectos positivos en...
Political Geography;Volume 81, August 2020, 102195
Bringing political ecology's concern with the critical politics of nature and resource violence into dialogue with key debates in political geography, critical security studies and research on the geographies and phenomenology of violence and warfare, this paper explores strategies ‘from...
This study responds to earlier findings of suboptimal compliance with mandatory fortification of edible oil in Bangladesh. We aim to explain the root causes of poor compliance and to provide recommendations to strengthen the national fortification programme in Bangladesh and other similar...
In an extraordinary time of challenge and change, we use more than 50 years of expertise to transform development approaches that create more equitable and sustainable futures. The work you do with us will help make progressive change towards universal development; to build and connect solidarities for collective action, locally and globally. The University of Sussex has been ranked 1st in the world for Development Studies for the past five years (QS World University Rankings by Subject).