Publications

Incremental Radicalism: Turning Science, Technology and Innovation Investments into System Transformation

ATIP Learning Deep Dive 3

This Learning Deep Dive brings together insights from the FCDO African Technology and Innovation Partnership Programme (ATIP) shared by delivery partners and grantees as well as wider stakeholders during a final learning event facilitated by the Institute of Development Studies in the...

Sophie Bisset & 10 others

Civic Space for Countering the Anti-gender Backlash: A Literature Review

Countering Backlash Working Paper 16

Gender justice movements are increasingly having to contend with repressive and authoritarian terrains. This repression extended and deepened following the Covid-19 pandemic, which was used as an excuse by many states to roll back democratic freedoms. This literature review maps changes in civic...

Samreen Mushtaq

Rosemary McGee

Holding the Line: Defending Civic Space to Counter the Gender Backlash

Countering Backlash Policy Briefing 2

Three intersecting global tendencies limit gender justice activists’ room for manoeuvre: gender backlash, changes in civic space, and democratic backsliding. As evidenced by the Countering Backlash programme among others, gender backlash is happening in a context where feminists face...

Rosemary McGee

Commercialising Research in MSME Economies: Alternative Pathways to Support System Transformation

ATIP Learning Deep Dive 2

This Learning Deep Dive brings together insights from the FCDO Africa Technology and Innovation Partnerships (ATIP) programme shared by delivery partners and grantees, as well as wider stakeholders during a final learning event facilitated by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the...

Seven Steps to Make Social Protection More Resilient to Crises

BASIC Research Policy Briefing 21

This policy briefing proposes seven key steps to make existing social protection programmes and systems more resilient and better able to maintain provision in situations of conflict.

Tax Implications of Cashless Payments: Micro Evidence from African Countries

ICTD Working Paper 246

This paper examines how the adoption of cashless payments interacts with tax perceptions among formal businesses in Africa. Drawing on firm-level survey data from approximately 6,000 enterprises across Burkina Faso, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, and Tanzania, we combine descriptive analysis with...

Lucia Rossel

Fabrizio Santoro

Powering Inclusive Irrigation in Bhutan

CEDCA Stories of Change 1

Reliable irrigation is out of reach for many farmers in Bhutan’s steep mountain landscapes. Only 3 per cent of land is suitable for agriculture and 80 per cent of that lacks year-round irrigation, limiting productivity, food security, and rural livelihoods, especially for women...

Digital Backlash: Manifestations and Resistance

Countering Backlash Working Paper 15

The backlash against the gains won by feminist and LGBTQIA+ movements are manifesting in digital spaces through a complex array of socio-technical-political mechanisms involving political actors, technology companies, and new affordances for harm. Digital systems increasingly entrench and...

Becky Faith & 2 others

Taxing Smarter: Advancing Reform Through Research and Partnership

A new phase in global development has begun. Aid is retreating, and is unlikely to return to previous levels. Debt servicing costs have risen sharply, absorbing a growing share of public budgets and making additional borrowing difficult. At the same time, spending needs are increasing – from...

What Have We Learned About Access?

The Humanitarian Access Initiative (HAI) has been promoting community-led humanitarian action across southern Somalia since late 2024. Now, it is time to assess what the project has learned about access. Our experience has shown that humanitarian agencies gain the greatest access when...

From Projects to Partnership: Transforming African Innovation Systems through Local Investment and Learning

ATIP Learning Deep Dive 1

This Learning Deep Dive brings together insights from the FCDO African Technology and Innovation Partnership Programme (ATIP) shared by delivery partners and grantees as well as wider stakeholders during a final learning event facilitated by the Institute of Development Studies in the...

Patriarchal Backlash against Gender Equality in Kenya: A Mixed Methods Study

Countering Backlash Working Paper 13

Gender equality has been a pivotal focus in development agendas globally since the 1980s. Despite significant progress having been made thus far, patriarchal backlash remains a critical challenge in many regions across the globe, including Kenya. This study conducted in Kenya by Advocates for...