Our interdisciplinary research explores how pathways to sustainability, green transformations and equitable access to resources such as land, water and food can be achieved and help us meet the environmental as well as human development-related goals of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
Our work builds on a long tradition of critical social science engagement with environmental issues and resource politics in collaboration with partners globally. It explores how pathways to sustainability are shaped by political-economic and social processes, and understands how they are driven by technology, markets, states and citizens. Our research sheds new light on how we can achieve green transformations that move us from fossil fuel to renewable energy, from throw-away to circular economies. It addresses the politics of sustainability, and understands how transformations occur at local levels as well as global, in both rural and urban settings, and be led by citizens as well as national governments. In doing so, it shines a light on how sustainable resource use, consumption and production is shaped by issues such as gender, livelihoods and politics.
The ESRC STEPS Centre (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) is an interdisciplinary global research and policy engagement centre.
Starting 25 November, activists around the world will be marking 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence - an annual international campaign to raise awareness of the issue of gender-based violence (GBV) and to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and...
In this episode of Between the Lines, Priya Raghavan, Post-Doctoral Researcher in the IDS Governance Cluster, interviews Nicky Falkof, co-editor of the book: Intimacy and injury: In the wake of #MeToo in India and South Africa.
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Through the lens of the #MeToo moment, this...
Aid agencies that support public accountability reforms commonly do so in the same places, and with similar state and civil society actors. However, the combined effects of their separate programmatic actions are rarely analysed.
This study departs from conventional analysis of aid agency...
Worldwide, climate change and complex anthropogenic factors have resulted in erratic weather patterns, leading to significant challenges and loss and damage for vulnerable communities on the frontline. In particular, the increasing incidence of extreme weather events (heatwaves, floods and...
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit small-scale farmers, particularly women, very hard in Latin America. RIMISP – Latin American Center for Rural Development – has been conducting participatory research to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on smallholder farmers in the department of Huila, in...
The current global context is defined by crises, uncertainty, and complexity. Policymakers and practitioners are faced with emerging epidemics, climate change, and multiple conflicts. Decisions must be made quickly and be informed by reliable evidence and learning. Achieving the Sustainable...
With Pauline Koelbl, Founder and Managing Partner of ShEquity, Founder & CEO of AfriProspect, and IDS alumna.
IDS is hosting a lecture exploring leadership in global development inspired by the legacies of three individuals central to our history: Hans Singer, Dudley Seers and Richard...
Considering embodiment in work with girls can help us to understand the effects of gendered oppression, as well as the potential of approaches that aim to tackle it.
The arts are often used in environmental communication, and can allow people to express opinions they find important. How does this work in relation to climate change in the West African Sahel?
Keywords: Africa; arts; citizen; communication; dialogue; environment; Sahel
Across the world,...
Les arts sont souvent utilisés dans la communication environnementale et peuvent permettre aux gens d'exprimer des opinions qu'ils tiennent pour importantes. Comment cela fonctionne-t-il par rapport au changement climatique dans le Sahel ouest-africain?
Mot clés: Afrique; arts; communication...
This book explores the joys and occasional frustrations of a development economist working for the United Nations.
From 1982 to 2000 Richard Jolly worked in senior positions in UNICEF and UNDP on assignments that were innovative, for the UN, the countries concerned and for development. The book...
Property tax administration is the bedrock for effective revenue mobilisation, development, and good local governance for local governments. Yet administering property taxation continues to be a major problem, especially for many developing countries. Scholarly explanations for this poor state...
Frank L.K. Ohemeng
Fariya Mohiuddin
22 November 2022
Why learn with us.
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).