News & opinion

Read more about the latest updates on our work with partners and analysis of pressing global challenges.

News

Featured News

African elections under rising threat from online disinformation

In an unprecedented year for elections in Africa, the increasing use of digital disinformation poses a rising threat to democracy across the continent, researchers warn. These are the findings from a new open access book ‘Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics, Power and Propaganda’ - the first dedicated to digital disinformation in Africa - from the African Digital Rights Network, hosted by the Institute of Development Studies.

News

Join BASIC Research at the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks!

The Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) provides a unique forum for humanitarian actors to discuss and solve common challenges in humanitarian affairs. Between 29 April to 10 May, more than 60 networks and partnerships will hold their annual meetings and consultations to share...

19 April 2024

News

UK aid watchdog raises concerns about British International Investments

The International Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has published a new report on UK Aid to India that it says ‘raises significant concerns’ on the lack of transparency, and governance processes of British International Investments (BII). The report is a follow up to the ICAI review of...

18 April 2024

News

Podcast: Reflections on Development with Melissa Leach

In this special episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast Andy Sumner, President of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) and Professor of International Development at Kings College London interviews Professor Melissa Leach who leaves IDS after 33...

17 April 2024

News

Sussex retains first in the world ranking for Development Studies

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS), in partnership with the University of Sussex, has today (10 April) been ranked first in the world for Development Studies in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024. It is the eighth consecutive year that Sussex has taken the top spot for...

10 April 2024

News

Development capacity reduced since FCDO merger, says report

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has ‘made substantial progress with the merger that created it’ but its ‘development capacity has reduced’ and improvements are still required in areas such as culture change, finds a new National Audit Office (NAO) report...

25 March 2024

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Opinion

Featured Opinion

Five years of Shaping Policy with Evidence

At the end of April I finish my ten year term as Director of the Institute of Development Studies, the wonderful, extraordinary Institute which has been my base for more than a third of a century. Here, in part one of two blogs, I reflect on my time at IDS.

Opinion

India elections: The gendered and sexual politics of national development

At an election rally in Rajasthan on 22 April 2024, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, called for people not to vote for the chief opposition party, known as the Congress, claiming that they would distribute the nation’s wealth amongst “infiltrators'' - the ones “who have too many...

Priya Raghavan
Samreen Mushtaq

2 May 2024

Opinion

Moving towards responsible gold mining in Geita, Tanzania

The Geita region in Tanzania is rich in gold deposits, which have attracted a lot of small-scale (and a few large) mining companies. In the past, the relationship between mining companies and local communities was negative due to allegations of irresponsible and unethical actions by these...

Alpha Ntayomba

26 April 2024

Opinion

Empowering voters in India through data and knowledge

The year 2024 presents a global surge in democratic engagement and political participation as 76 countries hold presidential or national elections. This includes the largest democratic exercise of all in India, where almost one billion people are able to vote to elect Members of Parliament (MP)...

Reshma Sekhar
Reshma Sekhar

25 April 2024

Student Opinion

5 + 1 tips for applying for an IDS scholarship

Are you thinking of applying for an IDS Graduate Scholarship? IDS MA in Governance, Development and Public Policy alum Smriti RDN Neupane and winner of our 2021 IDS Graduate Scholarship Award shares her top tips for how to get started. If you have already received an offer letter for the...

Smriti RDN Neupane

23 April 2024

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