Our experts
- Institute of Development Studies faculty
- School of Global Studies faculty
Dr Andreas Antoniades
Senior Lecturer
Research interests
debt, Emerging Markets, european political economy, Financialisation, global economic crisis, globalisation, Greece, hegemony, indebtedness, International political economy, Michel Foucault, politics of money, varieties of capitalism
Dr Paul Boyce
Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and International Development
Research interests
Anthropology and Queer Theory in India, Anthropology of Sexualities, Anthropology of the Body, Applied Anthropology, Bioavailability, HIV prevention research, International Development, Intimacy, Male and Transgender Sex Work, Male Sex work in SE Africa, Psycho-social and Psychoanalytic perspectives in Anthropology, Queer and Transgender Representation, Queer Theory, Sexual and gendered subjectivities, Sexuality and Law in Nepal, Visual Anthropology and Media
Dr Grace Carswell
Reader in Human Geography
Research interests
Agriculture, Garment industry, India, Poverty and inequality, Rural Livelihoods, social change, Tamil Nadu
Prof Andrea Cornwall
Honorary Associates
Research interests
Brazil, democratisation, Empowerment, gender and development, Gender and Sexuality, Nigeria, participation, public engagement, Public health
Dr Vinita Damodaran
Professor of South Asian History
Research interests
Climate change, Energy, environmental history, Global history, indigenous peoples, Mining, South Asian history
Dr Geert De Neve
Professor of Social Anthropology & SouthAsian Studies
Research interests
Anthropology of Development, anthropology of South Asia, Anthropology of the Global Economy, Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Trade, India, Poverty and inequality, Social Protection, Social transformation, Tamil Nadu
Dr Nigel Eltringham
Reader in Anthropology
Research interests
Africa, Conflict and violence, ethnicity, Film, Genocide, Human Rights, international criminal court, International Criminal Law, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Political violence, Post conflict reconstruction, Rwanda, Transitional justice
Prof James Fairhead
Professor of Social Anthropology
Research interests
Ebola, Environmental Anthropology, Green Economy, Health, Historical Anthropology, International Development, New Guinea, West Africa
Dr Anne-Meike Fechter
Reader in Anthropology
Research interests
Aid, Aid Workers, Cambodia, childhood and youth, Development, Expatriates, gender, Indonesia, Migration, Mobility, Morality and Ethics, southeast asia, Transnationalism
Prof Elizabeth Harrison
Professor of Anthropology and International Development
Research interests
Anthropology and ethnography, Anti-corruption, community, gender, International Development, Irrigation, Moralities, Natural Resource Management, Participation and engagement, Political anthropology, Sub-Saharan Africa, United Kingdom
Dr Pamela Kea
Senior Lecturer In Anthropology
Research interests
Anthropology of West Africa, Asylum and FGM, childhood and youth, Feminist theory, gender, Intimacy and transnational kinship relations, Migration and Mobility, Photography art and politics, Postcolonial/Decolonial theory, race and ethnicity, The aesthetics of migration, The household moral economy, Transnational networks and subjectivities, Visual and Material Culture
Dr Evan Killick
Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and International Development
Research interests
Amazonia, Climate & Climate Change, Conservation, Development studies, ethnography, Friendship, indigenous peoples, International Development, Kinship, Latin America, REDD
Prof Dominic Kniveton
Professor of Climate Science & Society
Research interests
Africa, Climate change, Decision making, Development, Disaster risk, Migration, South Asia
Dr Mark Leopold
Lecturer in Social Anthropology
Research interests
Anthropology and espionage, Anthropology and Literature, Biography, Borders, Conflict and violence, Embodiment, Forced migration, History, History of Anthropology, Masculinities, north east Africa, Peacemaking, Political anthropology, psychoanalysis, South Sudan, Uganda
Prof Alan Lester
Professor of Historical Geography
Research interests
British Empire, Colonialism, Humanitarianism, Imperial governance, indigenous peoples, Settler Colonies
Dr Julie Litchfield
Senior Lecturer in Economics
Research interests
Applied Economics, Conflict and violence, Development Economics, Migration, Poverty
Dr Peter Luetchford
Senior Lecturer in Anthropology
Research interests
Coffee producers and cooperatives, Economic anthropology, ethical consumption, food politics, Latin America, Organic farming, Political anthropology, Spain, The moral economy
Dr Kamran Matin
Senior Lecturer
Research interests
Eurocentrism, International historical sociology, International theory, Iranian Studies, Kurdish Studies, Marxism, Middle East (developing), Nationalism, political Islam
Dr Lyndsay McLean
Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and International Development
Research interests
Africa, Anthropology and ethnography, Anthropology of Development, Development Practice, DRC, ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality, gender-based violence, identity-based conflict, reconciliation, Rwanda, Social transformation, Violence, youth and violence
Prof Peter Newell
Professor of International Relations
Research interests
Climate change, Energy, Finance
Prof David Ockwell
Professor of Geography
Research interests
Climate change, Climate change mitigation, climate policy, Energy, Energy and climate policy, energy policy, Energy transitions, Innovation Policy, International Development, Sustainable energy production
Prof Filippo Osella
Professor Of Anthropology And South Asian Studies
Research interests
anthropology of charity and philanthropy, anthropology of gender and masculinity, anthropology of Islam and Hinduism, anthropology of migration, anthropology of South Asia, anthropology of trade and entrepreneurship, Economic anthropology, India, Pakistan, Persian/Arab Gulf GCC countries, Sri Lanka
Dr Fabio Petito
Senior Lecturer in International Relations
Research interests
civilizational analysis, comparative political theory, Contemporary Religion, Geopolitics, Italian Studies, Mediterranean Politics, religion and international relations
Dr Rebecca Prentice
Senior Lecturer in Anthropology
Research interests
compensation, Development studies, Economic anthropology, Embodiment, Ethnographic Methods, Garment industry, gender, Health, Health and Safety, Human Rights, Labour relations, labour rights, medical anthropology, Neoliberal subjectivities, precariousness, Skill and craft, West Indies
Dr Dinah Rajak
Reader in Anthropology and International Development
Research interests
anthropology of global capitalism, Anthropology of markets, Bottom of the pyramid enterprise, Conflict and resources, Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Trade, Economic anthropology, Entrepreneurship, HIV/Aids, mining and extractive industries, Moral economies, private sector development, South and Southern Africa, Transnational corporations
Prof Ben Rogaly
Professor of Human Geography
Research interests
class, community, employment in agriculture and food, Identity, labour geography, migration studies, place, race and racism, social geography, work migration
Dr Pedram Rowhani
Senior Lecturer in Geography
Research interests
Climate Impact, Food Security, GIS Mapping, Land Cover Change, Land Use Change, Remote Sensing & Earth Observation
Prof Jan Selby
Professor of International Relations
Research interests
environmental security, Israel-Palestine, Peace processes
Prof Benjamin Selwyn
Professor of International Relations and International Development
Research interests
Brazil, Class Relations, Global Capitalism, Global Value Chains and Development, labour, Poverty and inequality, Social movements, Theories of development
Dr Anna Stavrianakis
Senior Lecturer in International Relations
Research interests
arms control, arms trade, Critical Military Studies, critical security studies, critical war studies, militarisation, militarism, War and violence in international politics
Prof Maya Unnithan
Professor Of Social And Medical Anthropology
Research interests
caste and kinship, childbirth and infertility, gender and development, health and migration, human rights and reproductive health, maternal health inequalities, reproductive technologies, Social anthropology
Course enquiries
+44 (0)1273 606261
teaching@ids.ac.uk
Dissertation Gender and Development
- 45 credits
- Summer Teaching, Year 1
Following the submission date for Semester 2 coursework, you're required to undertake an individual project based on original research, which culminates in a ten thousand word dissertation. Most students will rely on secondary sources.
Primary data collection (fieldwork) is not essential, although you may wish to conduct a short period of fieldwork during the summer.
If you wish to undertake primary fieldwork, you will have to take one of three methods courses offered in Semester 2.
You must identify a supervisor and submit a Certificate of Approval for their dissertation by the end of May. Supervisors will guide you on developing your argument, structuring your dissertation and additional readings.
Gender, Identity and Inclusion
- 30 credits
- Autumn Semester, Year 1
The changing shape and role of the state and the rise of the corporate/private sector as an important player in development are important institutional changes in the contemporary social development arena, whilst development programmes and policies articulated through different sectors also impact on processes of social change and gender relations.
Different women and men respond to these changing institutional arrangements differently.
You examine these issues by focusing on selected sectors of development policy, such as education, the environment and social protection, and sexual health.
We consider how these areas may interact with questions of gendered identity, agency and wellbeing.
The Politics of Gender
- 30 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
During this module, you explore women's political representation and the biases in formal political institutions and systems.
The role and history of women's movements in civil society and the nature of their relationship with the state are also explored.
Following this, theories of the state and of organisational change are reviewed in relation to development institutions, to identify effective strategies for, and constraints to, institutionalising gender-sensitive approaches to development policy.
Theoretical Approaches to Gender and Development
- 30 credits
- Autumn Semester, Year 1
You are introduced to key conceptual tools and building blocks for understanding gender in development.
You consider what we mean by "gender" and how different understandings of gender have come to frame approaches to Gender and Development.
You move from considering insights from feminist theory in understanding gender identity and gender relations, to exploring the ways in which GAD has involved a radical rethinking of conventional understandings of the household and the economy and has addressed questions of power and empowerment, identity and difference.
Aid and Poverty: the Political Economy of International Development Assistance
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
International development assistance (aid) has apparently strong theoretical justification, and rich countries are increasing their aidflows to unprecedented levels in pursuit of poverty reduction. But the political economy of aid is becoming more polarised as global security concerns and global trade reform influence the purposes and practice of aid. Critics are many and anthropological, economic and political science analyses the dominant aid paradigm.
This course provides you with a historically-grounded assessment of international development assistance and its potential to reduce poverty through detailed treatment of the arguments for and against aid. There will be a strong emphasis on the new aid architecture as well as the special circumstances of 'fragile' states and the role of aid.
Climate Change and Development
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
This course provides you with an understanding of the science, politics and developmental implications of climate change and disasters, focusing on the perspectives of poor households, communities and developing countries. You will assess the overlaps between disasters, climate change and poverty, focusing on climate change adaptation and disaster risk-reduction approaches, critically analysing options to reduce negative effects and harness opportunities. You will also examine the social, political and economic drivers of vulnerability, considering how policy processes at different scales influence risk management activities and local coping strategies.
Competing in the Green Economy
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
Globalisation of production changed the way firms compete in the global economy. More recently, the emergence of China, Brazil, India and other 'rising powers' as key global economic actors has created new sources of innovation but also tougher competition in the global economy.
You examine in particular the implications for countries in the rest of Asia, Latin America and Africa: how do these new conditions impact firm competitiveness in developing countries? How can they use the new opportunities being created to upgrade their position in global value chains? How can they avoid the worst pitfalls associated with the new global competition? How can national sources of competitiveness (firms, clusters and their policy networks) be leveraged for overall better economic performance and structural change?
Development in Cities
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
You learn how development in cities is critical for the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals.
You examine how:
- more than half of humanity lives in urban areas and poverty is urbanising
- cities are places of economic growth and opportunity
- urbanisation is accompanied by rising inequalities, security and safety concerns and challenges to sustainability.
You look at key concepts and challenges, and the necessity to understand cities as quantitatively and qualitatively different from, but closely connected to, the rural contexts for which much of the traditional development approaches have been devised.
You learn the key frameworks for understanding and learning about the unique challenges of development in cities.
Doing Gender
- 30 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
This module brings together the conceptual and analytical skills in gender and development that you have acquired over the core courses and focuses on how to apply them to development practice. The module is taught through a series of workshops facilitated by an academic and practitioner who has experience and skills specifically in relation to the application of gender analysis to field-based and project-oriented contexts. The unit will cover a wide range of topics, with a view to developing your skills in building gender-aware approaches within development practice.
These include:
- gender mainstreaming
- gender planning frameworks: from triple roles (Moser) to gender roles (Harvard)
- the social relations framework
- ‘socialising’ the logical framework.
Governance of Violent Conflict and (In)security
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
You examine fundamental questions that armed conflicts and political violence raise about the role and relevance of the state and the process of governance.
You evaluate alternative approaches to the explanation of conflicts, together with their incorporation in the conflict- assessment frameworks used by policy-makers.
You study:
- the role and limits of external interventions in preventing and managing violent conflict
- the problems of governance in unstable and insecure political environments
- post-conflict reconstruction and the legitimacy and capacities of the state
- the control and reform of security institutions
- the 'design' of political institutions to facilitate the management of conflict and situations of non-war armed violence associated, for instance, with high levels of crime.
Health and Development
- 30 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
Despite 20th-century medical and technological advances, health status is desperately low in many parts of the world and millions of people lack access to basic services. This course examines health systems in the face of the major developmental and organisational challenges of the 21st century. The course takes a fresh approach to the political economy of health care, examining health systems as 'knowledge economies' - ways of organising access to expert knowledge or expertise, embodied in both people and products - and focuses on how health systems could better benefit the poor.
Nutrition
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
This module is intended to equip you with an understanding of: the causes, extent and distribution of global undernutrition and its consequences; what works in terms of direct and indirect interventions to address undernutrition; and mechanisms designed to raise the political profile, commitment and leadership behind undernutrition reduction.
The module will be taught by a mixture of lectures and seminars and will be grouped under the following topics:
- Introduction to course: the nature of undernutrition - determinants and consequences
- What works: immediate level interventions
- What works: underlying indirect interventions
- Addressing the basic causes - approaches to the politics and economics of undernutrition
- The enabling environment: transforming leadership, commitment and resources, the role of metrics, accountability mechanisms and real time surveillance
You will be encouraged to participate actively and reflect on your learning throughout the module through non-assessed groupwork. To assess individual progress a final assessment will be held at the end of the course.
Poverty, Violence and Conflict
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
This course will assess conflict shocks and examine their differences relative to other socio-economic shocks. This will draw on both existing literature on conflict and the history of conflict analysis within different social sciences. You will examine the difficulties or research in conflict areas, including measurement, ethical concerns, and security concerns, and assess where we stand in terms of empirical knowledge. You will critically review the latest research on micro-level analysis of conflict, going on to examine the impact of conflict shocks on households and individuals, drawing on insurance and risk theory, and assess the impact of conflict on education, health and poverty. You will then examine preventive policies including the potential role of social protection in preventing conflict and post-conflict situations. The course, finally, will turn to an assessment of the role of international institutions, NGO's and community-driven initiatives in the context of conflict-affected 'fragile' states.
Public Financial Management
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
States in developing countries frequently lack the resources, administrative capacity and legitimacy needed to reproduce themselves and pursue their goals and the goals of society. This course explores the behaviour of states through the lens of public finance. How do states manage international capital flows, including FDI, debt, and aid? What domestic sources are available without excessively burdening economic actors or coercing popular sectors? How do states prioritise and allocate their resources in ways that deepen democracy, manage macroeconomic balances, pursue efficiency, and improve distribution?
We will address these questions by considering the following four broad themes: capital flows (including FDI, debt, and aid); revenues (rents and tax); budgeting; and the political economy of public finance.
Reflective and Creative Practice for Social Change
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
You explore diverse methods of reflective practice and their uses in facilitating change with professionals, activists, communities, organisations, and movements.
You examine critical, experiential, creative and transformative approaches to learning and reflection, including Western traditions of reflexivity (e.g. feminist, postcolonial, critical and participatory scholarship) and approaches from other cultures, spiritual traditions and the creative arts.
With a focus on learning by doing, and linking practice with theory, you inquire into the ways in which reflective practices can transform personal experience as well as patterns and relationships within groups, organisations and wider systems.
Depending on student interest, methods of reflective practice are explored in relation to participatory and qualitative research, organisational learning, monitoring and evaluation, facilitation, community development, adult education, gender analysis and processes of social and political empowerment.
Sexuality and Development: Intimacies, Health and Rights in Global Perspective
- 30 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
Theory and Practice of Impact Evaluation
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
This module teaches elements of impact evaluation methods of welfare programmes in developing countries. It is designed for an audience of social scientists and is presented at a low-medium level of technical difficulty. Statistical and econometric methods of impact evaluation are presented together with sessions on theory-based evaluation and practical issues of management and design. The module is not only designed for researchers interested in conducting impact evaluations, but also for those interested in overseeing, commissioning or studying impact evaluations conducted by other researchers.
The module offers a balanced combination of substantive content and application of that content in various ways. After an introductory lecture, you will form small groups with other students taking the module and will identify a policy relevant issue and a specific public intervention to evaluate. Lectures will be followed by group-work sessions in which participants will learn how to build the components of a full evaluation design. Each group work session will conclude with one or two short presentations. Two of the group work sessions will be structured as computer labs where you will learn how to use specialised software. In a concluding session, groups will present their evaluation design to the other participants and the presentations will be collectively discussed.
Unruly Politics
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
Unruly Politics is a framework being developed for appreciating modalities of political action in the contemporary world.
The focus of this framework is on political actions which escape, exceed or transgress 'civil' forms of civic and democratic engagement in that they characteristically take forms that are juridically illegible, extra-legal, disruptive of the social order, strident or rude, whether this be in the form of riots and revolts or through the use of humour, disruptive aesthetics or eroticism in engagements with power.
Drawing from recent developments in continental and other philosophy and political praxis this module introduces you to theoretical approaches while using ethnographic, activist and citizen narratives of disruptive events, and unruly modalities of action in the everyday.