As the University’s Global Development Institute (GDI) reflects on its legacy, it’s also adapting and rethinking its role for the 21st century.
Founded in 1958 as the Department of Overseas Administrative Studies, the now Global Development Institute (GDI) expanded to become the Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM) in 1986. In 2016, IDPM joined forces with the Brooks World Poverty Institute (BWPI) to become what is now recognised as Europe’s largest teaching and research institute committed to tackling poverty and inequality across the globe.
Using cutting-edge research to create social justice
The idea of ‘development’ has changed dramatically in the last 60 years, but while more people are being lifted out of poverty than ever before, many are still left behind without access to basic services. Researchers at the GDI are addressing some of the world’s biggest challenges, from agrarian and urban changes, to digital opportunities, migration and the impacts of climate change.
Professor Emerita Stephanie Barrientos’s research into women’s contributions to global value chains has successfully identified some of the conditions that leave female workers undervalued and economically disempowered. Barrientos is a leading voice for change across various industries, working in an advisory capacity for global brands including Nike and Marks and Spencer. Barrientos and colleagues have since helped companies adopt new gender equity strategies, directly benefiting 390,000 workers.
Another key project, SMARThealth, is a novel healthcare intervention providing life-saving cardiovascular care in rural Indonesia. Village health workers are given training on blood sample and data collection, along with cardiovascular care guidance. The GDI’s Dr Gindo Tampubolon has been involved with the project since 2014, and works collaboratively with colleagues in our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, the George Institute for Global Health in Australia, and the University of Brawijaya, Indonesia. Results from a two-year trial revealed that individuals who received the SMARThealth intervention had an 18% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those living in villages without.
The Institute also conducts research that development agencies use to roll out more effective programmes. Professors Sam Hickey and Kunal Sen, along with colleagues at the Effective States and Inclusive Development Research Centre, have conducted in-depth, politically-oriented studies to help agencies like the World Bank develop better strategies for economic growth and poverty reduction. The team’s insights have encouraged the UK government to launch programmes worth more than £270 million, impacting more than one million people.
Reimagining development studies
While the GDI has much to celebrate, our researchers know we have a long way to go in creating a more equal, socially just world. In recent years, development studies has witnessed a sea change in its approach to tackling some of the world’s most urgent problems. Once governed by the principle that developing countries would simply ‘catch up’ with their wealthier counterparts, the discipline is now grappling with a more complex reality.
Confronted with a web of growing crises – from accelerating climate breakdown to heightening geopolitical tensions – scholars are working hard to reimagine development studies to suit the 21st century. Reflecting on the discipline’s more short-sighted or northern-centric traditions, the latest generation of thinkers are reconsidering the role of advanced industrial states in addressing global issues such as climate change, and the rise in adoption of artificial intelligence.
Sam Hickey, Head of the Institute, explains: “We in the GDI find ourselves at an exciting juncture as we celebrate the University’s bicentenary. While we continue to grow and embark on vital new research projects, we’re looking outwards and embarking on relationship-building efforts with partners in the global south. We know development studies is undergoing a much-needed evolution, shifting its focus towards historically underrepresented voices and ensuring teaching and research agendas are less dominated by academics in the north.”
"DEVELOPMENT STUDIES IS UNDERGOING A MUCH-NEEDED EVOLUTION, SHIFTING ITS FOCUS TOWARDS HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES AND ENSURING TEACHING AND RESEARCH AGENDAS ARE LESS DOMINATED BY ACADEMICS IN THE NORTH."
Funding for real-world reform
Rising to global challenges and building new partnerships requires significant time, effort and resources. The GDI is grateful to have been gifted £2 million from the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation to expand its ambitious programme.
This generous funding will support the creation of a new Research for Transformation Hub, designed to translate academic research into real-world reforms. Bridging the academic and policy spheres, the Hub will work to reduce poverty, promote social justice and pose workable solutions to the climate crisis.
Educating the next generation
More than 100 PhD students have graduated through the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Doctoral College, and the GDI continues to help young scholars generate impact- and policy-oriented knowledge. Soon, the Institute will launch new PhD scholarships focused on climate change and poverty reduction. Scholars will be involved in the Institute’s partnership-building activities, strengthening ties with scholars and practitioners in the global south.
Beyond its postgraduate offerings, the Institute recently introduced an undergraduate programme designed to help students learn and develop approaches to some of the world’s most complex challenges, from climate change to inequality and injustice. The course features diverse modules designed to help students pursue their interests and craft impactful career pathways in global development fields.
Chi-Chi Ojigbani, a first-year BSc Global Development student, explains: “When researching courses, I looked at universities offering a global focus. I have lecturers from several nationalities, which I think is critical to teaching content that tackles inequality – it can’t just be a western standpoint.”
"DEVELOPMENT STUDIES IS UNDERGOING A MUCH-NEEDED EVOLUTION, SHIFTING ITS FOCUS TOWARDS HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES AND ENSURING TEACHING AND RESEARCH AGENDAS ARE LESS DOMINATED BY ACADEMICS IN THE NORTH."
Shiv Rajababoo, another Global Development undergraduate, adds: “I really enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of the course. My interests generally lie within macro-economics, but learning about pressing issues such as climate change from other disciplinary perspectives allows me to think about global development in a holistic way.”
A celebration of Manchester’s finest July 2024 Issue Words by Emma DevanyFor 200 years, brilliant minds have been pioneering, innovating and discovering at Manchester, shaping the world as it exists…
