IDS: UK's leader in development knowledge management
The Institute of Development Studies, a research organization just outside of London, is reaching out not only to the development community but also to the wider public though its research database and growing number of partnerships.
London is considered a hub of development research, but 54 miles away in Brighton is the Institute of Development Studies, whose influence on international development debates is growing. Though housed in the University of Sussex, IDS is an independent entity. It was founded in 1966 by Barbara Castle, minister for overseas development at the time and a champion of Britain’s decolonization movement. The institute receives funding from the U.K. government and through partnerships to undertake research projects. Over the last decade, the number of graduate students that IDS hosts has grown threefold. About a third of its 80 researchers come from developing countries, thus creating a diversity of perspectives and research expertise, according to IDS Director Lawrence Haddad. Drawing different disciplines together is a key aspect of the research done at IDS, Haddad said. IDS attracts students and researchers from a variety of fields, including economics, anthropology and political science. “We try to influence the debate, with solid research, and bridge the science and social science divide,” Haddad said. IDS sees Eldis as a way to achieve its goal. The online resource, which gets about 100,000 hits per month, seeks to provide the public with accessible and jargon-free information on international development research and policy. IDS is currently working on updating the suite of knowledge management tools with new interactive features such as podcasts, video blogs and social networking. Haddad emphasized the importance of Eldis and similar tools to improve communication within the research community and develop new partnerships. A key priority for the institute is to produce “critical mass” in the London research community to match the efforts of institutions such as the World Bank. “Partnerships bring home the importance of cross-sectoral knowledge and collaboration in the field of international development,” Haddad said. IDS has formed collaborations not only in London but also overseas. It is involved in 250 partnerships, 40 percent of which are with organizations based in sub-Saharan Africa. This allows IDS to highlight the growing number of research projects that are being conducted on the ground and lack an effective platform to convey findings. “We’re trying to understanding a plurality of voices, and listen to those that may not be shouting because they don’t have a platform,” Haddad said, “giving them a platform to influence the debate.” Read more international development career advice.
London is considered a hub of development research, but 54 miles away in Brighton is the Institute of Development Studies, whose influence on international development debates is growing.
Though housed in the University of Sussex, IDS is an independent entity. It was founded in 1966 by Barbara Castle, minister for overseas development at the time and a champion of Britain’s decolonization movement. The institute receives funding from the U.K. government and through partnerships to undertake research projects.
Over the last decade, the number of graduate students that IDS hosts has grown threefold. About a third of its 80 researchers come from developing countries, thus creating a diversity of perspectives and research expertise, according to IDS Director Lawrence Haddad.
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Nabeela Ahmed joined Devex for a summer reporting fellowship. Afterward, began to pursue a master’s degree in international relations and communications at Boston University. Nabeela holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Cambridge University. She has monitored microfinance and education projects for an NGO in India and completed internships at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, BBC Radio and the Independent newspaper. She has also written feature and news stories for two high-profile finance trade magazines based in London, and freelanced for several U.K.-based trade publications.
