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.