Professor Naila Kabeer gives her first public lecture in Canberra

In her first public lecture in Canberra, world-renowned feminist development economist Professor Naila Kabeer discussed policies and programmes seeking to promote women’s empowerment. The lecture brought together key findings on livelihood capabilities in rural development in the Global South, with specific attention to their role in agriculture.

The sold out event was hosted by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the University of Canberra.

The ID at LSE Blog celebrates International Women’s Day

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2019, the ID at LSE Blog published three posts around the issues of women empowerment.

The first article: International Women’s Day blog: The grit behind the glitch, was contributed by current student Krista Kartson, who introduced us to Seyi Akiwowo - Newham’s youngest Councillor and the founder of Glitch, a non-profit start-up aimed at ending cyber bullying.

The second article: Access to quality and equitable education can transform women’s lives, was a contribution from alum, Asmat Kakar, who reports on two case studies from young women living in rural Balochistan. Both women share their inspirational stories about how they transform their lives through accessing education, despite the odds being against them.

And the third article: UNSCR 1325: Time to move from letter to spirit, was a contribution from alumni Anushna Jha, Valerie Gebhard and Youmna Cham, who outline the main achievements and shortcomings of the Women, Peace and Security Resolution 1325. 
 
Read more ID at LSE articles on gender here. 

Citing Africa podcast launches

The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa has launched its new podcast series, Citing Africa, which investigates the decline of Africa-based contributions in top international academic journals. The series provides practical guidance to young scholars seeking to publish their own work and takes a critical look at the wider context of knowledge production about the African continent.

Find out more about the podcast series here.

Students share their takeaways from the ID guest lecture series

International Development students were invited to write about the weekly Cutting Edge Issues in Development Thinking and Practice visiting lecture series hosted by the Department. The weekly talks introduced postgraduate students to pressing issues in the field and engaged them in discourses that affect decision making in the professional world. Speakers included: Ha Joon Chang, Kate Raworth, Rory Stewart, Yuen Yuen Ang, Stefan Dercon, Owen Barder, Saleemul Huq, Melissa Parker, Kevin Watkins, James Walters, Laura Kelly, Rafeef Ziadah.

Read the event blog posts here. 

Book launch: Financialising Poverty: labour and risk in Indian microfinance

On Thursday 21 February, we celebrated the launch of Dr Sohini Kar’s new book, Financialising Poverty: labour and risk in Indian microfinance, from Stanford University Press. The event featured a talk by the author, with comments from Dr Deborah James from LSE's Department of Anthropology and Dr Kate Meagher from LSE’s Department of International Development. The event was chaired by Professor Kenneth Shadlen, HOD for the Department of International Development. 

"The book also talks about de-risking. De-risking is about shifting as much risk as possible onto the borrowers to protect the lenders." - Dr Kate Meagher

Multi and interdisciplinarity in International Development: student experiences and perspectives

Ex-LSE Fellow, Dr Geoff Goodwin, conducted research on multi and interdisciplinary teaching and learning in the Department last year. The project was part of the second level of the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education which he completed in November, and involved surveys, a focus group and a small set of interviews. Dr Goodwin wrote a post for the ID at LSE Blog which summarises some of the findings. This is the first of a series of pieces he will write on the topic as he continues to conduct research and collaborate with students and academics at LSE and Oxford. 

Read the full article here. 

Professor Kenneth Shadlen wins ISA Book Prize 

Professor Kenneth Shadlen has been announced as winner of the International Studies Association's Global Health Studies Section Book Prize for his book, Coalitions and Compliance: the political economy of pharmaceutical patents in Latin America. 

The Global Health Section Book Prize recognises the best book on any aspect of global health published in the previous two years. The prize was announced at the Global Health Section Business Meeting at the ISA Annual Convention and was also recognised at the Global Health Section reception.

Find out more about the prize here. 

Professor Mary Kaldor on causes and the future of Brexit

Professor Mary Kaldor spoke to The UI Podcast, run by The Swedish Institute of International Affairs (Utrikespolitiska institutet - UI), about the causes and potential future of Brexit. The thirty minute interview summarises Professor Kaldor's recent research, Understanding Brexit at a Local Level, which is supported by the LSE Knowledge Exchange and Impact fund, and focuses on the perceived impact of Brexit on British local authorities. 

Listen to the full interview here. 

Dr Tiziana Leone presents at the Population Association of America

Dr Tiziana Leone presented her research on Timing and Determinants of Age at Menarche in Lower Middle-Income Countries at the 2019 Population Association of America Annual Meeting in Austin over the weekend. 

Find out more about the meeting here. 

Dr Laura Mann on Rwanda’s booming economy under an authoritarian regime

Dr Laura Mann co-wrote an article for The Conservation which summaries the recent publication: Understanding the Political Motivations that Shape Rwanda's Emergent Developmental State. The authors discuss Rwanda’s economic growth since the country’s horrific genocide twenty years ago, and further argue that this progress has happened whilst the government has been criticised for authoritarian tactics and the use of violence. 

Read the full article here. 

Join the Conflict Research Programme mailing list

You can now sign-up to receive the latest updates and news from the Conflict Research Programme including a range of recently published papers, upcoming public events and job opportunities from across our international consortium. 

Sign up to the mailing list here. 

Managing inclusive development in emerging societies

Five day intensive programme running  3 - 7  June 2019

An exploration of the policy challenges and solutions facing developing countries aiming to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth.

The course provides an interdisciplinary and critical approach to the theories and practices being used to address problems of governance, economic growth, equity and stability, and social inclusion in the Global South. You’ll also benefit from studying alongside practitioners from around the globe, enhancing your professional network. London is a hub for international development and LSE is a world leader in this subject.

The course will be taught by Professor Jean-Paul Faguet, Professor of Political Economy of Development, and Dr Mahvish Shami, Assistant Professor of International Development. 

Find out more about the course.

2019 senior-level course on conflict and humanitarian response

Five day intensive programme running 7-12 July 2019, LSE and ODI Campus

The annual intensive course for humanitarian professionals taught by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

The course provides an opportunity for mid-career and senior professionals to learn and reflect on critical issues in preparing for, responding to and transitioning out of humanitarian crises. The course is designed to foster peer-to-peer learning, and will feature lectures by distinguished academics and practitioners, with an opportunity for small group discussions and exercises.

Find out more about the course and register here.

The British Society for Population Studies annual conference

Two day conference from 9-11 September 2019, University Hall, Cardiff University 

The 2019 BSPS Conference will be held at University Hall, Cardiff University, 9-11 September. All Conference sessions will be on site, where Conference catering & accommodation will also be available. Booking forms will be available from late May, together with a provisional timetable. The plenary theme of the Conference will be ‘An ageing population: opportunities and challenges’.  View call for papers here.

Find out more about the event here.

De-risking the future of Europe: Reforming the macrofinancial architecture (Conference)

Wednesday 11 September 2019 | 9.30am - 6.30pm

Venue: TBC
Speakers: László Andor, Charles Goodhart, Vítor Manuel Ribeiro Constâncio and Izabella Kaminska
Chairs: Jakob Vestergaard and Daniela Gabor  

The conference will be the occasion for policy-makers and academic experts to reflect and exchange on the pros and cons of different models to design further financial integration within the Euro area and the whole of Europe. View call for papers here.

This is a registration only event.

Register on Eventbrite here.

Publication:

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Ethiopia and Rwanda: A Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Social Norms

Coast, Ernestina
SAGE open (2019)

This article seeks to address the dearth of evidence on early adolescent understandings and experiences of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in Ethiopia and Rwanda, drawing on a multisite qualitative research study with 10- to 12-year-old and 14- to 15-year-old male and female adolescents and a range of adult participants...

 

Publication:

Puberty and menstruation knowledge among young adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Coast, Ernestina
International Journal of Public Health (2019)

This study presents a scoping review of evidence relating to knowledge and experiences of puberty and
menstruation among females aged 10–14 years in low- and middle-income countries...

 

Publication:

Science and Technology Policies and the Middle-Income Trap: Lessons from Vietnam

Wade, Robert
The Journal of Development Studies (2019)

As Vietnam crossed the World Bank’s threshold from ‘low income’ to ‘lower middle-income’ in 2010 the government and aid donors started to speak about ‘the middle-income trap’ as a central problem; and to frame ‘science and technology (S&T) policy’ as a means of sustaining economic growth and thereby avoiding the trap...

 

Publication:

Transparency and mistrust: Who or what should be made transparent?

Roelofs, Portia
Governance (2019)

It is increasingly recognized in public administration that the relationship between trust and transparency is not straightforward. Recently, right‐wing populists have risen to power, rejecting transparency requirements based on documents while claiming that they “hide nothing”...

 

Publication:

The Taliban’s War for Legitimacy in Afghanistan

Weigand, Florian
Current History (2019)

More than seventeen years after their fall from power, the Taliban control large swaths of territory in Afghanistan...

 

Publication:

Understanding the Political Motivations That Shape Rwanda's Emergent Developmental State

Mann, Laura
New Political Economy (2019)

Twenty years after its horrific genocide, Rwanda has become a model for economic development. At the same time, its government has been criticised for authoritarian tactics and the use of violence...

 

Publication:

A Dialogue with the Data: The Bayesian Foundations of Iterative Research in Qualitative Social Science

Fairfield, Tasha
Cambridge University Press (2019)

We advance efforts to explicate and improve inference in qualitative research that iterates between theory development, data collection, and data analysis, rather than proceeding linearly from hypothesising to testing...

 

Publication:

Deconstructing the policyscape for reducing deforestation in the Eastern Amazon: Practical insights for a landscape approach

Forsyth, Tim
Environmental Policy and Governance (2019)

We advance efforts to explicate and improve inference in qualitative research that iterates between theory development, data collection, and data analysis, rather than proceeding linearly from hypothesizing to testing...

 

Publication:

Constructed Anarchy: Governance, Conflict, and Precarious Property Rights in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Hoffman, Kasper; Pouliot, Mariève; and Muzalia, Godefroid
The Social Science Research Council (2019)

The authors would like thank the researchers from GEC-SH who collected the data for the survey...

 

Policy Paper:

Is Tunisia Really Democratising?

Gallien, Max
International and Security Affairs (2019)

January 2019 marked the eighth anniversary of the end of the Ben Ali dictatorship – the celebrations however were marred by massive social protests...