Through multidisciplinary research and policy engagement we bring new understanding and action on critical issues around health and health systems, and how they overlap with other systems such as food, as well as nutrition, sanitation, epidemics and zoonotic diseases. Enhancing understanding of how to ensure healthy lives for all is a vital part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) and has been an integral focus of IDS’ work since its inception.
Our research and analysis on innovations in health services and systems – including work on identifying effective strategies to address the challenges of antimicrobial resistance – is accelerating progress towards achieving universal health coverage in Asia and Africa. Our work on nutrition spans the spectrum from dietary transition and globalisation of food systems, through to responding to the ways that marginalisation and inequity drive high child malnutrition rates. We bring vital social knowledge to aid effective preparedness and response on pandemics. We show how direct impacts on the spread of diseases such as Ebola can be achieved by bringing learning from research on social issues and contexts to the right people in the right organisations at the right time. Together with our global partners, we are generating and sharing new knowledge and evidence to identify the underlying causes of poor health and social inequalities, and the progressive policies and practices that can help bring about transformative change.
Questions about rigour, validity and credibility are central concerns of all evaluation practice. So too should be how we pay attention to meaningful participation to enable greater equity, especially when embracing complexity and seeking to achieve systems change.
Yet many evaluators and...
The Food Equity Centre and the People Centered Food Systems project are curating a set of webinars in 2024 on the topic of human rights for equitable food systems. The big question for the webinar series is: How do rights move us forward in achieving equitable food systems?
Our first talk...
In an era of hashtag campaigns and online organising, politicians and corporations are spending billions to disrupt dialogue and drown-out dissent online across Africa. Join this event to discuss these issues and more, explored in the new book Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics,...
The European Commission has recently renewed its commitment to promoting and investing in the bioeconomy as a key policy to achieve the European Green Deal objectives. In February 2023 the Swedish EU Presidency organized a high-level conference on the Bioeconomy and in March 2024 a Bioeconomy...
The year 2024 presents a global surge in democratic engagement and political participation as 76 countries hold presidential or national elections. This includes the largest democratic exercise of all in India, where almost one billion people are able to vote to elect Members of Parliament (MP)...
In this special event to mark the culmination of Melissa Leach’s tenure as Director of IDS, a panel of experts will debate the future of development and development studies, offering their thoughts on where development has come in the last 10 years and crucially, where it might be...
This paper presents early findings from evaluation research embedded in a community-driven peace-building project implemented in Mali. Called the ‘Vestibule of Peace’, the project uses Systemic Action Research (SAR) to first support diverse members of selected local communities to collect...
From a pan-African environmental movement to a mosaic of locally managed projects to its considerable funding from the international community, the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGWI) is now seen as a ‘megaproject’. While this megaproject has been primarily...
Are you thinking of applying for an IDS Graduate Scholarship? IDS MA in Governance, Development and Public Policy alum Smriti RDN Neupane and winner of our 2021 IDS Graduate Scholarship Award shares her top tips for how to get started.
If you have already received an offer letter for the...
Advocacy for public accountability aims to produce reactions from government officials or service providers. But it is not always clear to advocates how to interpret diverse government reactions and decide on next steps. This panel will share and reflect on a framework to help achieve this,...
Zimbabwe is presenting itself as the new carbon frontier – the investment destination of choice, with huge areas of forest land to trade on international markets in exchange for carbon credits. But is this wise, will it work, and will it make any difference to the climate?
In September 2023...
The Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) provides a unique forum for humanitarian actors to discuss and solve common challenges in humanitarian affairs. Between 29 April to 10 May, more than 60 networks and partnerships will hold their annual meetings and consultations to share...
19 April 2024
Why learn with us.
In an extraordinary time of challenge and change, we use more than 50 years of expertise to transform development approaches that create more equitable and sustainable futures. The work you do with us will help make progressive change towards universal development; to build and connect solidarities for collective action, locally and globally. The University of Sussex has been ranked 1st in the world for Development Studies for the past five years (QS World University Rankings by Subject).