Person

Diana Conyers

Diana Conyers

Dr Diana Conyers is a social scientist with nearly 40 years’ experience of development work, most of it based overseas. Throughout her career she has combined practical work (including government employment, applied research and consultancy) with teaching and writing, in the belief that these two types of activity are mutually supportive.

Diana worked at IDS from January 2005 to April 2013 and primarily as Programme Convenor of the MA Governance and Development. She had a particular interest in providing IDS students with practical fieldwork experience in the local community.

Research

Project

Moulsecoomb: Being Heard!

The project explored the different ways residents of Moulsecoomb, Brighton, participate in community activities, through the eyes of the participants.

Opinions

Development Frames

Great Achievements

Second runner up ‘Why on earth did I agree to do this?’ Angela asked herself. She looked at the other people sitting with her on the podium. There were four other speakers - three men and a woman. She knew and respected them all. They were hard-working, committed people, who...

1 December 2016

Opinion

The Zambezi Valley Refrain: A Story of Empowerment

Guest blog by Diana Conyers, a former colleague at IDS at Sussex, and someone who worked for many years in Zimbabwe. Her discussion of a new book - The Zambezi Valley Refrain: The Story of Basilwizi identifies some key ingredients for successful local development.

30 May 2016

Publications

Journal Article

Preface: Interrogating Decentralisation in Africa

In 1983, I wrote an article entitled ‘Decentralization: The Latest Fashion in Development Administration?’. I argued that there was ‘a growing interest in decentralisation among the governments of a number of Third World countries, especially – but not only – in Africa’ and...

16 August 2019