IDS was founded in 1966 by economist Dudley Seers who was director from 1967 until 1972. From 1972 to 1981 Sir Richard Jolly was the director of IDS, and later authored "A short history of IDS: a personal reflection". Later directors included Mike Faber (1982–87), John Toye (1987 to 1997) and Keith Bezanson (1997–2004) and Lawrence Haddad (2004–2014).The current director of IDS is Melissa Leach, a social anthropologist and professorial fellow at IDS, who succeeded Lawrence Haddad in 2014. Prior to her appointment she was director of the STEPS Centre.[1] Leach's recent work has explored the politics of science and knowledge in policy processes linked to environment and health; cultural and political dimensions of vaccine delivery; medical research trials, emerging infectious diseases, and ecology-health linkages.[2]
Structure and research
IDS consists of ten research clusters or teams which concentrate their research on specific angles of development:
The Business, Markets and the State cluster examines how and under what conditions businesses and market systems enable or constrain pathways for positive development. Current research includes a Rising Powers programme focusing on the economic growth of the BRICS.[3]
The Cities cluster has a focus on the circumstances of poor and vulnerable people within cities and explores ways in which different forms of inequalities interact to produce both good and bad outcomes.[4]
The Digital and Technology cluster challenges prevailing technocratic views by highlighting inequalities that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may cause.[5]
The Governance cluster work on addressing the tensions between political liberalisation and globalisation, tensions between the politics of growth and the politics of equity the potential tensions and synergies between development concerns such as the anti-poverty agenda, and the gender-equity agenda and the environmental protection agenda.[6]
The Health and Nutrition cluster researches the political economy of health and nutrition, markets, regulation, diseases connected to malnutrition and how health systems respond to infectious diseases.[7]
The Knowledge, Impact and Policy team work on methodology rather than a defined issue, supporting programmes with monitoring frameworks, knowledge management and research communications.[8]
The Participation, Inclusion and Social Change cluster focuses on designing participatory research methods in international development and the social exclusion facing groups such as women and people with disabilities.[9]
The Power and Popular Politics team investigate political participation and contestation outside of institutions.[10]
The Resource Politics and Environmental Change cluster works on the consequences of climate change on politics, the economy and society are shaped by developmental issues.[11]
Funding
IDS is a registered charity.[12] The top five funders of IDS are:[13]
With the University of Sussex, IDS offer a range of scholarship opportunities to help fund MA degree students.[14][15]
Teaching and post-graduate courses
IDS has engaged in teaching since 1973 when the first MPhil course in development began.[16] Currently it teaches at postgraduate and doctorate level and has been awarded accreditation for its teaching programme by the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI).
IDS offers nine master's courses and two PhD degrees:[17]
Carlos Fortin, political scientist, Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations (UNCTAD, Geneva), 1990–2005, currently Emeritus Fellow and Research Associate
Philip Proudfoot, anthropologist based in the Power and Popular Politics Cluster[25]
Past academics
Bob Baulch – worked for 13 years as a fellow at IDS for 13 years before joining Prosperity Initiatives in 2008.
Chris Colclough – a fellow (from 1975), and professorial fellow (from 1994)
Stephany Griffith-Jones – has contributed to research and policy suggestions on how to make the domestic and international financial system more stable so it can better serve the needs of inclusive economic development and the real economy.
Peter Newell is a professor at the University of Sussex, specialising in climate change. He is co-editor of the European Journal of International Relations, associate editor of the journal Global Environmental Politics and sits on the editorial board of Global Environmental Change, the Journal of Environment and Development and the Journal of Peasant Studies.[28]
Neil McCulloch – Previously a research fellow in IDS Globalisation team. An economist specialising in the analysis of poverty in developing countries and the linkages between poverty and both global and local economic reform. Has led research on the possibilities of the Tobin tax for development.[29]
