"My research on resistance movements has led me to believe that music is not only a cosmetic accessory to protests. In Sudan, it was an integral part of the revolutionary movement that ousted the Omar al-Bashir regime." Read Cathy Wilcock's new piece in @theconversation.com: bit.ly/44hjHtV

The rhythms that broke Bashir: how Sudan’s music shaped a revolution

Music created the networks, identities and spaces of trust that made collective political action possible in Sudan’s 2019 revolution.

bit.ly

📢 A new opportunity has arisen to join the virtual think tank BRICS+ Thinking as a Policy Fellow. Over one year based at GDI, the new fellow will produce a policy report on the changing nature of global governance, with a particular focus on north-south initiatives. More: bit.ly/4aCME73

Policy Fellowship on The New Geopolitics of Global Governance - Global Development Institute Blog

An opportunity for a one-year Policy Fellowship with BRICS+ Thinking.

blog.gdi.manchester.ac.uk

🌳 More trees, but less forest? A new Times of India article covers research by GDI's Dhanapal Govindarajulu, which shows that native forests are disappearing even as the number of trees goes up. Read: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/more...

More trees, but less forest? India's woodland boom hides a complicated truth

India has been quietly doing something that most countries can only dream of: growing its forest cover on a massive scale. Between 2014 and 2024, the country added about 2.1 million hectares, or rough...

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

"Can Rwanda sustain its rise in science and technology? Here’s what can help"... A new book review in Nature Portfolio provides a deep dive into the new book by GDI's Pritish Behuria: 'The Political Economy of Rwanda’s Rise': bit.ly/4wlxUlq Read here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Can Rwanda sustain its rise in science and technology? Here’s what can help

An ambitious analysis challenges the view that a nation’s pursuit of economic growth alone can deliver long-term prosperity.

nature.com

Introducing the first GDI Research Magazine! 👉 globaldevinst.my.canva.site/magazine-vol1 👈 Vol 1 features interviews, articles, storytelling and paper spotlights from our Resources, Environment and Development research group. Download the printed mag: blog.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

A new publication by GDI's Salauddin Tauseef and co-authors considers how mobile phones help overcome social and economic disparity among women in South Asia, where female labour force participation is low. Read the paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

We are pleased to share an invite to the Future Forum on Migration & Humanity, a significant community dialogue event taking place next Weds 17 June. Learn more about the event and register to attend here: urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...

On the GDI pod, we chat with some of the authors of a recent intervention on the 'Digital Worlds of AI', asking about the threats posed by AI, the blurry definitions of AI, and the critical tools scholars are using to understand our ever-changing technological landscape. Listen here: bit.ly/43GaNWj

A new paper by GDI's Chris Foster, Richard Heeks and co-authors illustrates the emerging platform landscape in the informal economy of Jakarta, Indonesia. "Contextualizing digital platforms in the informal economy: Policy and reality in Jakarta, Indonesia" is available open-access: bit.ly/4fmlCnB

Contextualizing digital platforms in the informal economy: Policy and reality in Jakarta, Indonesia

In recent years, many cities worldwide have witnessed a dynamic shift in their urban economic landscapes, driven by the rapid rise of digital platforms that intersect with urban governance. Despite...

tandfonline.com

Listen to the full episode, hosted by @goodfellowtom.bsky.social and @itsbethperry.bsky.social, here 👇 @globaldevinst.bsky.social | @sheffieldurbanism.bsky.social www.buzzsprout.com/2451716/epis...

26. COMPARATIVE LEARNING THROUGH COMMUNITY EXCHANGE: A conversation with Jack Makau and Temilade Sesan - Urban Radar

In this episode - recorded on location in Kampala, Uganda during an African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) workshop in late April - we delve into questions of how urban communities in informal sett...

buzzsprout.com

Great write up by Heiner Janus and Michael Roll of the GDI conference and the questions it raised 👇

Global Policy@globalpolicy.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Opinion What to Play Next: Development after the End of Development www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/18/05/2...

Antonio Savoia and Martin Andersson are editing a special issue of 'Economic History of Developing Regions', focusing on economic shrinking in the Global South. Submit your abstracts now for consideration - Deadline 01/09/26 think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...

Tune in online this Friday for a lecture on "Reapproaching Extended Urbanisation in the Brazilian Amazonia" - delivered by Roberto Monte-Mór, with GDI's Tom Goodfellow also sharing his ideas. Time: 15:30 BST Place: Online only - lnkd.in/eT-MbvKi

Find out more about the winning project: youtu.be/JbTzMnpcnzg

Benefit to society through research: Intergenerational movement building for more just urban futures

YouTube video by Social Responsibility at The University of Manchester

youtu.be

Our emerging impact winner goes to a project empowering young people in informal settlements in Nairobi and Harare through co-produced research and community action. Congratulations to Daniela Cocco Beltrame, the SDI Zimbabwe Alliance and the SDI Kenya Alliance @globaldevinst.bsky.social

Research from @globaldevinst.bsky.social links global consumer demand to rising deforestation in Brazil’s rainforest, often through complex, hard-to-regulate supply chains. It explains why efforts to curb deforestation lag behind demand. 👇 Let's dive into the research 🧵1/6 @manchester.ac.uk

We're immensely saddened to hear of the passing of Hamid Khalafallah, a 3rd year PhD colleague at @globaldevinst.bsky.social. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time. Hamid’s peers have organised a vigil today, Fri 1 May 5:30-6:30pm, outside the Arthur Lewis Building. All welcome.

Has globalisation failed? A new ARTE episode featuring GDI's Pritish Behuria has been released asking 'is globalisation on the way out? Or can it reinvent itself?' Watch here: www.arte.tv/en/videos/12...

42: The Answer to Almost Everything - Has Globalisation Failed? - Watch the full documentary | ARTE in English

With wars, financial crises, and energy crises, global trade seems to be suffering. But is globalisation on the way out? Or can it reinvent itself?

arte.tv

Kicking off day 2 of the GDI conference with our third plenary! Ken Opalo speaking now about international development ‘after aid’ and the politics of navigating aid cuts

The GDI conference is getting underway this morning with a first plenary delivered by Lee Jones and Yuen Yuen Ang on the new geopolitics of development…

"It’s great to be recognised as 5th in the world for Development Studies in the new QS subject rankings. GDI is where critical thinking meets social justice - and we’re very pleased our contemporary approach to complex issues is held in such high regard." - Sam Hickey, Head of GDI bit.ly/4bNHQLN

GDI rises to 5th in the world for Development Studies

The QS rankings measure the quality and reputation of research and include measures on academic and employer reputation and citations performance.

manchester.ac.uk

GDI's Antonio Savoia chatting to students at the UoM (@manchester.ac.uk) Master's Expo today! Come say hi to us at our stand if you are on campus...

📑 NEW | Worlding Mogadishu: “New cities” and material modes of urban speculation Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has undergone rapid transformation over the past 15 years. Following the state’s collapse in the 1990s, and subsequent rebuilding, it has become a site of diaspora return and investment.

We are very excited to share that Development Studies at @manchester.ac.uk has been ranked no. 5 globally by the latest QS World University Rankings!

The University of Manchester@manchester.ac.uk · 4mo ago

Proud doesn't cut it 💜 The latest QS World University Rankings by Subject are out, and we’re celebrating improvements across multiple disciplines in the latest release. Read more: www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/u...

A new paper by Caroline Cornier argues that Colombia’s collective land rights have struggled to support new, sustainable livelihoods because they overlook how Afro‑Colombian communities remain economically tied to extractive industries, making real change harder to achieve. Read: bit.ly/4byR3J2

Pritish Behuria will be delivering a talk for Seoul National University's Africa Seminar series on economic security in the era of planetary crisis. Join online on Weds 25 March 2026, 16:00 – 17:30 Meeting link: snu-ac-kr.zoom.us/my/baraka880... Find out more: snuac.snu.ac.kr/eng/index.ph...

We are so excited to welcome people to Manchester next month for the GDI Conference! We have a fantastic line-up of speakers and look forward to two full days of discussions. We're fully booked, so please release your ticket if you can no longer attend / join the waiting list here: bit.ly/4cB39SV

Can indigenous political representation improve forest conservation? Prof Bina Agarwal will deliver a talk on 18 March at @lseid.bsky.social to talk about India’s experience. Register here: www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminst...

Can indigenous political representation improve forest conservation? India’s experience | Professor Bina Agarwal - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment

This lecture will examine whether political representation by indigenous communities supports forest conservation or drives greater resource extraction.

lse.ac.uk

‘There cannot be a corridor without Türkiye!’ Read the new open-access paper by GDI's @sethschindler.bsky.social and co-authors Sırma Altun and Mustafa Kemal Bayırbağ concerning the spatial component of Türkiye’s foreign policy: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

"The expansion of surveillance in Central Asia has unfolded not as a neutral process of digital modernization but as a politically charged response to regime insecurity, mobility, and shifting geopolitical alignments." Read the new open-access paper by Arash Beidollahkhani here: bit.ly/4qWNErU