News and Media

Development Management consultancy project presents report to leaders in the field

A small team of students from the MSc Development Management 2015/2016 course presented a successful report last week in collaboration with Charities Aid Foundation at the pre-launch event for their research. 

You can read their article for the department blog here 

International Development students have their paper published by the Inter-American Development Bank

A group of students from last year’s Development Management class have had their constancy project published for the Inter-American Development Bank. The paper analyses the different ways in which big data can be leveraged to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of governments in Latin America and the Caribbean by using five case studies. 

You can download and read the paper by following this link 

Vacancy: Development Management Graduate Teaching Assistant (Internal Only)

The Department of International Development is looking to hire a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) to help teach the MSc Development Management programme. Applications are open for internal PhD candidates from any department or research institute across the LSE.

Development Management GTA Job Description 

Development Management GTA Personal Specification

Development Management GTA Advert

Dr Tasha Fairfield wins the Donna Lee Van Cott Award for best book on political institutions 

Dr Fairfield, an Assistant Professor in Development Studies in the Department of International Development has been awarded the 2016 Donna Lee Van Cott Award for best book on political institutions for her book Private Wealth and Public Revenue in Latin America (Cambridge University Press, 2015). The committee for the prize described it as "both theoretically and empirically rich and persuasive in showing the impact of business power in reforming tax policy across and within countries". They went on to say that they "found particularly compelling the way in which the book brings social movements into the picture to explain how movements in the street can change the balance of power between states and business and empower states to pass anti-business tax reforms."

New Report - "From Hybrid Peace to Human Security: Rethinking EU Strategy towards Conflict"

The latest report by the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit proposes that the European Union adopts a second generation human security approach to conflicts, as an alternative to Geo-Politics or the War on Terror.

Read the full report here

Professor Jean-Paul Faguet speaks at World Bank

On Wednesday 10 February Professor Jean-Paul Faguet spoke at an event at the World Bank entitled "Is Decentralization Good for Development: Perspectives from Academics & Policy Makers", where he discussed his research from his book of the same name.

A video of the event can be found here

Programme for African Leadership scholarships available for 2016

PfAL is delighted to announce that scholarship funds are available for bright African students applying to select Masters programmes for the upcoming 2016/17 academic year. There is a three-stage application process, with an initial deadline of 4 March 2016 for the first phase. Click the link for more information and for the Pre-Application Form. 

Find out more about the scholarships here.

Professor Kaldor receives honorary award at University of Sussex graduation

On Friday 22 January Mary Kador was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Sussex for her  academic excellence and her contribution on issues of humanitarian security and the new causes of war. The award  was conferred to her by the Chancellor of the University, actor and writer Sanjeev Bhaskar at Brighton’s Dome, where the University’s winter graduation ceremonies took place.

International Development student awarded New Zealand Gallantry Star

LSE International Development postgraduate student, Geoff Faraday, awarded New Zealand Gallantry Star for two acts of extraordinary bravery while serving as an army major in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. Read more about Geoff's award on the International Development blog 

Prestigious Awards for Professor Catherine Boone

The Department of International Development is delighted to announce that Property and Political Order in Africa: Land Rights and the Structure of Politics by Catherine Boone has been awarded Best Book 2015 by African Politics Conference Group of the American Political Science Assocation and the ASA Herskovitz Award Honorable Mention 2015 for the best book published in English in African Studies in the last two years by the African Studies Association (ASA).

Jean-Paul Faguet promotes new book across South America

Professor Jean-Paul Faguet has spent the last week in South America promoting his new book, Is Decentralization Good for Development? He gave the keynote address at the LACEA/World Bank/IDB/UNDP Research Network on Inequality and Poverty, as well as lectures at the Catholic University of Bolivia, and the UMSA, the main public university in La Paz. He has also faced a live TV interview on one of Bolivia’s main current affairs programmes, 'A Todo Pulmón'.

Mayling Birney discusses the Magna Carta on BBC's Newshour

Mayling Birney featured on the BBC’s Newshour this week, talking about the late diversion of the Magna Carta exhibition from Renmin University in Beijing to the British Ambassador’s Residence. Dr Birney considered why the authorities are limiting public access to the 800-year-old document. The audio and transcript are available on the International Development blog.

Winnie Byanyima captivates audience at LSE

Oxfam International is moving its headquarters from Oxford to Nairobi, the charity's executive director Winnie Byanyima announced on Monday. Her public lecture, ‘Is Africa Rising’, spoke about issues of investment, inequality and tax manipulation in Africa and was very well received by a sell-out audience. A summary and podcast are available on the International Development blog.

Reviving Global Democracy: book launch on 11 November

The Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit is hosting a panel discussion for the launch of Richard Youngs' new book, The Puzzle of Non-Western Democracy, on Wednesday 11 November. The evening will feature Richard Youngs, Mukulika Banerjee and Senem Aydin-Düzgit, and will be chaired by Professor Mary Kaldor.

More information can be found on our events page.

Is Decentralization Good for Development?

A collection of essays co-edited by Professor Jean-Paul Faguet and recent PhD graduate Caroline Poschl has been published by Oxford University Press. Is Decentrization Good for Development combines academics of decentralization and policymakers who have implemented reform at the highest levels of administration.

More information about the book is available here.

A launch event for the book will take place on Wednesday 2 December (with details to follow on our events page).

African nationals headline autumn events programme

The Department is delighted to host three public lectures by highly acclaimed African speakers as part of its autumn events programme.

In October, Winnie Byanyima (pictured), Executive Director of Oxfam UK, will reflect on her experiences growing up in Uganda and how we must tackle crises of inequality in Africa. Read more >>

In November, Professor Attahiru Jega, the former Chair of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, will present ‘Giving Democracy a Chance’ as part of the Africa Talks initiative. Read more >>

Finally, in another Africa Talk, successful academic and author Professor Alcinda Honwana will visit us to speak about youth protests driving political change in Africa. Read more >>

LSE Fellow awarded two-year Leverhume grant

Anna Macdonald, a fellow with the Justice and Security Research Programme, has been awarded a British Academy / Leverhulme grant (together with former LSE fellow Sarah-Jane Cooper-Knock) to undertake a two-year project on the role of magistrates courts in South Africa and Uganda in shaping political subjectivities.

Migration expert Andersson discusses Calais crisis on BBC

Ruben Andersson, a postdoctoral research fellow and an expert on migration and border control, has been discussing the situation in Calais on BBC Radio Scotland. Ruben features 14 mins 30 secs into the show, which is available until the end of August.

For more about the broadcast, click here >>

PhD graduate co-authors new study on medical care

Paula Giovagnoli (MSc Development Studies 2005, PhD 2013) has co-authored a new Policy Research Working Paper entitled ‘Long-Run Effects of Temporary Incentives on Medical Care Productivity’ for the World Bank Group.

This paper uses a randomized field experiment to examine the effects of temporary financial incentives paid to medical care clinics for the initiation of prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Read the paper in full here >>

No Boring Day: Intellectual Property Lecture with QMUL

The Department is co-hosting an event with the Centre of Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. Gustavo de Freitas Morais, engineer and attorney in Brazil, will present at ‘No Boring Day: IP Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Issues in Brazil’ on Friday 3 July. He will address the Brazilian intellectual property scene, which is constantly changing and the source of conflict, particularly with in the life sciences.

Teddy Brett article launches new ANGLE e-journal

A new article by Teddy Brett, ‘Explaining the Capitalist Crisis’, featured in the launch of a new online journal hosted by Imperial College. Described as ‘brilliant’ by reviewers, the article derives from a debate that took place on the department blog back in 2013.

Follow the debate from here >>

Women's leadership campaigner hosts careers workshop

Mario Ferro (MSc Development Management 2009), CEO of Wedu, delivered a careers workshop to students last month about social entrepreneurship and impact investing.

Mario kindly agreed to answer a few questions on the major issues raised during the afternoon, including consultancy projects, the value of fieldwork, and vital tips for starting a social enterprise.

Read the full interview here >>

Visiting researcher pens "academic bestseller"

A recent paper co-authored by visiting professor, Kirsten Sehnbruch, is among the most downloaded papers of the Cambridge Political Economy Society for 2014. 'The Quality of Employment and Decent Work', written with Brendan Burchell, Agnieszka Piasna and Nurjk Agloni, won the Editor's Choice award and was made open access for a year.

The article explores the development of concepts related to the 'quality of employment', from studies of job satisfaction to more  comprehensive overviews of employment quality.

See the article here >>

Three named in Class Teacher Awards

Congratulations to Hazel Gray, Anna Macdonald, and Silvia Masiero, who have all been awarded Class Teacher Awards for 2015. These awards are nominated by departments in recognition of the special contribution made by graduate teaching assistants and teaching fellows.

The Teaching Awards Reception took place on 5th May at The Venue, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre.

Portia Roelofs takes award from 2015 Research Festival

PhD student Portia Roelofs has gained a "highly commended" Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) award for her photograph, "Abeokuta: Development with a 'human face'?".

Portia works on African politics (with particular attention to Nigeria), and is interested in issues surrounding gender, corruption, and governance and accountability.

Read more about her entry on our blog >>

Book launch event on Wednesday 13 May

The launch event for Dr Tasha Fairfield’s new book, Private Wealth and Public Revenue in Latin America, took place on Wednesday 13th May.

Dr Fairfield, Assistant Professor in International Development and Affiliate Professor in Government, discussed her book with Robert Falkner (International Relations) and David Soskice (Government).

Professorial trio flourish in running endeavours

The Department would like to congratulate its trio of Professorial runners - Jude Howell, Tim Allen, and Robert Wade - for their recent athletic and fundraising triumphs.

Find out more on our blog, which includes the news of how DESTIN alumnus Ed Stevens fared in his Guinness World Record attempt as Practical Action Man.

Tim Dyson gives keynote address at United Nations Commission

Tim Dyson gave the keynote address on the first day of the forty-eighth session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development in New York (13 April). Professor Dyson's speech is available to watch online, and begins 1h 30 minutes into the session.

Ruben Andersson receives BBC accolade for migration study

Dr Ruben Andersson, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit, has won the British Sociological Association / BBC Thinking Allowed (Radio 4) ethnography award for his book Illegality, Inc. Clandestine Migration and the Business of Bordering Europe.

The book argues that increasing border controls are leading migrants to seek more dangerous routes to enter Europe. It is based on his PhD dissertation, which was awarded the 2014 IMISCOE dissertation award. One of the judges described Ruben's work as "a very beautifully written, very evocative book".

The shortlist was announced in last week’s Thinking Allowed and the programme will run a special feature on the book during this week's episode on Wednesday 22 April at 4pm.

Read more on our blog >>

Ken Shadlen takes Open Access Essay Prize for 2014

Ken Shadlen, along with Mark Manger (formerly of LSE), has been awarded the prize of best paper published in 2014 for the article ‘Political Trade Dependence and North-South Trade Agreements’. The pair received the Economics and Politics Section award from the Latin American Studies Association. The selection committee described their work as “a very strong contribution to understanding the political economy of international trade”.

Read more about the prizewinning essay and the judges' remarks >>

Rethinking GDP: Alumnus to challenge 'untouchable' growth indicators ahead of general election

GDP has become the most powerful statistic in human history and has been relied upon at every turn by the coalition government to demonstrate the credibility of its long-term economic plan. Ahead of the general election, former LSE alumnus Philipp Lepenies will question how GDP came to be indispensable as the indicator for progress, and demonstrate why any attempt to reduce the impact of this figure on policy needs to start by understanding how it came to occupy the throne in the first place.

See the dedicated event page here >>

Subterranean politics in Europe: Mary Kaldor in discussion

Professor Mary Kaldor discusses activism, Europe and the aftermath of the Greek elections with Ludovica Rogers and Hara Kouki. The conversation was organised by LSE’s Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit in collaboration with Euro Crisis in the Press and with funding from the Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE).

Watch the video here >>

Fraud at polls? Mozambique election data available here

Results down to polling station level for all of Mozambique's elections since 1999 have been posted on a new Election Research website, as part of an international research collaboration project. With the five-times defeated presidential candidate alleging all elections were stolen, this data set will allow detailed statistical analysis to support or contest these allegations. The data will also show political support and how it has changed, even at neighbourhood level.

See the entire collection of election data here >>

Read Joe Hanlon's introductory blog post here >>

New visiting professor appointed

The Department of International Development is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Kirsten Sehnbruch as Visiting Associate Professor in the Department. Her appointment formally commences in September 2015, after which she will join the LSE for one term each year to undertake teaching and research.

Find out more about the appointment >>

New massive open online course in citizen engagement

A new massive open online course (MOOC) is launching this month, the first of its kind in citizen engagement. The department is working in collaboration with Coursera, Civicus, the Overseas Development Institute, and the World Bank Group to deliver a comprehensive overview of citizen engagement in this 4-week course.

The launch event will be hosted by the Department of International Development on Thursday 19th March at 7pm.

Click here for more information >>

Robert Wade stars in Development Debate

The 2015 Development Debate saw Prof. Robert Wade take on Prof. Francesco Caselli from the Department of Economics on the topic 'Industrial Policy for Development'. The two sparred over concepts of development structure in an enthralling debate.

Find out more at the International Development blog >>

The Role of ICT in Development

Dr Silvia Masiero organised a roundtable event to discuss ICTs and societal changes. She was joined by two LSE alumni – now ICT4D practitioners – to discuss their collective experience as ICT-based development workers.