http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/government-society/departments/international-development/news/index.aspx?NewsListingOrigCol_SyndicationType=1 Contensis: http://www.contentmanagement.co.uk http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/managing-the-consequences-of-joanna-lumleys-campaign-gurkhas-and-development-in-nepal/ Both Jeremy and I were aware that the decision to allow Gurkhas to settle in the UK following their service in the British Army, famously fought for by Joanna Lumley, had had a negative impact on Nepal. Gurkhas now look towards their future in the UK and therefore no longer send large amounts of money home to Nepal to be invested there. Anna Townsend is a military wife and founder of Women Without Roofs – Nepal. She recently completed an MSc in Poverty Reduction and Development Management with IDD. Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:47:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/managing-the-consequences-of-joanna-lumleys-campaign-gurkhas-and-development-in-nepal/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/workshop-on-research-and-evidence-in-international-development/ On 17 October 2012, the International Development Department at the University of Birmingham brought together leading experts on research communication to share experiences and lessons learned about managing knowledge and evaluating the uptake and impact of research and evidence on policy and practice. Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:59:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/workshop-on-research-and-evidence-in-international-development/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/statebuilding-challenges-for-the-future-timorese-government/ Nicolas Lemay-Hébert is a Marie Curie Experienced Researcher at the International Development Department, University of Birmingham and research group leader, "State-building, Security and Development," at the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security, University of Birmingham... Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:49:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/statebuilding-challenges-for-the-future-timorese-government/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/diaspora-communities-in-transitional-justice/ Huma Haider is a research fellow in the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre. Her areas of interest include transitional justice in the context of peacebuilding; coexistence and reconciliation in divided societies; and the participation of refugees, IDPs and diasporas. This post is based on a paper she recently presented at the international conference on Relationships between Diasporas and their "Homelands" and Their Impact on the State, National Identities, and Peace & Conflict at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:01:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/diaspora-communities-in-transitional-justice/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/donors-still-cant-talk-about-the-c-word/ The UK's Independent Commission for Aid Impact issued a report yesterday on DFID's Programme Controls and Assurance in Afghanistan expressing strong concerns about DFID's control over its programmes and resources in the country, and about corruption in particular... Written by Heather Marquette, Senior Lecturer in Governance in IDD. Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:04:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/donors-still-cant-talk-about-the-c-word/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/stop-kony/ Jonathan Fisher is a research fellow in IDD, focusing on the relationship between Western aid donors and developing states, and how donors construct perceptions of foreign governments and key concepts in international development. He has recently completed an analysis of the role of international donors in Uganda's recent 2011 elections commissioned by the Deepening Democracy Programme, a donor 'basket fund' based in Kampala. Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:43:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/stop-kony/ http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/haiti-two-years-on/ 12th January 2012 marked the second anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. Over 200,000 people died and 1.5 million people were made homeless as a result of this disaster, caused by an earthquake which lasted just 30 seconds. Written by Moustafa Osman an expert in humanitarian relief, head of the Humanitarian Department of Islamic Relief Worldwide, and a lecturer in IDD where he teaches Introduction to Disaster Management. Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/haiti-two-years-on/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/rio20-the-future-we-want/ Drafting outcome documents from international conferences must be no easy task! Just how can you summarise the complex negotiations that have taken place, the diversity of views and interpretations of terms, and the range of commitments, or lack of them? There are just five months to go until the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marking twenty years after the 1992 Earth Summit, also held in Rio. A couple of days ago, the 'zero draft' of the outcome document, "The Future We Want", was released. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:39:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/rio20-the-future-we-want/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/india-and-the-un-convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/ The 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities marked a watershed moment for the worldwide disability movement, but can it really make a difference to the lives of millions of disabled people around the world, many of whom are living in conditions of extreme poverty? This was one of the questions on my mind when I visited India, one of the first countries to sign and ratify the Convention, at the beginning of this year. Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:20:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/india-and-the-un-convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/ http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/does-brundtland%e2%80%99s-sustainable-development-need-a-human-dimension/ As anyone working or interested in environment and development will know, the most often cited definition of sustainable development is the one given in the 1987 report Our Common Future, produced by the World Commission on Environment and Development (more commonly known as the Brundtland Report, after the chair of the Commission, Gro Harlem Brundtland) Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:11:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/does-brundtland%e2%80%99s-sustainable-development-need-a-human-dimension/ http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/a-future-for-aid-data/ Michael Hubbard, Reader in Development Economics, is an economist specialising in public economic and finance management, aid management and international trade. Pranay Sinha is a Research Fellow in aid management and public finance. They are currently collaborating on a research project on aid data funded by DFID through its Future of Aid and Beyond Research Competition 2010-11. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:51:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/a-future-for-aid-data/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/conflict-security-and-development-an-introduction/ Paul Jackson and Danielle Beswick published a new textbook in June: Conflict, Security and Development: An Introduction. It is the first textbook to really address the core issues linking conflict and development. We asked Paul to describe the process of writing it and to talk about the issues it discusses. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:42:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/conflict-security-and-development-an-introduction/ http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/religion-and-attitudes-towards-corruption/ There has been growing interest in looking at the underlying anthropological and cultural reasons for why corruption might occur, and a growing understanding that technical, management-led approaches to anti-corruption are not providing the level of success desired. There is a clear need to look as well at why individuals choose to be corrupt and how their values and attitudes towards corruption are shaped. Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:20:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/religion-and-attitudes-towards-corruption/ http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/effects-of-the-arab-spring/ The Arab Spring has been widely seen as a watershed event which has irrevocably changed the region and the global political landscape and led to a seismic shift in the social contract governing the relationship between Arab ruling elites and their populations. The Spring has demonstrated a strong regional dynamic: protests have spread within the Arab world because of the cultural affinity felt by Arabs, and have not been matched in other parts of the world facing similar problems. Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:38:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/effects-of-the-arab-spring/ http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/local-government-matters-the-%e2%80%98toilet-elections%e2%80%99-in-south-africa/ Local government elections are notorious for low voter turnout, but the turnout for last month's elections in South Africa was a record 58% of the 24 million registered voters. This was attributed to an exciting election campaign and tight contests expected in key municipal areas. Campaigning went on for weeks and received extensive coverage in the media. The elections were efficiently run by the Independent Electoral Commission, with plenty of independent civil society monitoring, and few allegations of intimidation, violence or malpractice. Is it coincidental, one commentator mused, that the IEC is run at a senior level by women? Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:39:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/local-government-matters-the-%e2%80%98toilet-elections%e2%80%99-in-south-africa/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/the-ugandan-protests-and-why-museveni-will-not-be-joining-ben-ali-and-mubarak-anytime-soon/ Tunisia, Egypt, Libya…Uganda? This has been the rallying cry of many Kampala residents since anti-government protests broke out in the Ugandan capital in mid-April. The likelihood of 'Egypt-style' uprisings imperiling the continued tenure of the Museveni government has also been talked-up by a number of journalists, in the West and in Africa, particularly now protests have spread beyond Kampala to Entebbe, Mbale and other Ugandan towns. On the face of it, there is much to be said for such comparisons. Sat, 07 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/the-ugandan-protests-and-why-museveni-will-not-be-joining-ben-ali-and-mubarak-anytime-soon/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/two-years-on-reflecting-on-a-victors-peace-in-sri-lanka/ The military victory of the Sri Lankan armed forces over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009 marked the end of a civil war that had endured more than twenty five years. While it is arguably too early to draw clear lessons from the Sri Lankan experience, nearly two years on it is possible to generate some tentative conclusions about the kind of political settlement that is emerging in the post-war period. Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/two-years-on-reflecting-on-a-victors-peace-in-sri-lanka/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/ex-combatants-in-nepal/ Nepal has had a traumatic political history full of huge political transitions. Since its transition to democracy from an autocratic monarchy in 1990, Nepal has experienced more than its fair share of upheaval. In particular the failure of the post-democratic revolution Governments of the early 1990s to address the root causes of poverty and alienation in the areas beyond the Kathmandu Valley led to the development and rapid escalation of a Maoist insurgency that started in 1996 and was only recently ended with a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2006. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/ex-combatants-in-nepal/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/bemba-on-trial/ The vice-president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jean Pierre Bemba, is currently on trial in The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed while trying to put down a coup in the neighbouring Central African Republic in 2002. Bemba's trial is a key step in the search for justice for crimes committed following the coup, but also highlights an enduring challenge for international justice, and has potential implications for the stability of the fragile peace in DR Congo. Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/bemba-on-trial/ http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/state-society-relations-and-citizenship/ Huma Haider is a research fellow in the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre. Her areas of interest include transitional justice in the context of peacebuilding; coexistence and reconciliation in divided societies; and diaspora, identity and citizenship. This post is based on a new topic guide supplement published by the GSDRC on state-society relations and citizenship in situations of conflict and fragility. Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/state-society-relations-and-citizenship/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/has-development-studies-forgotten-latin-america/ Attending the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) conference in Toronto – over 3000 papers in 850 sessions over three days – shows that academic endeavour on and in the region is alive and well. Why then does Latin America have such a low profile in the UK's development studies community? Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/has-development-studies-forgotten-latin-america/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/youth-armed-violence-and-job-creation/ Oliver Walton is a research fellow in the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre. His areas of interest include NGO legitimacy, civil society peacebuilding, conflict prevention, war-to-peace transitions, and Sri Lankan politics. This post discusses the findings of a new research report on Youth, armed violence and job creation programmes carried out for the Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre. Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/youth-armed-violence-and-job-creation/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/contracting-out-in-fragile-states/ Governments of fragile states need to deliver services, ensure security and maintain legitimacy in the most difficult circumstances. Populations may be displaced, infrastructure absent or impaired, the rule of law minimal, and government's own capacity weak. Donors, international NGOs and local informal service providers are often the first to intervene to satisfy basic demands, frequently bypassing government. Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:12:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/contracting-out-in-fragile-states/ Social Sciences http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/understanding-faith-based-organisations-in-pakistan/ This article outlines current research into the characteristics and activities of faith-based organisations in Karachi, Pakistan, carried out as one component of the Religions and Development Research Programme. More findings will be presented at the research programme's international conference in Birmingham from 21 to 23 July 2010. Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:23:00 GMT http://iddbirmingham.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/understanding-faith-based-organisations-in-pakistan/ Social Sciences