Development Studies Association

The Institute of Development Studies at the University of Nairobi hosted a series of events with Institute of Development Studies, UK. In marking 60 years of IDS Sussex and 61 years of IDS at the University of Nairobi — institutions born in the era of independence for colonised nations — these sibling institutions now stand at a critical crossroads which researchers reflect on. Lorraine Njeri and Andrew O. Adwera examine rethinking disasters and development. https://lnkd.in/dFVJFaty Ian Scoones and Paul Kamau talk on a podcast about development, research and global change. https://lnkd.in/dfB4P29i Plus you can watch their panel discussion on Rethinking development and disasters in the face of growing uncertainty and complexity. https://lnkd.in/dra3s8Xv

Thanks to Dóchas for a mention in their Wednesday news - it's a quick to read, clean listing of what's happening in the Irish development space, events, tenders and a great job listing! Plus you can subscribe on LinkedIn, in case your inbox overflows. Dóchas Worldview's Claudia Lynch and University of Birmingham's David Hudson will be hosting a panel at the DSA2026 conference on 8 July, from 2.45-4.15pm titled ‘Shifting geopolitical sands: How global instability is shaping the public’s understanding of and approach to overseas development aid, and what this means for communicating development‘. They'll explore how public values shape support for overseas aid amid global instability & the implications for development communications. Using data from the UK, US, France & Germany, the panel will compare Ireland’s uniquely stable, values-driven support for aid despite rising global tensions. We hope you can join them https://lnkd.in/d7vz8wmt Link to the Dóchas newsletter inbox format in comments.

📢 Now open - FCDO has launched 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, a short-term research commissioning fund. Deadline for expressions of interest is 30 June 2026. The purpose of this initiative is to strengthen FCDO’s ability to understand, anticipate and respond to emerging global conflict trends, and expand thematic and geographic expertise on key priorities. ℹ️ To apply for this conflict call and find out about other funding opportunities, follow Global Research and Technology Development ➡️ Check out the #GRTD website: https://lnkd.in/enqR5qqS

Does your PhD discipline still dictate how you see the world? 🤔 In a field as diverse as Development Studies, we often talk about geography, North-South power dynamics, and institutional location as the primary lenses shaping our research. But a new EADI European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes reflection paper, "The Disciplinary Roots of Disagreement in Development Studies," suggests the real fault line might actually be sitting in our doctoral degree. The paper by Ryan C. Briggs and Andy Sumner FAcSS FRSA asked a fundamental question: What drives the deepest intellectual disagreements in our field? The answer? It’s the disciplinary "baggage" you carry from our PhD training. The study found a striking divide in how scholars approach knowledge and change: 📉 Economics & Political Science PhDs lean heavily toward problem-solving and positivist approaches. 🌍 Anthropology & Interdisciplinary development studies PhDs lean strongly toward transformation and constructivist positions. Where a scholar is based (whether in a High-Income Country or not) matters far less than the discipline in which they were originally socialised. These academic worldviews ie what we believe about theory, knowledge, and the purpose of research, are incredibly durable and persist throughout entire careers. The takeaway? If Development Studies wants to achieve true interdisciplinarity, we can't just count on co-location or sharing a department corridor. We need deliberate institutional design, active cross-disciplinary dialogue, and a willingness to unpack our own intellectual socialization. The real challenge for DS might not be a question of where we are based, but what we were trained to believe. 👇 How much has your foundational PhD training shaped your current research worldview? Do you feel you've broken out of your original disciplinary "mould," or does it still anchor how you ask questions? Read the full reflection paper here: https://lnkd.in/egt-EiQR

Registration is still open for Development Studies Association Conference 2026, so make sure to grab your ticket! This year’s theme, “Reimagining Development: Power, Agency, and Futures in an Uncertain World,” speaks strongly to many of the conversations and questions at the heart of our work. We’re delighted to share that Comhlámh will be contributing to this year’s DSA conference, taking place 8–10 July 2026 at University College Dublin and online. Comhlámh colleagues will be involved in a few ways: - Dervla King will be co-convening two panels on “Rethinking Global South Volunteerism and Development”, creating space to critically explore the role, politics and possibilities of volunteerism in development. - Bronwyn April and Fiachra Brennan will also be presenting a co-authored paper on 8 July, contributing to wider discussions on development, solidarity and global justice. We’d love to encourage the Comhlámh community, members, partners, volunteers, returned development workers and anyone interested in critical conversations on development, to join the conference. Find out more and register here: https://lnkd.in/eqfy3W2c

Do you work in WASH? Water - Sanitation and Hygiene? Are you a development studies or social scientists/ feminist economist? If so we need you at DSA2026 - the conference that brings together development practitioners and researchers. Last year Spurthi Kolipaka (She/ her) said that the WASH sector can be insulated from critical social inquiry, especially on gender justice, so if you know practitioners and researchers who need to come together at our conference in July, hosted by University College Dublin, tag someone in this post. Read Spurthi's full reflections from last year in the link in the comments and find out more about DSA2026 here: https://lnkd.in/d7vz8wmt

We know budgets are tight and travel is complicated, so we are delighted that so many people have already registered to join us at University College Dublin for DSA2026. It's going be our first conference outside the UK in more than 40 years. Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at UCD, Supriya Garikipati says: "It's an opportunity to showcase Ireland’s distinctive position in the development landscape: a country with its own complex histories of colonialism, independence, migration and economic transformation." Fellow Co-Director Caitriona Dowd adds: “We’re really pleased to host DSA2026 in Dublin, and use this opportunity to perhaps introduce Irish perspectives on development and global issues to the wider DSA community." Ahead of DSA2026, find out more about our hosts at the Centre for Sustainable Development https://lnkd.in/d7Zv_yt4 For the DSA, the 2026 conference is a chance for us to hear and engage with wider views, and deepen critical thinking across our discipline. Ireland has a strong history in development studies and practice and we hope to meet many new faces at this year's conference.

Every year the calibre of entry gets higher for the DSA Thesis Prize and this year was no exception with more than an exceptionally wide-ranging and high-quality field with submissions from 13 institutions on topics ranging from income inequality in Chile to social reproduction in Northwestern China. We are delighted to announce Rachel Tough, Ph.D. from UEA DEV as the winner for her work on  Vietnam’s War on COVID-19: an Ethnography of Pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City. Highly commended was Iris Ru-Yu Lin, from Institute of Development Studies for her thesis Solastalgia and transfiguration:  Solastalgia, Cosmological Disruption, and Highland Precarity in the Eastern Himalayas Find out more about the Prize and the winners, and come and meet them at DSA2026! https://lnkd.in/dmSezCnS

Thanks to the team at Practical Action Publishing for getting us all in the mood for writing a book ahead of DSA2026. Check out their Q and A below from the DSA2026 LinkedIn group and feel free to ask your own questions in the comments.

Join us as an Associate Editor: we are now calling for expressions of interest for this role. This is a volunteer position. All Associate Editors will be listed on the DiP website along with their affiliation. Associate Editors will receive a free subscription to DiP, as set out in the DiP/DSAA contract, and their reviews will be acknowledged in the relevant volume. This role is a great opportunity for an academic or practitioner with a strong commitment to global development practice. We welcome applications from early-career and more established researchers and practitioners across the globe, and we will give particular consideration to applicants based in the Global South. https://lnkd.in/gPymG9wT