The first year of the Global Development Institute

On 17 February 2016 we officially launched the Global Development Institute, combining the strengths of the Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM) and the Brooks World Poverty Institute. 

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, launched the Institute with an inspirational keynote lecture on inequality, calling for "rebel academics" to create social change. 

We also established the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Doctoral College, the first of its kind to focus on supporting postgraduate research of international development.

Oxfam's Winnie Byanyima addresses a packed house at the Institute launch

Our academics have been awarded over £5 million to carry out vital research.

The Effective States and Inclusive Development Centre was awarded an additional £3.1 million by DFID to extend our pioneering research until 2019.

Three academics from the Global Development Institute have been awarded over £350,000 to lead three new strategic networks.

Professor Armando Barrientos was awarded £482,000 by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Department for International Development (DFID) to improve the research infrastructure on social assistance, in terms of concepts, indicators and data.

Professor Sam Hickey was awarded £435,000 by the ESRC to investigate 'pockets of effectiveness' within developing country governments and administrations.

Since our launch the research carried out by our academics has made a real impact on the world.

In November, research by Professor Stephanie Barrientos influenced the new Mondelez International strategy for promoting women's empowerment in cocoa supply chains.

The Global Development Institute was identified as one of the flagship institutes for the University's Addressing Global Inequalities Research Beacon and our research and collaborations over the last 12 months have played a part in making the world a fairer place.

Dr Nicola Banks' motorbike taxi savings and employment scheme

In our first year our academics won numerous awards and joined many prestigious organisations.

Professor Bina Agarwal was appointed officer in the Order of Agricultural Merit by France and elected member of the National Academic of Sciences Italy.

Professor David Hulme became a member of the Academia Europaea (the Academy of Europe) and continued as chair of the Development Studies Association.

Dr Nicola Banks won a Making a Difference Award for outstanding contribution to social enterprise, for her motorbike taxi savings and employment scheme.

Dr Subhasish Dey was awarded 'Best Postgraduate that Teaches' in the Manchester Teaching Awards presented by The University of Manchester Students' Union.

Dr Joanne Jordan was a finalist in the national Engage Competition run by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE).

Professor Diana Mitlin became Deputy Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council.

Dr Joanne Jordan's documentary, The Lived Experience of Climate Change

We have used and innovative ways to engage with the general public.

Dr Joanne Jordan's documentary, The Lived Experience of Climate Change, launched with sold-out screenings at The Manchester Museum and then Rich Mix in London. It has now been watched over 100,000 times online.

The Global Development Institute academics have regularly appeared in high quality national outlets including Prospect Magazine, The Guardian, BBC Newsbeat and Radio 4, London Evening Standard, New Internationalist and The Conversation.

We have built up a strong presence online using innovative ways to showcase the research of our academics. As a result, our Facebook and Twitter followers have doubled.

We produced a series of videos and blogs in reaction to the election of President Donald Trump. The videos have had over 10,000 views and the blogs have been read over 400 times.

Professor Armando Barrientos speaks on a panel as part of Habitat 3

Our academics shared their expertise from Ecuador to India

Professor Armando Barrientos and Professor Diana Mitlin attended the Habitat 3 conference and helped to define the UN's New Urban Agenda in Quito, Ecuador.

The Studying African Farmer Led Irrigation project also held joint project workshop with the National Irrigation Commission in Dar es Salaam in September.

Professor Richard Heeks was an invited Advisory Panel member for the World Bank's 'World Development Report 2016' on Digital Dividends.

Professor Kunal Sen was invited to join a group of experts on employment and growth to advise a committee which includes India's Finance Minister.

We re-connected with our alumni, online and in person, with our academics travelling to seven countries to host alumni events.

Over 250 Masters' students took part in fieldwork in Uganda and South Africa.

Rory Brooks and Professor David Hulme at the launch of 'Should Rich Nations Help The Poor?'

During the Institute's first year we published more than 100 papers in internationally peer-reviewed journals, 6 books, 21 book chapters and 9 working papers. Highlights include: 

Professor Bina Agarwal published a compendium of her work Gender Challenges.

We re-launched our Working Paper Series, now with nine new papers published looking at all aspects of development studies.

Mike Kane MP hosted the launch of Professor David Hulme's book, 'Should Rich Nations Help The Poor?' in Parliament.

Professor Phil Woodhouse co-edited a special edition of the Journal of Southern African Studies on the Political Economy of Sugar in Southern Africa.

The Politics of Development, written by Effective States and Inclusive Development Centre experts, was made Open Access.

Justine Greening MP speaking as part of consultation on women's economic empowerment.

We hosted Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening.

Justine Greening hosted a consultation on women's economic empowerment, feeding into a UN High Level Panel report. We were the only UK university to host a consultation event, reflecting the excellence of our research and engagement on labour standards and women’s rights.