Global Development Institute podcast

In this episode, Dr Natalie Cunningham, Senior Lecturer in Leadership for Development at GDI, speaks to three UoM alumni about their experiences navigating the contemporary development and humanitarian landscape. Contributors include Stephanie Lord (Head of Global Emergency at the Danish Refugee Council), Shamilah Perumal (Minister for Economic Affairs in the High Commission of Malaysia in New Delhi), and Anna Spethman (Lecturer and Volunteer Manager at the University of Nebraska, Omaha). This episode is published as part of our initiative exploring the ways in which global crises are impacting the GDI alumni community. If you're a former GDI student keen to share your story, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch with louisa.hann@manchester.ac.uk for further information. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

A conversation with Gindo Tampubolon, GDI's Reader in Global Health, to discuss his research on global healthy ageing and his work as a lead expert for the World Health Organization's Life Course & Healthy Ageing expert group as part of the UN's Decade of Healthy Ageing Initiative. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, we speak to GDI alumnus and research fellow Luis Eduardo Pérez Murcia about his recent open access book, A Long Journey Home: Losing and Remaking Home Following Conflict and Displacement. The book examines the experiences of those whose sense of home has been disrupted by decades of conflict and violence, highlighting the profound feelings of loss and the enduring struggle of living without a home. Luis Eduardo discusses his findings in depth, including various ways in which home is conceptualised, lost, and remade in the lives of displaced people. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, Rory Horner speaks with Elisa Gambino about her latest paper 'Flexible embeddedness: how Chinese lead firms internationalise in Africa' with Costanza Franceschini. The ‘rise of the South’, and particularly that of China, has promoted lively debates around the centrality of Southern firms in shaping the contours of twenty first century economic globalisation. This paper contributes to these debates by examining the internationalisation of Chinese lead firms. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

Dr Elisa Gambino (GDI) interviews Dr Fidèle Beletchei Ebia, a postdoctoral researcher with Duke Africa Initiative, about her recent paper analysing how the rise of South-South value chains disrupts the trade of African print textiles. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, we speak to PhD researcher Anuradha Ganapathy about her recent think piece 'Beyond Digital Platforms: Unpacking Disinformation Through a Feminist Commodity Chain Approach'. Anuradha discusses alternative approaches to analysing disinformation, moving away from platform centricity and toward an understanding of gendered commodity chains and unpaid labour. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, Sophie Van Huellen (Senior Lecturer in Development Economics at GDI) and Fuad Mohammed Abubakar (Head of Ghana Cocoa Marketing Company UK LTD and Simon Industrial Fellow) talk to Caroline Cornier (PhD Candidate at GDI) about their recent work on the political economy of the Ghanaian cocoa sector. They discuss the implications of poor harvests, changes to the sector's financing model, impacts on farmers, and more. Read Sophie and Fuad's policy brief here. Read their GDI working paper here. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, visiting postdoctoral scholar Monika Verma (Palacký University Olomouc) sits down with GDI's Ibrahim Efe to discuss her research on the securitization of migration in India, focusing specifically on the case of the Rohingya community. Monika discusses the background to her research, the meaning of securitization in a migration context, and how it affects the daily lives of Rohingya refugees. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

As the world moves towards more sustainable energy sources and infrastructure projects, demand for critical energy transition minerals is surging. Given the uneven distribution of such resources, how can we support cooperative resource management between countries while curbing heightening geopolitical tensions and potential supply chain disruptions? In a recent paper published in Science, Saleem Ali and co-authors (including GDI's Jose Antonio Puppim De Oliveira) propose the creation of a Global Minerals Trust as a response to such challenges. In this episode of the GDI Podcast, Saleem joins Tomas Frederiksen to discuss the specifics of the proposal, including how it has been received so far and its potential implications for developing countries. Read the paper here. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, GDI students Max Slater, Rosie Rochester, and Armando Caroca Fernandez interview Dr Noam Leshem (Durham University) about his new book, Edges of Care: Living and Dying in No Man's Land (The University of Chicago Press). They discuss the notion of no man's land as a site of radical uncaring, exploring the political dynamics of state abandonment in a range of conflict zones such as Palestine, Syria, and Sudan. Find out more about GDI Students for Palestine here and check out the CfP for their upcoming conference here. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

PhD Researcher Anuradha Ganapathy interviews Payal Arora, Professor of Inclusive AI Cultures at Utrecht University and co-founder of two initiatives, Inclusive AI Lab for Debiasing Tech and Fem Lab. The pair discuss Payal's recent book, From Pessimism to Promise: Lessons from the Global South on Designing Inclusive Tech (MIT Press), digging into the role of academia in discussing Big Tech, the positive potential in technologies such as AI, especially in the Global South, and how to bridge the gap between critique and constructive engagement. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

Brought to you by the combined voices of the African Cities Research Consortium and the Global Urban Futures and Environment Policy and Planning research groups, this episode features Dr Taibat Lawanson. Taibat is an associate professor of urban planning at the University of Lagos and a Leverhulme Professor at the University of Liverpool. In this episode, she explores the past and the future of urban spaces and how essential heritage is to urban planning. Lean more about Taibat Lawanson here. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, GDI's Senior Lecturer Saumik Paul discusses the recently published United Nations Development Programme report on the Multidimensional Poverty Index, 'Poverty Amid Conflict', with Yanchun Zhang, one of the report's authors. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

GDI students Ellen Logan and Alex Pettifer interview Dr Nadia Naser-Najjab (University of Exeter), covering the discipline of Palestine Studies, how Israel-Palestine can advance our understanding of broader issues surrounding decolonisation, and how people can enrich their understanding of Palestinian histories. Details of resources mentioned in the episode are accessible on our blog: https://blog.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/recommended-resources-on-palestine-and-decolonisation/ Read more about Nadia's upcoming lecture here: GDI Lecture: The War on Gaza: Historical Context and Future Possibilities | Events at The University of Manchester Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, GDI's very own Tekle Weldemichel discusses his recent paper, 'Tigray war: Modern geographies of mass violence and the invisibilization of populations'. The paper critically examines the strategies and tactics employed by the Ethiopian government and its allies to sustain a “zone of invisibility” around the Tigray war. Read the paper here: Tigray war: Modern geographies of mass violence and the invisibilization of populations - ScienceDirect Tekle recently joined GDI as Lecturer in Environment and Development. Read more about Tekle's work: Teklehaymanot Weldemichel - Research Explorer The University of Manchester Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode brough to you by the Sustainable Forest Transitions Project, research associate Lucas Alencar speaks with anthropologist Amy Penfield and ecologist Filipe França from the University of Bristol. Lucas, Amy and Filipe discuss the roles anthropology, ecology and other disciplines can play in conservation both in isolation and in collaboration with one another to build policy, networks and action. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogBlueSkyLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

Towards the end of 2024, GDI's Professor Uma Kothari delivered a lecture titled 'Decoloniality: Beyond a Metaphor'. We're fortunate enough to have recorded the lecture, in which Uma discusses how metaphor can inhibit attempts to decolonise our societies and institutions, as well as the role of material reparations in addressing past and present injustices. Listen to it here. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogTwitterLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

Towards the end of 2024, GDI's Professor Uma Kothari delivered a lecture titled 'Decoloniality: Beyond a Metaphor'. We're fortunate enough to have recorded the lecture, in which Uma discusses how metaphor can inhibit attempts to decolonise our societies and institutions, as well as the role of material reparations in addressing past and present injustices. Listen to it here. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogTwitterLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

Chaired by Professor Nicola Banks, this episode brings to you a lecture discussion between Deborah Doane, author of ‘The INGO Problem: Power, Privilege and Renewal’, and Nana Asantewa Afadzinu, Executive Director of the West Africa Civil Society Institute. In the episode, Deborah, Niki, and Nana discuss current challenges within the aid sector, how Southern NGOs are leading calls for structural change in global development, and whether International NGOs are rising to the challenge set. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogTwitterLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters

In this episode, GDI's Armando Caroca and Rose Pritchard speak with Joan Martínez-Alier, an economist and emeritus professor of economics and senior researcher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Throughout his career, Joan has made important contributions to ecological economics and political ecology in his work on environmentalism of the poor. In this episode, we discuss Joan's new book: 'Land, Water, Air, and Freedom: The Making of a World Movement for Environmental Justice' which can be found here. Armando Caroca is a GDI PhD researcher working on topics of mining waste and territories of extraction in Chile. Rose Pritchard is a Presidential Fellow in Socio-Environmental Systems at GDI. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: WebsiteBlogTwitterLinkedIn FacebookInstagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters