Department of International Development

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 in South America

Jean-Paul Faguet has been in South America this week 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’.

A roundtable discussion to launch the book, featuring co-editor and recent PhD graduate, Caroline Pöschl, will take place at LSE on 2 December, with details to follow on our events page.

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 might have moved to restrict 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, executive director Winnie Byanyima announced at LSE 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.

Further Africa Talks will be given by Attahiru Jega, the former Chair of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on 10 November, and by academic and author, Alcinda Honwana, on 18 November.

Remember to check our Events page for more details on these and other events as they emerge.

Reviving Global Democracy: Book launch, 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 Mary Kaldor.

More information can be found on our events page.

Centralising rents and dispersing power while pursuing development? Exploring the strategic uses of military firms in Rwanda

Behuria, Pritish                                                                                           Review of African Political Economy (Feb 2016)

The Rwandan Patriotic Front has achieved significant economic progress while also maintaining political stability. However, frictions among ruling elites have threatened progress. This paper explores the use of military firms in Rwanda. Such firms are used to invest in strategic industries, but the use of such firms reflects the vulnerability faced by ruling elites. Military firms serve two related purposes. First, ruling elites use such firms to centralise rents and invest in strategic sectors. Second, the proliferation of such enterprises and the separation of party- and military-owned firms contribute to dispersing power within a centralised hierarchy.

To read the full article, click here >>

Europe's failed ‘fight’ against irregular migration: ethnographic notes on a counterproductive industry

Andersson, Ruben                                                                                      Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (Feb 2016)

Despite Europe's mass investments in advanced border controls, people keep arriving along the continent's shores under desperate circumstances. European attempts to ‘secure’ or ‘protect’ the borders have quite clearly failed, as politicians themselves increasingly recognise – yet more of the same response is again rolled out in response to the escalating ‘refugee crisis’. Amid the deadlock, this article argues that we need to grasp the mechanics and logics of the European ‘border security model’ in order to open up for a change of course.

To read the full article, click here >>

Economy For and Against Democracy

Hart, Keith
Berghahn (2015)

Political constitutions alone do not guarantee democracy; a degree of economic equality is also essential. Yet contemporary economies, dominated as they are by global finance and political rent-seekers, often block the realization of democracy. The comparative essays and case studies of this volume examine the contradictory relationship between the economy and democracy and highlight the struggles and visions needed to make things more equitable. They explore how our collective aspirations for greater democracy might be informed by serious empirical research on the human economy today. If we want a better world, we must act on existing social realities.

Will the JAM Trinity Dismantle the Public Distribution System?

Masiero, Silvia
Economic and Political Weekly, 45 (2015), 21-23.

The platform known as the JAM Trinity (an acronym for Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and mobile numbers) may enable a shift from the current Public Distribution System, based on price subsidies, to the direct transfer of benefits. However, JAM technologies will not necessarily lead to the demise of the PDS. State-level experiences reveal that such technologies can improve the system by combatting the leakage problems that disrupt it.

Hardwiring the frontier? The politics of security technology in Europe's 'fight against illegal migration'

Andersson, Ruben
Security Dialogue (2015), 1-18.

Migration controls at the external EU borders have become a large field of political and financial investment in recent years - indeed, an 'industry' of sorts - yet conflicts between states and border agencies still mar attempts at cooperation. This article takes a close look at one way in which officials try to overcome such conflicts: through technology.

Decentralizing for a Deeper, More Supple Democracy

Faguet, Jean-Paul, Ashley M. Fox, and Caroline Pöschl
Journal of Democracy, 26.4 (2015), 60-74.

Can decentralization strengthen democracy, or is it doomed to weaken the state? Over the past three decades, most countries have experimented with some form of decentralization. Yet, many analysts worry that it will weaken the state. We review recent evidence regarding decentralization and state strength and argue that decentralization can deepen democracy without compromising state strength if adequately designed.

'NGOs and Service Sub-Contracting: New form of social welfare or social appeasement?' by Jude Howell, in Governance and Adaptation of the Chinese Communist Party.

Yu Keping, Gunter Schubert, Thomas Heberer & Bjorn Alpermann (eds), Beijing Central Compiliation and Translation Press, 2015.

This book includes in-depth analyses of governance and its development in China. The content covers not only the relationship between the Party and state, state-society relations, and centre-local relations, but also the structure, functions, legitimacy, appropriateness and governance competencies of the Chinese Communist Party, the system of leadership and rule, and political stability, government innovation, social governance, basic governance, public services and urbanisation.