PhD researcher, Isaac López-Moreno Flores, will be delivering a webinar titled ‘Poverty Dynamics: The Case of Bangladesh’ at 1pm on Tuesday, 26^th March. Isaac will explain the concept of “poverty dynamics” and discuss the results from research papers that have analysed poverty dynamics in Bangladesh using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. People can find out more and sign up here. The event is free to attend and open to all.

GDI have a new podcast episode presented by their Sustainable Forest Transitions team, and featuring an interview with Dr Sreeja Jaiswal, Humboldt Foundation’s International Climate Protection Postdoc Fellow at the University of Heidelberg. Sreeja chats about challenges associated with forest restoration efforts and debates surrounding mitigation measures such as carbon offsets.

Safety and security

Addressing the challenges of insecurity and urban violence is an urgent agenda for African cities. In this paper, Patience Adzande, Paula Meth and Stephen Commins share research findings from studies on lived experiences and perceptions of insecurity in six African cities, and highlight the central role played by residents in maintaining safety.
Full report | Research summary

Health, wellbeing and nutrition in Nairobi

Current patterns of population growth, poverty, food insecurity, and poor health and nutrition are increasingly becoming urban challenges, with informal settlement residents most affected. Samuel Owuor, Lilian Otiso, Veronica Mwangi and Inviolata Njoroge present their research findings on the state of health, wellbeing and nutrition in Nairobi, focusing on the factors affecting the uptake of healthy diets in low-income and marginalised urban populations.
Full report | Blog post summary

Informal settlements – Informal settlements are home to over half of Africa’s urban population and have emerged as a key frontier for addressing vulnerability and inequality in African cities. In this paper, Smith Ouma, Daniela Cocco Beltrame, Diana Mitlin and Beth Chitekwe-Biti highlight key findings from studies in seven African cities, seeking to expand knowledge around efforts to improve living conditions in informal settlements.
Full report | Research summary

Building a shared approach to action research

What is action research? How does it vary from more traditional research methods? And how is ACRC incorporating it into the programme’s implementation phase? Drawing on examples and lessons from past projects, this briefing is intended as a useful guide to undertaking effective participatory action research projects for both researchers and community organisations.
Briefing paper | Blog post summary

African Cities podcast

The latest episode features Jane Wairutu, Nicera Wanjiru Kimani and Nancy Njoki Wairimu in conversation with Daniela Cocco Beltrame about their experiences of ACRC’s foundation phase research in Nairobi. They discuss ways of bridging the gap between academics and local communities, and stress the need for participation to be at the centre of action research processes.

Listen via our website | Apple | Spotify | Buzzsprout | Google 

Sign up to ACRC’s newsletter and follow on Twitter/X and LinkedIn for further updates!