Our Aims and Objectives

We are the UK association for all those who research, study and teach global development issues

Find Out More

What is Development Studies

What is development studies and decolonising development.

Find Out More

Our Members

We have around 1,000 members, made up of individuals and around 40 institutions

Find Out More

Governance

Find out about our constitution, how we are run and meet our Council

Find Out More

People

Meet our Council members and other staff who support the running of DSA

Find Out More

About

The DSA Conference is an annual event which brings together the development studies community

Find Out More

DSA2025

Our conference this year is themed "Navigating crisis: dangers and opportunities in development"

Find Out More

Past Conferences

Find out about our previous conferences

Find Out More

Study Groups

Our Study Groups offer a chance to connect with others who share your areas of interest

Find Out More

Students and ECRs

Students and early career researchers are an important part of our community

Find Out More

Publications

Our book series with OUP and our relationship with other publishers

Find Out More

Decolonising Development

The initiatives we are undertaking that work towards decolonising development studies

Find Out More

Membership Directory

Find out who our members are, where they are based and the issues they work on

Find Out More

African cities news from GDI

News from the African Cities Research Consortium

New publications

Safety and security: Domain report – 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

Informal settlements: Domain report – 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

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

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

Podcasts

In the latest podcast episode, Lalitha Kamath talks to Ezana Haddis Weldeghebrael about the transformative potential of urban reform coalitions and the need to value communities’ lived experiences. She argues that the value of coalitions lies in the process of self-organising itself – not just the material outcomes – and highlights how inclusive coalitions can serve to visibilise diverse experiences of urban spaces. 

On the blog

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