At the keynote plenary on ‘Locating Hope within the (poly)crisis Jean Drèze called for conference delegates to unite around a statement on Gaza.

The DSA encourages those delegates who wish to support the statement to add their name to this short statement of academics standing for action on Palestine.

The Rising Powers study group has two new convenors: Indrajit Roy and Elisa Gambino. They’ll be coordinating future activities including a mailing list and possible conference activity.

Get in touch with them if you’d like to be part of this newly energized group.

The group requested DSA Council to act on the impact the IHRA definition of antisemitism  is having on academic freedom of expression. A letter from the DSA will be sent to government education stakeholders.

The group hosted several panels on Gaza which ended with action planning, which included a template letter for UK MPs to support the academic visa process. Sign up to the group mailing list for further news.

DSA2025 brought together students,  PhD candidates and early career researchers together to discuss the future: activism on immigration rules; Palestine; professional development; applying for funding; and standing as a DSA Institutional Rep.

The study group met at DSA2025, with new conveners Ajmal Khan A.T. and Ann-Elise Lewallen. This meeting primarily focused on how to make the group more active.

The group hosted a panel ‘Justice in crisis: climate and ecological crisis and justice’ which examined justice issues associated with the climate and ecological crisis and the global efforts to address them.

The DSA Scotland Study Group is planning their annual symposium, which brings together DSA members from across Scotland to network and to discuss research, teaching and advocacy.

This year’s symposium will take place in Edinburgh on 4th September.

Shaping Sustainable Futures: Global Challenges, (G)local solutions? The 2026 EADI/IOB conference will look at the dynamics of sustainability, in all its dimensions, in the face of pressing global challenges.  Submit a seed panel, harvest panel, or roundtable proposal before 7 September 2025.

Get to know a little more about the people who help you at conference and their own research ambitions. This year’s cohort included students and PhD candidates, as well as alumni from the University of Bath.

9th October at 10am UK we plan to host editors from the journal Development in Practice for an online discussion on how to improve your chances of getting published. Save the date and watch out for the registration form coming soon.

Meanwhile listen to some top tips from Emily Finlay, the journal’s managing editor.

17 September 2025 is the deadline to apply for funding through the British Academy writing workshops. Aimed at ECRs, the funds aim to  to cultivate professional networks and mentorship and provide access for early career researchers in developing countries.

Contact the DSA if you are an eligible programme but would like to partner with an institute in the UK.

The UK government’s International Development Committee are seeking evidence on the UK’s development partnership with Nigeria and how it can be better strengthened. Submit before 25 August.

At the UNU-WIDER conference on Safeguarding Tomorrow – Innovative Approaches to Growth and Equity, Rachel Gisselquist presented her new co-edited volume, Fragile Aid: Development Cooperation in Weak States and Conflict Contexts. The book is now fully available online here.

Two new blogs on the EADI website co-authored by Kings’ Andy Sumner:

• Rebuilding legitimacy for global governance: the case for a new independent commission
• Four futures for global development cooperation

A new book, Who’s Governing the Market? by Klingler-Vidra, Chalmers, and LSE’s Wade, explores the overlooked role of individuals in East Asia’s developmental states.

The authors show how shared educational and professional backgrounds – especially in Japan- shaped elite networks and contributed to successful policy outcomes alongside structural factors.

Insights from participants in a recent course highlight that fostering resilience in the development sector hinges on cultivating psychological safety, embracing vulnerability, and enhancing emotional intelligence within teams. These elements are foundational for collective well-being and effective responses in high-pressure contexts.

The Global Development division hosted an international PhD conference showcasing pioneering student-led research tackling urgent global challenges such as digital transformation and gender inequality in food security; climate resilience via value chains and services; and linking evidence to action through interdisciplinary partnerships.

Naomi Hossain reflects on the deep personal meaning of ‘research impact’ and the dissonance that arises from conventional efforts to measure it.

She argues on the LSE blog that real world events have made it both more difficult and dangerous to achieve and measure impact in many areas of international development.

A new report from DPU has found that despite their strong interest in urban issues, young people face significant barriers to engagement in formal governance processes.

WICID’s most recent policy brief , Peace as Social Development by Briony Jones, makes the case for policies which acknowledge and leverage the intersections between peace and social development.

More than 300 million children live in extremely income-poor households. With just five years remaining to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, the world is off track – but a new report highlights both the urgency and the possibility for progress, drawing lessons from successful countries like Peru. CSGD’s latest podcast discusses how.

What does it take to persuade policy makers to make real progressive change? In this blog, Kath Ford explains how Young Lives found success with a combination of robust longitudinal data, translating research into policy influencing and, crucially, relationships built painstakingly over many years.

International non-governmental organisations have emerged as the dominant institution in the civil society ecosystem, garnering a disproportionate amount of both resources and power . Local actors continue to be marginalised and largely excluded.

‘The INGO Problem’ by Deborah Doane explores these challenges, drawing from personal experience  and the stories of leaders across all sectors of global civil society.

DSA membership is open to anybody with an interest in development studies and you may join as an individual, or as an institution. Members can be from around the world, and a fee-waiver is currently in place for those living in and citizens of low- and middle-income countries.

Members in the UK may claim tax relief on DSA membership subscriptions they have paid for themselves, via HMRC.