Where’s the demos in democracy?
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies demonstrates that democracy delivers development better than other regimes. Democracy is in crisis. Anti-democratic politicians and anti-rights movements are becoming more popular. Simultaneously, growing inequality around the world – a product of neoliberal capitalist societies – has left millions of people feeling left behind...
Countering backlash: Reclaiming gender justice
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies conceptualises gender backlash as a multidimensional attack on gender equality. This report distils six years of collaborative research (from late 2019 to early 2026) from the IDS-led Countering Backlash programme, by IDS itself and 11 partners across seven countries on how contemporary gender backlash...
Smart city surveillance in Africa: Mapping Chinese AI surveillance across 11 countries
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies warns that surveillance is violating citizens' freedoms and their human right to privacy. This report provides the most comprehensive account to date of smart city surveillance in Africa. Expert researchers draw on their contextual experience of their own countries in detailed reports on Algeria,...
Biometric Digital-ID in Africa: Progress and challenges to date – Ten country case studies
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date account of digital-ID across Africa. The Biometric Digital-ID in Africa report provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date account of digital-ID across Africa. It addresses the critical governance challenges of digital identification (digital-ID) systems currently unfolding across the continent....
Struggles for justice in the energy transition: Voices from the front lines
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies brings together authors from both the global South and the global North. A critical issue of our time is how the world can transition from a development model based on the extraction and use of fossil fuels to one based on cleaner sources of...
International partnerships for low-cost antimicrobial discovery and development
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies states that a systematic and implementable approach is required at national and cross-national levels. Ten years ago, the O’Neill Review on Antimicrobial Resistance called for a major effort to discover and develop new antimicrobials. It outlined a strategy for achieving this through a combination...
UK leadership in antimicrobial discovery and development
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies explores UK leadership in antimicrobial discovery and development. The threat of infectious diseases that resist treatment with available antimicrobials is growing. Nearly a decade after the O’Neill Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) called for systemic reform of antimicrobial research and development (R&D), the UK...
Digital public infrastructure and tax: High stakes, high rewards
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies argues that tax matters for DPI reforms. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) – a set of interoperable digital systems and platforms that support service delivery, data exchange, and the functions of public and private sectors at scale – is expected to revolutionise public services and...
Growth from below: Poverty reduction beyond social protection in Nigeria
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies discusses poverty reduction beyond social protection in Nigeria. Agriculture and informal economies provide essential livelihoods in Nigeria, but they face challenges such as climate shocks, conflict, low investment, and financial exclusion. Resilience strategies include diversification, microfinance access and entrepreneurial ventures, but policy support is...
Powering an inclusive energy future: Driving the G20 from commitment to implementation
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies looks at powering an inclusive energy future. As the world accelerates toward a clean energy future, the question is no longer whether the transition will happen, but how equitable, inclusive, and sustainable it will be. Under Brazil’s 2024 presidency, the G20 endorsed a set...