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Balancing Pessimism of the Intellect and Optimism of the Will: Some Reflections on the Capability Approach, Gender, Empowerment, and Education
No full textIn this chapter, Elaine Unterhalter considers four brief moments in the history of the concept of ‘empowerment’ and links these with the capability approach. To ‘empower’ in a pessimistic sense dates to the English civil war and was initially used to describe the illicit exercise of authority on behalf of powerful actors. In the twentieth century, ‘empowerment’ came to be reframed optimistically to describe Black Power and liberation theology, and later a kind of solidarity and activism associated with the women’s movement. Since then the term has been increasingly criticised by feminists and social activists due to its co-optation by the status quo, which typically involves suppressing its transformative potential. Unterhalter draws on Gramsci’s notion of hegemony to help explain this process. But her main contribution is to show how three conceptual links with the capability approach (along with reflexive comparative education) can bolster the notion of empowerment by helping to ensure that it continues to engage with equality and social justice. The three conceptual connections in question involve emphasising the importance of context and human diversity for articulating capabilities, stressing the role of human agency in promoting fairness and solidarity, and embracing deliberative democracy and participation for evaluative purposes.ES/P005675/1RLO</p
Perceptions des experts sur l’agriculture régénérative au Ghana
No full textCet ensemble de tableaux de bord présente une évaluation comparative des écosystèmes de recherche et développement (R&D) pour l'agriculture régénérative (RA) et les vaccins humains au Ghana, au Nigeria et au Sénégal. Élaborées dans le cadre du projet « West African Research & Development Ecosystem Scorecard » financé par le Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), ces fiches offrent un aperçu concis et factuel des atouts, des contraintes et des conditions favorables qui déterminent les performances en matière de R&D dans chaque pays.Les fiches d'évaluation s'appuient sur les données d'une enquête de perception des experts (EPS), qui a recueilli des informations structurées auprès d'experts et de parties prenantes clés des trois écosystèmes nationaux. Les réponses ont été analysées dans cinq domaines clés (politiques et réglementations, infrastructures, processus et gestion, parties prenantes et réseaux, et culture de la recherche) afin de générer des fiches d'évaluation codées par couleur qui permettent une interprétation intuitive et une comparaison entre les pays.Le projet visait à développer un cadre analytique rigoureux, une méthodologie innovante de tableau de bord et une évaluation empirique afin d'aider les acteurs politiques nationaux et régionaux, les instituts de recherche et les bailleurs de fonds à renforcer l'environnement propice à la R&D. Il était dirigé par l'Université Kwame Nkrumah des sciences et technologies (KNUST) au Ghana. Des équipes de recherche au Ghana, au Nigeria, au Sénégal et au Royaume-Uni ont collaboré dans le cadre d'un partenariat équitable et d'une approche intégrée de transfert des connaissances tout au long du cycle du projet.Ces tableaux de bord ont pour but d'éclairer le plaidoyer politique, de stimuler le dialogue entre les parties prenantes nationales et de contribuer aux efforts en cours pour améliorer le fonctionnement, la coordination et l'impact des écosystèmes de R&D en Afrique de l'Ouest.</p
Institutionalising Backlash: Anti-Gender Frameworks as a Means to Justify Democratic Erosion in the United States
No full textThis study explores the increasingly visible relationship between anti-gender backlash, authoritarianism, and right-wing populism in the United States. It draws on backlash theory to identify anti-gender methods at play in attacks on the knowledge production sector. Focusing on executive orders made in the first three months of 2025, the paper argues that the constructed ‘threat’ of gender is strategically employed to justify anti-democratic action in the US.</p
A Rapid Review of Innovation Ecosystems in Africa: Transformative Pathways for the ATIP Learning Partnership
No full textThis rapid review examines innovation ecosystems across Africa to inform strategic learning priorities for the African Technology and Innovation Partnership (ATIP) programme in its final year. As an initiative operating across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Tanzania, ATIP aims to strengthen innovation ecosystems, stimulate inclusive economic growth, scale technology-enabled businesses, and promote collaborative learning. The integrated theoretical framework combining National Systems of Innovation theory with Transformative Change approaches reveals that effective ecosystem strengthening requires simultaneous attention to institutional coordination and paradigmatic transformation. This integration shows that successful interventions must address both structural arrangements and underlying mindsets, moving beyond technical fixes toward cultural shifts that enable genuine transformation. </p
Situating Social Assistance Providers’ Perspectives in Protracted Displacement Contexts
No full textCash transfers are increasingly used to support displaced populations, yet social assistance remains fragmented – shaped by local political and institutional contexts. This study, using Q methodology with 60 providers across Lebanon, Pakistan, and the DRC, identifies eight distinct perspectives. Lebanese actors show deep distrust in state and international systems, while Pakistani providers cautiously express support for coordinated, state-led approaches. DRC providers express the most diverse views, reflecting institutional failures and geopolitical tensions. Individual beliefs often diverge from institutional norms, underscoring the need for more locally embedded research. The findings highlight the importance of context-sensitive strategies when linking humanitarian aid with social protection systems.</p
Multilingual Practices in Indian classrooms: Exploring and Supporting Teacher Awareness and Classroom Strategies
No full textThe majority of Indian classrooms are highly multilingual, particularly in urban areas where increasing internal migration is leading to further language diversity. Recent evidence collected under the MultiLila project documented teachers and students using multiple languages to facilitate comprehension in the classroom. However, while this and evidence from other literature concur that these multilingual practices are prevalent in both English and regional medium schools, teachers are not always aware of the why and how of using these strategies for pedagogical gain.The authors undertook to further explore how teachers could use multilingual practices in primary school education in a principled and planned manner and examine the impact of teacher training on the use of multilingual strategies and attitudes of a group of primary school teachers in Hyderabad. The project involved four main components. First, a workshop was conducted with 22 teachers from Hyderabad to discuss their beliefs and attitudes in using different languages in class, followed by practising a range of multilingual activities to support teacher–pupil interaction. Subsequently, phone calls and classroom observations documented and analysed the extent to which the teachers were able to implement their learning. Finally, three teachers were filmed to create a resource depicting different ways of promoting multilingual culture in class. The authors conclude with some recommendations for how teachers in similar contexts can be enabled to make more informed choices on purposefully using multiple languages to support learning in multilingual classrooms.ES/N010345/1RLO</p
Good Enough Targeting for Social Assistance in Crises
No full textCalls are mounting to shift towards a good enough approach for targeting social assistance in situations of protracted crises. Drawing on a global evidence review and insights from aid practitioners and researchers, this Policy Briefing highlights the limitations of pursuing costly, unattainable targeting accuracy in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Instead, targeting food and cash transfers should focus on rapid, simple, no regrets approaches that prioritise social acceptance and conflict sensitivity. Over time, targeting precision can be improved and processes and systems developed, guided by longer-term goals of building a sustainable, nationally owned approach.</p
K4DD Agrifood Evidence and Discourse Summary No 4
No full textMonthly Evidence Summaries aim to signpost FCDO and others to the latest relevant evidence on Food & Agriculture in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence is selected based on relevance, particularly around three key topics:Intersection between Food & Agriculture with the natural environment (e.g. Biodiversity).Food & Agriculture evidence on poverty reduction and inclusive development.Link between Food & Agriculture and resilience to food insecurity.</p
Troubling Masculinities in Patriarchal Backlash: Tools, Stories and Insights
No full textThis publication is from the Patriarchy research strand of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS)-led programme Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice. It is the result of many people’s work. Alan Greig (Independent Consultant) facilitated the co-creation of this publication with all the partners and provided editorial support to them in finalising their summaries and practice stories. In the UK, Jerker Edström (at IDS) led the overall production process, proposing the publication at a Patriarchy partner meeting hosted by Advocates for Social Change – Kenya (ADSOCK) in Nairobi in 2022, recruiting Alan Greig and leading a series of online partner meetings, followed by a second in-person partner meeting in Bangkok in 2024. The purpose of this publication is to inspire and inform civil society actors and activists as well as researchers and students with stories from partners’ practice along with some practical tools and resources to counter backlash more effectively, with an emphasis on working with men and masculinities to counter this backlash in a shared struggle for equality and social justice.</p
Effectiveness of Activities for Managing Demographic Transition
No full textThis rapid evidence review report is the second report in a series on demographic transition and economic growth. The first report (Quak, 2025) finds strong evidence that shifts in age structure (namely, a growing working-age population) can create opportunities for higher savings, productivity, and human capital accumulation. However, the report also argues that these gains are not automatic and depend on complementary investments in health, education, employment, and governance. In light of this, this review report draws on evidence related to specific activities and interventions that enable countries to manage demographic transition more effectively and translate these opportunities into sustained economic growth.</p