Global Development Institute podcast
Episodes
135 episodes
The Political Economy of Rwanda's Rise: Conversation with Pritish Behuria
In this episode, GDI's Pritish Behuria discusses his new book,
The Social Implications of Conservation – with Prof Dan Brockington
In recent decades, conservation science has begun to pay greater attention to local people’s rights, livelihoods, and well-being. Yet the growing availability of data and advanced technologies raises new justice concerns for conservation scienc...
Geographies of Responsibility, Care and Repair in Digital Worlds of AI
In this episode, we chat with some of the authors of a recent intervention published inTransactions of the Institute of British Geographers on 'Geographies of Responsibility, Care and Repair in Digital Worlds of AI'. We hear from Jessi...
What academic traits create transformative research?
In her opening session for Research for Transformation Lab week in November 2025, GDI’s Diana Mitlin reflected on five academic personas and their possibilities for transformative research: the shining superstar, the convenor, the subversiv...
Alumni Conversation: Taio Gardey on Farming Out of Poverty
In this episode, Taio Gardey, GDI alumnus and Executive Director of Farming Out of Poverty (FOOP), discusses the realities of working on the ground in Sierra Leone. We discuss tricky decisions he's had to make throughout his career, the kinds o...
Alumni chat: How has the SEED Changemakers programme shaped your university and graduate life?
In this episode, we chat with five recent graduates about their time with the SEED Changemakers programme. Participants include:Laura AcostaIfe AgboolaPatrick CaskieEddie GrovesThando Mathe
Taxation and Development in Ghana and West Africa
In this episode, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim is joined by Dr Alex Moyem Kombat, Head of Research and Policy of the Ghana Revenue Authority and two GDI PGRs, Anifat Ibrahim and Mohammed Damba to discuss domestic revenue mobilisation in Ghana and in West...
Using data to map forest changes
In this latest episode from the Sustainable Forest Transition Project, Prof Johan Oldekop (GDI) speaks to Sarah Castle (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Matt Fagan (University of Mar...
The Impact of Storytelling, with Uma Kothari
Welcome to a new mini-pod series from the Global Development Institute’s Research for Transformation Lab. Based at the University of Manchester, the Lab is an initiative where we explore all things research impact. This episode was ...
How can different ways of understanding the world help us tackle the climate emergency? Blanche de Moidrey and Kalani Foster
In this episode, we catch up with two of GDI's second-year PhD students, Blanche de Moidrey and
Why Study a PhD in Development Economics at GDI?
Listen to a discussion between Dr Osman Ouattara and two of our current PhD researchers, Mahtab Uddi...
Alumni Discussion: Navigating Development Careers in the Twenty-First Century
In this episode, Dr Natalie Cunningham, Senior Lecturer in Leadership for Development at GDI, speaks to three UoM alumni about their experiences navigating the cont...
In Conversation: Gindo Tampubolon on healthy ageing around the world
A conversation with Gindo Tampubolon, GDI's Reader in Global Health, to discuss his research on global healthy ageing and his work as a lead expert for the World Health...
In Conversation: Luis Eduardo Pérez Murcia on home and internal displacement in Colombia
In this episode, we speak to GDI alumnus and research fellow Luis Eduardo Pérez Murcia about his recent open access book,
Flexible Embeddedness: In Conversation with Elisa Gambino
In this episode, Rory Horner speaks with Elisa Gambino about her latest paper
Unravelling African print textiles value chains - with Dr Fidèle Beletchei Ebia
Dr Elisa Gambino (GDI) interviews Dr Fidèle Beletchei Ebia, a postdoctoral researcher with Duke Africa Initiative, about
A Feminist Commodity Chain Approach to Disinformation - with Anuradha Ganapathy
In this episode, we speak to PhD researcher Anuradha Ganapathy about her recent think piece
Financing the Ghanaian Cocoa Sector
In this episode, Sophie Van Huellen (Senior Lecturer in Development Economics at GDI) and Fuad Mohammed Ab...
In Conversation: Monika Verma on Securitisation and the Rohingya Community in India
In this episode, visiting postdoctoral scholar Monika Verma (Palacký University Olomouc) sits down with GDI's Ibrahim Efe to discuss her research on the securitization of migration in India, focusing specifically on the case of the Rohingya com...
Could a Global Minerals Trust support the green transition? Interview with Saleem Ali
As the world moves towards more sustainable energy sources and infrastructure projects, demand for critical energy transition minerals is surging. Given the uneven distribution of such resources, how can we support cooperative resource manageme...
In Conversation: Noam Leshem interviewed by GDI Students for Palestine
In this episode, GDI students Max Slater, Rosie Rochester, and Armando Caroca Fernandez interview Dr Noam Leshem (Durham University) about his new book, Edges of...
In Conversation: Payal Arora on Tech Optimism in the Global South
PhD Researcher Anuradha Ganapathy interviews Payal Arora, Professor of Inclusive AI Cultures at Utrecht University and co...
Nigeria's Urban Heritage: In Conversation with Dr Taibat Lawanson
Brought to you by the combined voices of the African Cities Research Consortium and the Global Urban Futures and Environment Policy and Planning research groups, this episode features Dr Taibat Lawanson. Taibat is an associate profe...
Poverty Amid Conflict | In conversation with Yanchun Zhang
In this episode, GDI's Senior Lecturer Saumik Paul discusses the recently published United Nations Development Programme report on the Multidimensional Poverty Index, '
Students in conversation with Nadia Naser-Najjab: Palestine and decolonisation
GDI students Ellen Logan and Alex Pettifer interview Dr Nadia Naser-Najjab (University of Exeter), covering the discipline of Palestine Studies, how Israel-Palestine can advance our understanding of broader issues surrounding decolonisation, an...