Between the Lines

Governments need to focus on local practical delivery, and people focused mechanisms, including dignity to deliver more effective social assistance in crisis contexts, experts explain in a new episode of the Between the Lines podcast.In this episode, researchers and policymakers examine why and how and when to use social protection approaches in different crisis contexts so that more effective social assistance can be delivered. This includes examples of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan.This episode features a combination of researchers, policy makers and practitioners from the IDS-hosted programme Better Assistance in Crisis Research (BASIC) who share findings and recommendations. They comprise:Rachel Slater, consultant from Better Assistance in Crisis Research (BASIC) project;Nadine Khayat, senior lecturer, School of Architecture and Design, Beirut Urban Lab;Julie Lawson McDowall, senior social protection advisor at Save the Children;Charlotte Bilo, child poverty and social protection consultant, UNICEF.The discussion looks into detail about a particular theme of basic research – and that it is how in these really difficult crisis settings (with examples of Syrian refugees in Lebanon) we can make social protection more inclusive. The second thing they focused on is how we talk about policy implications of basic research.

What does it mean to navigate motherhood while pursuing a postgraduate degree? How do students balance identity, care, and academia in a world not built with them in mind?In this IDS Between the Lines podcast, MA Gender and Development (GAD) students Patronela Tshuma, Chaltu Merera Fana, and Akinyi Ochieng’ speak about their journeys as mothers pursuing higher education. Hosted by Akinyi Ochieng, the episode delves into personal stories of motivation, cultural expectations, identity conflicts, and the transformative power of education.

The development sector proclaims that it values dignity. Yet it often breaks this promise, with people leaving encounters with charities feeling bruised and unseen. In this podcast, drawn from a recent lecture at IDS, research fellow Marina Apgar is in conversation with Tom Wein from the IDinsight Dignity Initiative who examines dignity as a core value around the world.Drawing on his in-progress research for his future book Lives of Dignity, Tom explores how dignity serves as both a universal human value and a practical principle for improving development outcomes and offers compelling evidence that dignity matters deeply to people worldwide.

A poverty line of $6.85 a day, as used by the World Bank, indicates a substantial level of deprivation, impacting the lives of billions globally. Indeed, nearly half of the World’s population falls into this category. So, if poverty is something we all want to see less of, why does it prove so difficult to tackle and can empathy help fix it?In this podcast, IDS Research Fellow Stephen Devereux is in conversation with Keetie Roelen, Senior Research Fellow from the Open University and an IDS Research Associate who talks about her book, The Empathy Fix: Why Poverty Persists and How to Change it.In the podcast, Keetie exposes the realities of poverty – with examples from the Global North and South – and reveals why current policies don’t work. 

Humanitarian diplomacy is a broad landscape and possibly one with internal contradictions. For example, traditionally humanitarian agencies have sought to distance themselves from mediation and human rights activism. The concept of humanitarian diplomacy requires at least an end to these silos. But how is the distance to be managed?In this special podcast – recorded at a recent Sussex Development Lecture – Lewis Sida, IDS Honorary Associate and Co-Director of the IDS-led Humanitarian Learning Centre is in conversation with Martin Griffiths, former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator of the United Nations. Martin brings extensive experience as a global mediator and his work has made him a key figure in humanitarian diplomacy.In this podcast Martin presents his own definition of the concept which includes: independent and principled mediation to end conflicts; humanitarian negotiation for access and protection; and advocacy against impunity and violations of international humanitarian law.This podcast is a must-listen for those working and studying in humanitarian issues – particularly in today’s global climate where conflict continues and humanitarian advocacy is needed more than ever.

Significant progress on gender equality has been made in past decades, but in recent years gender and sexual rights have become increasingly under threat from a global wave of backlash.In this special podcast to celebrate International Women’s Day, IDS Fellow Deepta Chopra is in conversation with gender experts Myriam Sfeir, Director of the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University in Beirut and Aisha Lai, Liberian Country Director of the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.In the podcast, they discuss the rollback of gender justice, the backlash they have faced in their own work, and the strategies that we can use to counter these challenges.This podcast is a must-listen for researchers, policymakers and students with an interest in gender rights and for those that advocate for building solidarities for gender justice as a primary tactic to counter the rising backlash.

Understanding and advancing how evidence can be used to inform decisions to improve people’s lives is a crucial priority for IDS. This is especially important for evidence-led solutions that need to balance between social, economic, and environmental domains to achieve sustainability.In this podcast James Georgalakis, Director of Evidence and Impact at IDS is in conversation with Rob D. van den Berg, Visiting Professor at King’s College, London who talks about his new book Evidence for Hope: The Emerging Sustainability Revolution. Rob, who has worked as independent evaluator in international development for decades, advocates in the podcast that evaluative evidence should be more widely used as it provides a rich source for solutions of sustainability problems. He also notes that we are on the verge of a sustainability revolution that will happen regardless of current-day populist movements: these two factors are the Evidence for Hope that Rob sees.

In this podcast IDS Research Fellow Shilpi Srivastava is in conversation with Professor Ian Scoones who talks about the issues in his new book Navigating uncertainty: Radical rethinking for a turbulent World.In the podcast Ian argues that we need to adjust our modernist, controlling view and to develop new approaches, including some reclaimed and adapted from previous times or different cultures. This requires a radical rethinking of policies, institutions and practices for successfully navigating uncertainties in an increasingly turbulent world.This podcast is a must-listen for researchers, policymakers and advocates about the role uncertainty plays in a shifting, uncertain, and volatile global context.