Between the Lines

Social protection features in numerous country policies and development agency strategies, as well as in several Sustainable Development Goals. However, following more than two decades of considerable expansion in policies, programmes, and research, the sector finds itself at a crossroads. In this podcast Rachel Sabates-Wheeler, IDS Research Fellow and one of the editors of the recent IDS Bulletin Reimagining Social Protection is in conversation with social protection experts Charis Reid (International Labour Organization), Jeremy Seekings (University of Cape Town) and Maria Kuss (UNICEF).Drawing on key insights and lessons, they speak on why Social Protection is such an important issue in development, particularly in the Global South. Given that Social protection coverage recently passed 50 percent for the first time, but almost half the world’s population, (some 3.8 billion people) still have no access, what needs to be prioritised to ensure that we do not lose momentum on increasing social protection coverage globally?

In this podcast we look at the research findings from the IDS-partnered project The 24-Hour Risk City: A Framework for Thinking About Building Infrastructures of Climate Repair in Nairobi and Karachi. The project aims to investigate, explore and understand the relationship between urban change and intensifying climate impacts as this generates new cycles of “24-hour risks” in the urban global south.Chairing the podcast is Joe Mulligan, Executive Director and Founding Principal, Kounkuey Design Initiative. In the podcast he talks to researchers: Nirmal Riaz, Senior Research Associate, Karachi Urban Lab at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and Christine Wandera, Senior Community Associate, Kounkuey Design Initiative.The guests talk about the how research from Nairobi and Karachi points to the opportunities to build resilient infrastructures in ways that strengthen and support community networks for the future.Related publication.The 24-Hour Risk City: A Framework for Thinking About Building Infrastructures of Climate Repair in Nairobi and Karachi

In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast we look at an ‘accompanied’ approach to sustaining poverty reduction through long-term research. It focuses on work undertaken by the IDS-hosted Chronic Poverty Advisory Network (CPAN) in Zambia, and draws on insights from the project’s funder – the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partners from the World Bank and researchers in Zambia.Leading the podcast is Vidya Diwakar, Deputy Director of the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network. In the podcast she talks to:Joseph Simbaya, a Research Fellow and Director of the Institute of Economic and Social Research at the University of Zambia who talks about the project research findings and what was the problem this piece of research was trying to solve.Makda Abebe, Senior social protection specialist at the World Bank about her earlier work with FCDO especially in Ethiopia and Zambia. Makda talks on what makes this type of long-term collaboration around poverty reduction evidence and policy engagement worth it and how can it best be replicated, if it is sufficiently valuable?Leah Gaffney, Social Development Advisor, FCDO. Leah talks on what she values most in this research and how can this knowledge about poverty dynamics be used to shape development thinking? The three speakers all offer a different slant on the benefits of being with a project for a long period of time, speaking from their point of view as either a researcher, project partner or funder. This podcast is essential listening on how we can learn from long-term research funding for creating a more sustainable and equitable world.

In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast IDS Research Officer Catherine Grant from the IDS-led Pandemic Preparedness project talks to Paul Richards an anthropologist with over forty-five years' experience of living and working in West Africa and author of the book Ebola: How a People’s Science Helped End an Epidemic. In the podcast and drawing on extensive first-hand experiences in Sierra Leone, Paul and Catherine discuss that the international community’s panicky response failed to take account of local expertise and common sense.Crucially, they discuss that the humanitarian response to the disease was most effective in those areas where it supported these initiatives and that it hampered recovery when it ignored or disregarded local knowledge.

In this special episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, Andy Sumner, Professor of International Development at Kings College London and President of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) interviews Professor Melissa Leach who leaves IDS after 33 years. This includes the last decade of her being the Director of IDS.In the conversation Melissa talks about: What her main research and policy contributions have been and how have these evolved over the yearsHow has development studies changed over her time at IDS?And what does she see as the main opportunities and challenges for the future in an uncertain world?This podcast is a must-listen for people interested in how development studies has changed over the last 30 years and how we re-cast development studies for future generations.

In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, Dominic Glover (IDS Research Fellow) interviews Professor Rachel Wynberg (University of Cape Town) about her new book: African Perspectives on Agroecology: Why farmer-led seed and knowledge systems matter. In the podcast they discuss the critical voices of African farmers, activists, scientists, scholars, and policymakers whose viewpoints combine to articulate a shared and dynamic vision of a world where agriculture is productive, diverse, and sustainable; where different ways of seeing and knowing are respected; and where seed and food systems are in the hands of farmers and local communities.This podcast is a must-listen to students, policymakers and researchers interested in local-led expertise on Agroecology and farming systems.

Uncertainties of all sorts – environmental, market-based and political – are on the rise, as the world faces climate and environmental change. In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, Rashmi Singh, interviews Professor Ian Scoones from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) whose book: Pastoralism, Uncertainty and Development – makes the case that recognising how pastoralists make productive use of variability and embrace uncertainty is central to understanding how pastoral systems in marginal dryland and montane systems work.  They argue that learning lessons from pastoralists is therefore important for all of us, as well as ensuring that development efforts are more effective across the world’s rangelands, where millions of pastoralists live. This podcast offers wider lessons for rethinking development policy and practice for today’s uncertain, turbulent world.

In this IDS Between the Lines podcast, IDS Research Fellow Peter Taylor, interviews Dirk-Jan Koch Chief Science Officer of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and author of the book: Foreign Aid and Its Unintended Consequences. They provide a clear overview of what side effects to anticipate when planning, executing, and evaluating aid.This podcast is an important listen for students new to development and particularly for development practitioners and policymakers alike as they embark on future aid strategies that are meant to benefit in-country recipients.About the intervieweeDirk-Jan Koch is Chief Science Officer of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is Special Professor of International Trade & Development Cooperation at Radboud University, the Netherlands. Views expressed in this book do not represent the official views of these institutions. About the interviewerPeter Taylor is Director of Research at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). Previously he was Director, Strategic Development, at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada where he was responsible for leading IDRC’s strategic planning processes.