Current Research Topics - Governance in Challenging Environments

Projects | Documents | Links

Governance in Challenging Environments

We know that stronger political processes improve living standards and reduce poverty faster. But overall, standards of governance across the world are not improving fast enough. The poorest and most disadvantaged people need more opportunities to take part in economic growth, including growing numbers of young people. We will build on the commitments set out in the 2000 White Paper on International Development to examine the links between power, politics and poverty. We will find new ways of tackling the toughest social and governance problems in the most fragile and challenging environments. Our five research themes will be:

• conflict, state fragility and social cohesion;
• social exclusion, inequality and poverty reduction;
• building strong and effective states;
• tackling the MDGs that are hardest to reach;
• migration.

See the working papers on Political and Social Science Research and Mainstreaming Gender in Research which informed the Research Strategy 2008-2013.

The timing of research competitions and calls for proposals can be found in the Implementation Timetable.

DFID has completed a scoping study on a long term research programme on conflict, state fragility and social cohesion.

Nearly 60% of poor people outside of India and China live in states affected by conflict or failing institutions. In many countries, public services do not work, states struggle to manage social tensions, and governments fail to secure broad and sustainable development for their citizens. The evidence increasingly suggests that weak states represent both:

• the biggest challenge to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and
• the greatest potential for increased global conflict and instability.

DFID will continue to fund the existing Research Programme Consortia/Development Research Centres:

• Crisis States Programme Centre
• Centre for the Future State
• Chronic Poverty Research Centre
• Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability
• Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty
• Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity
• Research Programme Consortium on Pathways to Women's Empowerment
• Research Programme Consortium on Women's Empowerment in Muslim Contexts
• Research Programme Consortium on Religion and Development
• Power and Politics in Africa

The following programmes will also continue

Back To Top

Young Lives

Young Lives is a longitudinal research project investigating the nature of childhood poverty in four developing countries (Ethiopia, India -Andhra Pradesh, Vietnam and Peru). Reflecting the timescale for achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, it aims to follow, up till 2015 the lives of 8,000 children born in the year 2000 and a parallel group of children who were eight years old in that year in each country.

Back To Top

DFID-ESRC Scheme

The ESRC-DFID Joint Scheme for Research on International Development (Poverty Alleviation)

The new DFID/ESRC funding scheme aims to enhance the quality and impact of social science research and contribute to the achievement of the MDGs.

DFID and the Economic and Social Research Council launched a £23 million joint funding scheme for short to medium research on poverty reduction on 3rd July 2009. The first call of the scheme is open until 24th September and all relevant information can be found on the ESRC website (see link below). Two further calls will be announced in 2010 and 2011. Applications are invited for projects with an FEC value of between £100,000 and £500,000.

As well as research excellence, all applicants will have to demonstrate that research outputs have potential impact on poverty reduction and relevance to decision makers.

In addition to work under the overall banner of poverty alleviation, DFID and ESRC have identified three thematic areas for this call where work will be of particular interest. These are:

• Security, Conflict and Development;
• Economic Crisis, Poverty and Growth: the Implications for Development Theory and Practice;
• Cities and Development

Applications (to ESRC) are invited from researchers based in recognised higher education institutions, research organisations or organisations with a credible research capacity in both the UK and worldwide.

• The latest information can be found on the ESRC website here
• The call specification can be viewed here
• An Independent Review of the previous 2005 to 2008 Scheme and the ESRC/DFID response to it can be viewed here

Back To Top

Multifunded Research

Please see United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP) on the Social and Political Change multifunded research page.

Back To Top