The Centre for Global Development was established in 1984 as an interdisciplinary network, integrating research and expertise across the University of Leeds, addressing the transformation of human societies in response to critical global challenges such as poverty, inequality and climate change.
We are now a hub for research and engagement on the politics of global development, rooted in the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS). We form one of the central pillars of our School’s aim to address the politics of global challenges. We engage with critical understandings of past, present and future global transformations from the local to the global scale. Intellectually we are unified by a commitment to analysing how politics and power produce and perpetuate multiple intersecting inequalities, as well as exploring ideas and practices of ‘just’ transformations in human societies.
This work is rooted in critical development studies and the political economy of development. We are no longer specifically focused on ‘developing’ countries or the ‘Global South’: the interconnected challenges of poverty, inequality and climate change demand global understandings.
CGD has a long history of interdisciplinarity and membership is open across the University of Leeds. Our core membership is in POLIS in the social sciences and in critical development studies, but the nature of development studies means that we rarely work in isolation. We actively seek collaboration between the natural and physical sciences, engineering, medical sciences and the humanities. Our researchers are actively involved in collaborations and partnerships with external agencies such as the UN, national governments, NGOs and civil society organisations.
POLIS is home to the British Journal of Politics and International Relations (BJPIR). CGD Co-Director – Emma-Louise Anderson – is one of the five lead editors alongside Derek Edyvane, Jack Holland, Victoria Honeyman and Richard Hayton. CGD members – Alexander Beresford, Viktoria Spaiser, Yoshiharu Kobayashi and Markus Fraudorfer – are among the team of Associate Editors. The vision is for BJPIR to be at the forefront of efforts to understand and address the politics of global challenges including the climate emergency, health, environmental change, resources, energy, rising inequalities and (in)security.
The Food Systems Research Network for Africa (FSNet-Africa) is hosting this year’s second Summer School at the University of Leeds ...
Dr Markus Fraundorfer talks climate crisis on a new episode of the Ilkley Literature Festival's Settee Seminars podcast series.
CGD PGR Mariam Zaquout discusses her article published in Third World Quarterly discusses the experiences of emptiers from diverse socio-economic,...
Dr Lata Narayanaswamy speaks with Imogen Foulkes in a new episode of the Inside Geneva podcast, and is featured in a written article on the conversation.
It is estimated that more than 30 million people are dependent on the water system of Lake Chad for...
The global development industry now has a mainstream focus on gender, at least rhetorically. Gender equality is goal 5 of...
This webinar builds on the recent LUCAS Sadler Series on ‘African Knowledges’. This series of events sought to place African...
Recent development discourse has emphasised the need to question the legacies of coloniality within global development practices if global inequalities...
“RT @CASLeeds: We already have two public events scheduled for after the #Summer Check out our events page for details and… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…”
1 days ago
“RT @UoLSSI: Ingrid Arotoma's PhD works with @OMIAASEC [Facebook] to explore the impacts of climate change on Indigenous health… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…”
3 days ago
“RT @CCPT_Leeds: Here is the program of the University of Leeds Graduate Conference in Political Theory. You can register on that li… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…”
about 1 week ago