Who powers innovation systems in Africa?

African countries must work more closely together at regional and continental levels if they are to overcome barriers to innovation and drive sustainable development, experts have warned.In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, IDS Senior MEL Specialist Jo Carpenter interviews Emmeline Skinner, Social Development Adviser, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Brando Okolo and Barbara Glover, both from the African Union Development Agency (Nepad). In the podcast, they highlight how fragmented national systems are slowing innovation across the continent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social protection is seen as a solution to many problems of development, including poverty, food insecurity and access to services. But we also know that social protection has its limitations. So how do we justify getting Governments to invest in social protection programmes rather than investing in infrastructure or job creation or other services like health and education?In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, IDS Research Fellows, Kate Pruce, Stephen Devereux and IDS Director of Research Nick Nisbett talk about their new report titled: Social Protection for Food Security and Nutrition: a Business Case published by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and World Food Programme (WFP).The discussants argue that while social protection - especially cash transfers - clearly reduces hunger and food insecurity, it does not automatically improve nutrition, which is more complex and requires coordinated action across sectors. Therefore, they put forward a business case for investing in food security - and nutrition‑sensitive social protection.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IDS was recently honoured to welcome the Hon. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr Harini Amarasuriya to mark the 60th anniversary of IDS. She shared her journey from her career as an academic and an activist before entering politics and being elected as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 2024.In this special episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast we present the Prime Ministers speech and her discussion with IDS Director Anuradha Joshi. We will also hear from two respondents, IDS Alum, Dr. Sepali Kottegoda and current master’s student Renushi Ubeyratna who will comment on what the Prime Minister said. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disability is very much part of the human experience, with an estimated 16% of the world’s population experiencing significant disability. Despite this, people with disabilities often remain excluded or underrepresented in development programmes and research.In this new episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, researchers - whose articles have been published in the recent IDS Bulletin ‘Building disability inclusive futures’ - shed fresh light on the urgent need for disability‑inclusive development.The episode features journalist and broadcaster Paul Carter who interviews Amba Salelkar, Senior Manager, Programmes and Impact, International Disability Alliance, Dom Haslam, Deputy CEO, Sightsavers and Stephen Thompson, Research Fellow, IDS. Contributors in this podcast hope the IDS Bulletin will serve as both a record of learning and a call to action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A just transition is the fair and inclusive process of moving to a low-carbon, sustainable economy while ensuring workers, communities, and industries in carbon-intensive sectors aren't left behind.This Between the Lines podcast features a conversation between IDS Fellow Rosie McGee and authors John Gaventa and Gabe Schwartzman about their new book, Power and Just Transitions: Struggles for a Post‑Coal Future in an Appalachian Valley. The book examines how power is transformed during energy transitions, using the Clearfork Valley in Appalachia as an in‑depth case study.The discussion demonstrates that energy transitions are fundamentally political, not merely technical shifts from coal to renewables. They raise deep questions about history, ownership, justice, and community agency. By centring the lived experiences of the Clearfork Valley, the podcast illuminates how power is contested, reshaped, and sometimes reclaimed during moments of profound change—offering lessons for communities, policymakers, and activists around the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The term ‘development’ has been central to global conversations for decades, but the way it is understood, practised, and questioned has shifted dramatically. We’re launching our new podcast season by unpacking the evolution of development and tackling the question of what it means in today’s context. In this episode of Between the Lines. IDS External Affairs Officer, Jigyasa Agarwal speaks with Roy Trivedy, former UN Resident Coordinator and UK civil servant; Camille Accolas, ecosystem builder in biodiversity and nature technology; and Emre Yuksek, Senior Advisor at the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency. Their careers span across diplomacy, humanitarian action, policy design, and emerging sustainability sectors.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creating equity in research collaboration sounds straightforward - but it often isn't. Whilst everyone can agree that splitting the power, resources and benefits between all partners is the right thing to do, there is often difficulty in translating aspirations for “equitable partnerships” into practical action. This can be due to complex factors such as colonial legacies and structural power imbalances in research ecosystems.How can these challenges be overcome? To find out, IDS Director Peter Taylor speaks to Margarita Gómez from Southern Voice and Kaia Ambrose from IDRC.In this Between the Lines podcast they discuss why equity in research collaboration matters and talk about the challenges in achieving it, and practical steps toward action and accountability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the past five years Lebanon has faced crisis upon crisis including; economic collapse, the Beirut Port blast, and Israel’s war. But now the country is entering a new political chapter under a new government, marked by shifts in priorities and a renewed attention to social policy. In this podcast IDS Research Fellow, Philip Proudfoot, interviews Haneen Sayed, Lebanon’s Minister of social affairs who talks about her country’s main issues.  Philip asks the Minister these key questions: After five years of crisis upon crisis, what do you see as Lebanon’s need right now?  How is the new government approaching social protection differently from the government that came before?  Financing is always a challenge, especially with the increasing withdrawal of international support, is this an obstacle or an opportunity?  At the recent second world summit on social development in Doha, the high-level panel made a big push for social protection as a stabilisation mechanism. What might this mean for Lebanon, the social contract, and the building blocks needed to enhance and build it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caste isn’t just a South Asian issue — it shapes who speaks, who listens, and who is heard in academic and development spaces worldwide. In this episode of Between the Lines, we confront how caste hierarchies continue to influence the production of knowledge, access to opportunity, and the experience of being in higher education.Hosted by Chandni Sai Ganesh, MA Gender and Development alum at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), this conversation brings together anti-caste scholars and activists Aarti Rajput, Ritu Kochar, and Priyanka Samy. They speak about the silences, exclusions, and resistances that define their journeys in the UK and global academic contexts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.