Gemdev
Welcome to the fortnightly newsletter of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI). |
| 1st Issue April 2026 |
| Editorial |
| We’re happy to see the list of our upcoming webinars grow by the day and are also excited about further events organised by our very active working groups! We’d also like to remind you that many of our past events are available on our YouTube channel, in addition to our podcast. And of course, the future of development cooperation and development policy remains a topic of heated discussion to which we once again contribute in our latest blog. Our thematic focus is on geopolitics and international relations today. |
| From our Blog |
| The Double Legitimacy Crisis of the Old Aid Order: Four Scenarios for Development Cooperation and their PlausibilityIn our latest blog, Nadia Molenaers argues that development cooperation currently faces a crisis of the very roles through which it has historically been justified. She asks: « In what kind of world order will development cooperation exist, and what role will it play there? », concluding that these are not merely technical questions but political and normative choices about what kind of international order remains possible. Read the post |
| Upcoming EADI Webinar on 22 April |
| Amílcar Cabral at 100: Liberation and LegacyAmílcar Cabral, a leading figure in the struggle against colonialism and an unavoidable intellectual force in the fight for independence in Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and beyond, remains an influential reference for the study of contemporary Africa. As we celebrate his 100th anniversary, we will discuss Cabral’s work based on a thematic edition focusing on his influential personality as a fundamental lens. Read more and register |
| News From EADI Working Groups |
| Our Working Group on Gender Justice invites to the webinar: « Gender and Urbanism in Southeast Asia: Reflections from Early Career Researchers » on 20 April. It is co-organised with the Global South Urban Lab in the Philippines to spotlight emerging scholars researching how gender shapes urban life in nuanced and context-specific ways. Register |
| Our joint Working Group with DSA on Land, Labour and Food is organising an interesting webinar series! Apart from today’s event on Depletion, there will be a book talk on « Climate Shocks and Pastoralist Migration in South Sudan » on 30 April!See all upcoming events on the Working Group page |
| Our Working Group on Social Protection has issued a new summary brief which provides an overview of the latest academic publications, reports, blogs and podcasts all around the topic of social protection. There’s also a list of upcoming and past events. Download the brief |
| News from the EJDR |
| We’re happy to share the latest open access articles published by our journal, The European Journal of Development Research:’We All Need to be One and Listen to Each Other’: Institutional Complexity and the Prospects of Co-management in Ghana’s Artisanal Fisheries Read Trusted Evidence, Informed Policies, Higher Impact—Climate Evidence Reviews Read See all articles here |
| Highlight: Where’s the dēmos in Democracy? |
| Building Democratic Futures and Resisting AutocracyDemocracy is in crisis. Anti-democratic politicians and anti-rights movements are becoming more popular. Simultaneously, growing inequality around the world – a product of neoliberal capitalist societies – has left millions of people feeling left behind and alienated. This, in turn, plays into the hands of antidemocratic groups who are using it for exclusionary politics. Questions are being raised about whether democracy delivers results for the people. This IDS report responds to these challenges by demonstrating that democracy delivers development better than other regimes. Read more |
| Thematic Focus: Geopolitics and International Relations |
| Palestine in a world of struggle.The role of Palestinians in Third World solidarity Wael Omar – Transnational Institute TNI Shaolin Without Borders: Assemblage, Adaptation and the Politics of Culture in China–Zambia Relations African Studies Review – Hangwei Li – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Russian Geonarratives and Arab Media: Multipolarity, Eurasianism and Constructed ‘non-Wests’ British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies – Eckart Woertz, Falah Mubarak Bardan & Dima Abu Alkheir – German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Competitiveness in the age of geopolitics: what agenda does the EU really need? Werner Raza, Julian Maukner – Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE) Which side are you on? Geoeconomic coercion and German corporate networks in the US–China rivalry Joseph Baines, Julian Germann, Steve Rolf, Sean Starrs – Department of International Development King’s College London (DID) Dialogue instead of mutual neglect? International political economy meets foreign policy analysis Cooperation and conflict – Stephan Fouquet, R Melis Baydag, Leslie E Wehner – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Reimagining Global Governance: Strategic Pluralism, Normative Blending, and the Emergence of a Polycentric Order Global Studies Quarterly – Julia Gurol-Haller, Ariel Macaspac Hernandez, Miriam Prys-Hansen et al. – German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) |
| Premium Members Publication Picks |
| Stressors in Political Office: How Stress from Parenthood and Harassment Affect Politicians’ Motivations Representation – Ragnhild Muriaas, Mads Thau, Vibeke Wang, Marte Winsvold – Chr.Michelsen Institute (CMI) Navigating the policy landscape for managed aquifer recharge and reclaimed water use in Europe Water Research X – Bertha Vallejo, Uta Wehn, Brindha Karthikeyan – IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (IHE Delft) Ocean Pop: Marine Imaginaries in the Age of Global Polycrisis Ocean and SocietyCharlotte Gehrke, Anja Menzel – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Las Mariposas del Café: landlessness and labour precarity among indigenous trans women in Colombia’s agrarian economy Catalina Antonia Alviz Donoso – International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) Circular economy and sustainability: the case of pharmacies in Portugal Francisca Albuquerque, João Carlos Lopes, Zorro Mendes – Centre for African and Development Studies CESA-ISEG Teaching the climate crisis in the neoliberal university: towards a radical pragmatism in climate education Journal of Geography in Higher Education – Ambarish Karamchedu, Nithya Natarajan, Cheriesse Bema-Kwakye – Department of International Development King’s College London (DID) Nigeria: The Long Road from Stabilization to Development Sylvain Bellefontaine – The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Social Protection for Food Security and Nutrition: a Business Case WFP – Stephen Devereux, Nicholas Nisbett, Kate Pruce – Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Country-led Evaluation to Achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Guide for Evaluation Commissioners Ada Ocampo, Nea-Mari Heinonen, Dirk Hoffmann, Thomas Rossmueller – German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) |
| Policy Publication Picks by Members |
| Picks by International Partner Networks |
| Call for workshop applications: Grasping the Generational Gap: Gen-Z’s Political Activism and Their Implication on Global Discourse, 23-24 April 2026, Osaka (hybrid) Deadline: 15 April 2026 – The Asian Political and International Studies Association APISA UNFCCC call for input from ISC members – mapping progress in filling climate change research gaps Deadline: 15 April 2026 – International Science Council ISC Final Call for MethodsNET Proposals Deadline:06 May 2026 – Methods Excellence Network MethodNet Publishing reform and research assessment reform must move together Felix Dijkstal – International Science Council ISC |
| Calls Call for papers: Conjonctures de l’Afrique centrale 2026: Deadline: 16 April 2026 – Institute of Development Policy, University of Antwerp (IOB) Call for Papers – AHRI Conference 2026 Deadline: 25 April 2026 – The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) Call for papers – The West-African Digital Transformations Forum Deadline: 03 May, 2026 – Fondation pour les études et recherches sur le développement international (FERDI) Call for Papers and Sessions: 12th LiK Conference Submission Deadline: 30 June 2026 – International Security and Development Center gGmbH (ISDC) Call: Topic Collection: Race, Sexual and Reproductive Health: Histories, Inequalities, Futures Deadline: 31 October 2026 – The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) See more calls on the EADI Website Opinions Eurocentrism, hypocrisy and racism. Three dimensions of a Western-dominated global (dis)order. Review of African Political Economy – Eyob Balcha Gebremariam Power relations and partnerships as the WTO fails San Bilal – European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) Future of trade and development cooperation: Part 1 Amrita Saha, Kumar Sharma, Prabir De et al. – Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Zombie multilateralism IPS – Stephan Klingebiel – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) The Trump Administration: Theology into Statecraft Antonio De Lauri – Chr.Michelsen Institute (CMI) SA needs a foreign policy that makes sense to the next generation Business Day – Mandipa B. Ndlovu – African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL) Tax reform is not only about enforcement, it is about consent Antonio Savoia, Kunal Sen – United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) What to watch across the multilateral climate funds landscape: key moments and leverage points Clara Gallagher & Sejal Patel – International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) |
| TrainingInternational Development (Online Learning) MSc Centre of African Studies, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh CAS Water Resources Planning under Changing Climate and Environment Application deadline: 29 May 2026 – IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (IHE Delft) Water Resources Assessment using Remote-Sensing Data, 25-26 June 2026 Application deadline: 15 May 2026 – IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (IHE Delft) See more courses and trainings on the EADI website Jobs Research assistant (f/m/diverse) Project “Stability and Development in the Middle East and North Africa” Deadline: 10 April 2026 – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) PhD Position: Women Building Cities Deadline: 12 April 2026 – Department of Anthropology and Development Studies (CAOS) PhD Position for Research Toward Transformative Approaches in International Development Deadline: 15 April 2026 – Governance and Inclusive Development, Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (GID) PhD Positions: BSI Graduate School Deadline: 03 May 2026 – Department of Anthropology and Development Studies (CAOS) Research assistant (m/f/diverse) Transformation of Political (Dis)Order Deadline: 30 April 2026 – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) See more jobs on the EADI website Opinion continued Think you can’t change the world? You matter more than ever Nicola Banks – Global Development Institute (GDI) Rights, wellbeing, action: towards securities of frontline social workers in India Aishwarya Bhuta – Development Studies Association (DSA) Contemporary global drivers of land use changes in Africa Phillan Zamchiya – Oxford Department of International Development, Queen Elizabeth House (ODID) Researcher: Middle East war could upend Djibouti’s strategic advantage Redie Bereketeab – Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) |