IKD: Innovation, Knowledge and Development
An Inter-Faculty Research Centre
Human Capabilities
Human well-being is about more than income, it depends also on people's opportunities, on what they can be and do. IKD researchers are developing new ways of measuring human capabilities, influencing routine data collection on human wellbeing for policy purposes, and employing the concept of capabilities in new research.
Projects
The Capabilities Measurement Project
The project seeks to operationalise Sen's capabilities approach to welfare economics, initially by developing datasets that provide indicators of capabilities across a wide range of life domains. Project details
Understanding rural co-operative resilience in Uganda: a pilot study
The changes in the global economy and the financial crisis require new thinking about models of social and economic organisation and about how to promote resilience. What makes resilient social and economic organisation is the central aim of this pilot project, which will investigate the apparent resilience of the rural cooperative model in Uganda. Project details
Understanding Poverty and Inequality through Different Forms of Exchange
This research aims to understand how exchanges contribute to the (unequal) empowerment of people to do or be what they value. Project details
Past projects
Climate Change Policies and Vulnerability of tropical forest communities
The aim of this study is to assess the understanding of climate change related vulnerability of two indigenous forest communities in Kenya and Uganda and examine the impact of climate change policies on these communities, affecting on their livelihood and lifestyle. Project details
The Professional Lives and Values of Female Teachers in Rural Sub-Saharan African Schools: A Capability Perspective
This is an in-depth study of seven female teachers living and working in rural primary schools in five countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Sudan. Project details
The role of mobile ICTs in helping to transform gender relations in Uganda
Investigates the extent to which mobile phones do or can or contribute to women's empowerment applying feminist capability and actor network theoretical perspectives on agency. Project details
The contribution of young people to learning for development in African co-operatives: case studies from Lesotho and Uganda
This is a Case Studentship, which is an ESRC funded project which brings together organisations with academic institutions. the Co-operative College UK have used this PhD research to inform their work with young people in Co-operatives in Africa. Project details
Learning for Development
This book in the Development Matters series takes a learning approach to development. The focus is on the everyday learning that takes place through development action, which may be intentional and structured, as well as informal and an outcome of different forms of engagement. Project details
Innovation in education for innovation in development
The aim of this project was to trial the use of Open University (OU) materials to enhance the analytical, practical and investigative skills of those employed, or wishing to be employed, in social and technical innovation in agriculture, health and sustainable energy in Kenya. Project details