Governance and Local Development Institute

Happy Holidays from GLD✨ Wherever you are & whatever you celebrate, we wish you joy, warmth, & moments of togetherness this season. Here are some of the GLD highlights from 2024 👉 https://lnkd.in/dWZM3dWp

In the final fellow interview of 2024, we spoke to Blair Welsh, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate New York University Abu Dhabi! His research focuses on the politics of armed violence and development in Africa, utilizing survey and field experiments, spatial econometrics, and causal inference strategies. In this interview, we discussed his academic journey, the challenges of researching conflict and development, and howhe translates complex data into actionable insights for policymakers. 👉 https://lnkd.in/dGTC7EuK

Can citizens make a difference in resource-strained bureaucracies? GLD Policy Brief No.26, Mind the Gap: Citizen-Led Efforts to Build Bureaucratic Responsiveness in Rural India, explores how citizen-driven accountability efforts can drive change. By documenting issues and using digital mobilization, Video Volunteers' community correspondents amplify local voices and create top-down pressures for better service delivery. Discover how emotional appeals and strategic mobilization can improve bureaucratic responsiveness in rural India. Read the brief here: https://bit.ly/4feVFm1 Policy brief written by Gabi Kruks-Wisner, Tanu Kumar, and Jessica Mayberry.

Can traditional gender norms coexist with women’s political activism? In the latest GLD Working Paper, Anirvan Chowdhury (University of Louisville) explores how religiously conservative parties in India mobilize women while upholding patriarchal norms. He introduces the concept of norm-compliant mobilization, showing how framing political participation as seva—selfless service—enables women to engage politically without challenging traditional roles. Combining qualitative research and ethnographic experiments, this paper offers fresh insights into women’s inclusion and the adaptability of norms. Read it here 🔗 bit.ly/3B52poS

DECEMBER NEWS FROM GLD 🔹 Watch the Roundtable Forced Migration & Local Outcomes on GLD’s YouTube Channel! 🔹 New Working Paper - "Domesticating Politics: How Religiously Conservative Parties Mobilize Women in India" by Anirvan Chowdhury 🔹 Policy Brief - "Mind the Gap: Citizen-Led Efforts to Build Bureaucratic Responsiveness in Rural India"by Gabi Kruks-Wisner, Tanu Kumar, and Jessica Mayberry GLD Fellow Interview with Blair Welsh, Ph.D. ... and more! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dSytKTcg

Another fellow interview! This time with Jessie Trudeau, Assistant Professor at Syracuse University - Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. This interview cover Jessie's book manuscript "Machine Gun Politics: Why Politicians Cooperate with Criminal Groups", what sparked her research interest, and the lessons she learned from fieldwork in Brazil! Read it here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dr5bYU44

Fellow interview with Anjali Thomas, Associate Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology. Anjali specializes in comparative politics and political economy with a focus on India. The questions that drive her research pertain to the politics of public service provision, local and multi-level governance, gender disparities, and distributive politics. We spoke to Anjali about her book on local democracy in the developing world, her work on water access in Mumbai, and two memorable fieldwork experiences from India. Read it here! https://lnkd.in/dTRJc2g4

Combating corruption at the municipal level is critical for improving governance in #Brazil. Guillermo Toral’s research illustrates how prosecutors—empowered by institutional autonomy and a robust mandate—drive meaningful change in local governance. Toral’s findings reveal that prosecutor presence correlates with increased anti-corruption actions, fairer hiring practices, and lower corruption levels. This underscores the value of expanding prosecutorial coverage and institutional support to fight misuse of public resources. Learn more in our latest policy brief: https://lnkd.in/dMWeHqM3

1 week left to apply for spring #internships at GLD! We offer internships within data & these research projects: ➡️Political Change & Local Governance in Emerging Cities ➡️Resilience During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Malawi ➡️Electoral Candidacy in Africa Read more and apply: https://lnkd.in/dQWVCYQC

🆕 New episode of Governance Uncovered! Gabi Kruks-Wisner discuss her Cambridge Element, "Claim-Making in Comparative Perspective: Everyday Citizenship Practice and Its Consequences," co-written with Janice Gallagher Whitney Taylor. 💡 Gabi and GLD Director Ellen Lust explore how everyday claim-making strategies help citizens fulfill their rights. Gabi highlights that claim-making is often overlooked in political behavior studies, which usually focus on elections, mass protests, high court decisions, and legislative actions. This raises the question: What about the politics of the everyday?    💡 The Element and this interview address this question based on research from #Colombia, #SouthAfrica, #India, and #Mexico. Examples include families in Mexico seeking information about disappeared loved ones, citizens in rural India securing basic services like clean drinking water and education, and the fight for housing and healthcare rights in Colombia and South Africa. 🎧 Listen via Acast: https://lnkd.in/d6RHmaZa