Building Capacity for Achieving Sustainable Development

Welcome to Politics Of
Sustainable Development

Through a dynamic network of knowledge partners—including senior researchers, policymakers, doctoral students, and early-career scholars—we empower evidence-based policymaking to tackle climate challenges and advance sustainable development. Our rnission is to foster societal transformation and ensure long-term sustainability by equipping researchers, policymakers, and early-career scholars with actionable knowledge.

Latest News

Justin Park

Country-Specific Trends Reveal Gaps in Global SDG Progress

New Global Analysis Reveals Uneven and Slowing Progress Toward the SDGs

Experts Urge Fresh Development Strategies as Global Order Shifts

Amid rapid geopolitical shifts and declining traditional aid flows, scholars and policymakers gathered for a high-level roundtable on “Rethinking Development in a Multipolar Era: Challenges and Opportunities for the Global South.”

China’s Debt Cancellation for Malawi – What Next?

Professor Michael Chasukwa, Department of Politics and Government, University of Malawi

Latest Publications

Increasing research and policy

Through a dynamic network of knowledge
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Increasing research and policy

Through a dynamic network of knowledge
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Increasing research and policy

Through a dynamic network of knowledge
Download

Increasing research and policy

Through a dynamic network of knowledge
Download

Increasing research and policy

Through a dynamic network of knowledge
Download

Increasing research and policy

Through a dynamic network of knowledge
Download

Q. Xing,L. Lu,L. Wang, et al.

Country-specific progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals: Past, present, and prospects. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 122 (52) e2524299122, (2025).

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Wegi Feyisa, K et al.

Process evaluation of the adolescent and youth health program implementation in primary healthcare facilities of Woliso town, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia: a case study evaluation design. Reproductive Health, 22(196).

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Sileshi, M., J. Steinke, C. Dietrich, B. Feyisa, and S. Sieber

Nutritional Knowledge Boosts the Dietary Gains of Agricultural Interventions in Madagascar. World Food Policy 12(1: e70016).

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Venkatachalam, M., Banik, D.

Moral geographies: Indian exceptionalism, Africa, and the politics of South–South cooperation. Third World Quarterly46(5), 505–522.

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Luyten E, Tubeuf S.

Equity in healthcare financing: A review of evidence. Health Policy. 152:105218

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Bull, B., Banik, D.

The Rebirth of the Global South: Geopolitics, Imageries and Developmental Realities. Forum for Development Studies52(2), 195–214

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Ramutsindela, M. et al.

African Political Ecologies. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 50: 12.1-12.18.

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Aikpitanyi, J., and Tubeuf, S.

Inequalities in women’s empowerment during childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa. The Lancet, 406 (10511), 1470

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Ramutsindela, M.

Political Ecology of African Peace Parks. Routledge. 

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Souza, E. et al.

Interrogating the quality and completion of mortality mobile phone interviews conducted in Malawi during COVID-19: An examination of interviewer–respondent interactions, Demographic Research, 51(46), pp.1471-1490

Kayuni, H.

The Politics and Anthropology of Combating Corruption in Africa, in Kuwali, D (Eds) Corruption Proofing in Africa: A Systems Thinking Approach, London: Routledge, pp. 38-51

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Kayuni, H.

Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Development Policy and Politics in Malawi, in Hopestone Kayiska Chavula, and others (Eds), The Oxford Handbook of the Malawi Economy, Oxford University Press, pp.17-39

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Fisher, S., and Chasukwa, M.

The Political Economy of Global Health: The Case of Development Aid and Parallel Paths in Malawi’s Health System, in Chavula, H.K., Ngalawa, H., Munthali, T.C., and Dulani, B., (Eds) The Oxford Handbook of the Malawi Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.97-120

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Chasukwa, M., and Banik, D

Development Aid: Complementarity or Competition? The West and China in Malawi. in Chavula, H.K., Ngalawa, H., Munthali, T.C., and Dulani, B., (Eds) The Oxford Handbook of the Malawi Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.121-140

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Chasukwa, M., and Crack, A.

Participatory Translation and Anti-racism in NGO Development Work: A Method of Co-producing Translations with Community Members.  Development Policy Review, 42, e12787

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Biermann, F. et al.

Reinvigorating the Sustainable Development Goals. The Utrecht Roadmap. Statement of the International Research Conference “GlobalGoals2024”. Utrecht, The Netherlands.

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Anders, G., & Kayuni, H.

The State in Malawi as Idea and Practice. Journal of Southern African Studies50(5), 843–847.

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Adolfsson, J. S., & Finyiza, G.

The Western psychologization of global development: A cultural and decolonial approach. Theory & Psychology, 34(6), 713-735.

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Adolfsson, J. S., Banik, D., & Dulani, B.

Power, Politics, and the Supernatural: Exploring the Role of Witchcraft Beliefs in Governance for Development. Forum for Development Studies, 51(3), 389–410

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Biermann, F. et al.

Four Governance Reforms to Strengthen the SDGs. Science 381,1159-1160

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Banik, D. and Mawdsley, E

South–South Cooperation and global development in a multipolar world: China and India in Africa. J. Int. Dev., 35: 539 548

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Banik, D., Venkatachalam, M., Modi, R.

Catalysing Progress Through Capacity-Building Initiatives: Learnings from India’s Pan-African e-Network Project in Ghana and Malawi. Occasional Paper No. 420. Observer Research Foundation.

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Upcoming Events

Tanzania’s Post-Election Landscape – Legitimacy, Participation, and Regional Implications

Held in the immediate aftermath of Tanzania’s national election, this panel examines the political, social, and regional dynamics that will shape the country’s trajectory in the months ahead.

Democracy, Development, and the 2025 Elections in Malawi

This panel discussion will offer an in-depth analysis of the political, economic, and social dynamics that shaped voter sentiment in Malawi’s September elections.

In Pursuit of Development

Step into conversations that travel across continents and challenge the way you think about progress. From democracy and inequality to climate resilience and healthcare, Dan Banik explores how societies navigate the complex terrain of democracy, poverty, inequality, and sustainability. Through dialogues with scholars, leaders, and innovators, In Pursuit of Development uncovers how ideas travel, why policies succeed or fail, and what it takes to build a more just and resilient world. Expect sharp insights, candid reflections, and a global perspective that connects local struggles to universal aspirations. Listen, reflect, and be inspired to see global development in a new light.

Our Research

The Africa–Europe Cluster of Research Excellence (CoRE) on the Politics of Sustainable Development aims to advance interdisciplinary research, policy engagement, and knowledge co-production at the intersection of political power, governance, and sustainable development.