Centre for the Study of Global Development (CSGD)

Description

The Centre for the Study of Global Development (CSGD) creates a unified space for multi and interdisciplinary research within the Faculty of Wellbeing Education and Language Studies.

CSGD's core objective is to advance aspects of the sustainable development goals within and across all countries that relate to poverty, health, wellbeing, education, decent jobs, and employment, while also critiquing globalised development agendas and exploring and showcasing localised conceptualisations of and approaches to development. The Centre believes that it is important to tackle challenges of development through an interdisciplinary lens, and that by working across disciplines a better understanding of development problems can lead to sustainable solutions. To achieve this goal, the Centre works with scholars from different social science and geographic backgrounds to research problems of development to achieve progress for poor and marginalised groups in society.

The Centre is committed to conceptualising and carrying out research that is aligned with the wider Open University values of inclusivity, innovation and responsiveness.

The research priorities of the Centre are clustered around five broadly distinct but deeply interconnected domains that are called Research Hubs:

Health and Wellbeing
Language and Society
Learners and Learning
Poverty and Social Protection
Professional Learning and Technology
Youth and Transitions

Important themes such as gender, identities, ethnicity, and diversity recur and cut across each of these domains. Research Hubs bring a robust and complementary offering of development research and a critical mass of expertise to undertake large-scale research to produce insights for global development. Research Hubs also synthesise the current research in their area to identify and frame future research agendas. Membership of Research Hubs is voluntary, and colleagues are encouraged to engage with the work and activities of multiple Hubs to encourage dialogue around synergies and opportunities for collaboration.