Our history

Celebrating 60 years of development studies at The University of Manchester

1958

After researching the effects of overseas Western education on students from developing countries, Arthur Livingstone is asked by the Foreign Office to run an administration course for South East Asian government officials at the University of Manchester.

 

1960s

The Department of Overseas Administration at The University of Manchester is established, running short courses in public administration to civil servants from newly independent former colonies.

The one year PACFOGO (Public Administration Course for Overseas Government Officers) course is established, but provides no formal qualifications.

 

1968

In the first ten years, students from 42 countries studied at the Department of Overseas Administrative Studies.

 

1970

Academic courses are established at the Department of Overseas Administration with a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Administration, despite ‘turf wars’ within the University. 

 

1979

The Department of Overseas Administration publishes the book Training Administrators for Development by Wyn Reilly.

 

1980s

Reductions in UK aid funding to the Department of Overseas Administration which has threatened its existence, are resolved.  

 

1983

Professor Arthur Livingstone retires from the Department of Overseas Administration and the Department’s first master’s programmes are launched.

 

1986

The Department of Overseas Administration is renamed the Institute of Development and Policy Management (IDPM) and a PhD programme is introduced, along with more master’s programmes.  

 

1989

The Manchester Papers on Development become a fully-fledged international journal known as the Journal of International Development.

 

1995

The Institute of Development and Policy Management becomes part of the Faculty of Economic and Social Studies at the University of Manchester. 

 

2001

The Chronic Poverty Research Centre is established at The Institute of Development and Policy Management and runs for the next 10 years. IDPM grows an international reputation for research excellence.

 

2005

Supported by alumni Rory Brooks, the Brooks World Poverty Institute is established to support large research programmes alongside PhD supervision, while retaining close links with the Institute of Development and Policy Management. Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz is BWPI chair. 

 

2009

The University of Manchester establishes the Humanitarian and Conflict Research Institute.

 

2011

The Effective States and Inclusive Development research centre is established at the Brooks World Poverty Institute.

 

2016

The Institute of Development and Policy Management and Brooks World Poverty Institute join forces to become the Global Development Institute, the largest development focused teaching and research institute in Europe.

 

2018

The Global Development Institute has over 11,500 alumni from 160 different countries. 45 academics, 100 doctoral candidates and 400 master’s students research solutions to poverty and inequalities.