Zahra Hankir, a Lebanese British journalist and the editor of Our Women on the Ground, writes about the intersection of politics, culture, and society, particularly in the broader Middle East. Her work has appeared in publications including Condé Nast Traveler, The Observer Magazine, The Times Literary Supplement, BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg Businessweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The Rumpus. She was awarded a Jack R. Howard Fellowship in International Journalism to attend the...

Rana Mitter is Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at Oxford University, and will shortly become S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is a celebrated British historian, a published author, and a regular presenter for BBC Radio 3. In this episode, he shares his view on how China's relationship with and effect on the rest of the world is likely to change (or not change) and opens up about his personal career journey.

We invite Luisa Leme, who has a decade's worth of experience heading multimedia projects in the Americas Society/Council of the, to share her experience with reporting on South America. Leme is interviewed by our South American Events Officer, Pippa Linden-Howes.

Suzanne Kianpour is an Emmy-nominated BBC journalist. She has reported on the frontlines of conflict all around the world, with her recent work including coverage of the protests in Iran following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini. Additionally, Kianpour is the creator and host of “Women Building Peace”, a BBC series that connects women trying to bring peace with lived experience in conflict zones with women who are globally influential. In collaboration with the Cherwell, we invite...

Regional economic/political unions are some of the most important organisations in our world today. We invite Fandi Achmad to discuss how unions like ASEAN, African Union, Mercosur, etc. can shape individual member states economically, politically, and socially. He is interviewed by marketing director Brandon Sambrano. Fandi Achmad is a DPhil candidate in International Development at Oriel College, University of Oxford. He has over ten years of work experience covering issues of...

Brian is a geopolitical strategist and advisor publishing extensively on Sino-American relations, statecraft in Asia, and the intersection of nascent technologies, political philosophy, and public policy. Currently pursuing a DPhil in Political Theory at Balliol College, Oxford, Brian graduated with a Distinction in the MPhil in Politics (Theory) at Wolfson College, and First Class Honours from Pembroke with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, having attended Oxford on a full...

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander International Engagement Organisation (ATSIIEO) is a pioneering international development group founded and led by Jesse T Martin of the Wagadagam and Yuin peoples and Jack Collard, a proud Nyoongar man with cultural and ancestral ties to Whadjuk and Balladong country. Joined with them is Adam Hegedus, a Master of Public Policy student at the Blavatnik School of Government Oxford, and Managing Director of Educating The Future – an NGO providing...

In recent years there has been a rise of right-wing extremism and radicalisation which has had an effect on mainstream politics and attitudes in society. Are our governments doing enough to combat this? What does it mean for the development of our societies? In this episode we discuss the topic with Dr Daniel Koehler, the co-founder of the first peer-reviewed open-access journal on de-radicalization and the director of the German Institute on Radicalization Studies. The links to some of Dr...

The Refugee Crisis has been an ongoing phenomenon these past few years especially, which continuously makes the news in various formats. But what are the implications of being a refugee, and how does Britain especially deal with this? In this episode, Sara Al Soodi interviews immigration and asylum barrister Colin Yeo on this topic, including a discussion on Britain's immigration system and much more. Colin Yeo is a barrister at Garden Court Chambers in London and has most recently published...

Marnie speaks with Andrea Philippi who works for Peace for Women Across the Globe. Started in 2008 this organisation is committed to the active participation of women in peace processes and to a peaceful and secure world for all. In this episode we discuss their projects in Palestine and Ukraine as well as looking at their campaigns in their home country Switzerland. We debate the tensions present in feminist thought in the area of development and methods of aiding women toward achieving...

Is Democracy under threat? In this episode, Esther, our Europe Events Officer, speaks with Niheer Dasandi, a senior lecturer in Politics and Development at Birmingham University and author of ‘Is Democracy Failing?’ Throughout the interview, they talk about the challenges that contemporary democracy is facing as well as recent trends. There are discussions about populism, social media, the European Union, covid-19 and climate change. Key considerations include the efficacy of democracy and...

On this podcast, our Events Director, Zilun, speaks to Prof. Julien-François Gerber about the viability of degrowth for developing countries. They discuss in depth how changing the way we measure and understand development beyond measures of economic growth can help tackle important issues developing countries face. Podcast by Zilun Lin. Music by Lorcan Cudlip Cook. Discover more about the Oxford Society for International Development at oxsid.org

This week, our Co-President, Helena, speaks with Steve Killelea about the topic of his latest book, Peace in the Age of Chaos. The book is available at a 40% discount to OxSID members. Send us a message to receive the discount code! Expect discussion of the application of systems thinking to sustainable development; the relationship between peace, conflict and prosperity; the pandemic’s effects on terrorism; and how we can create more resilient societies in an age of unprecedented global...

In this week’s podcast, our event director, Zilun, talk about ‘degrowth’, the radical idea which tries to understand development beyond economic growth. Instead, degrowth focuses on sustainability, equality, fairness and justices alongside simple measures of economic prosperity. To supporters of degrowth, it is the way to understand development holistically and with a sharper focus on well-being - all of which are currently overlooked by economic growth. Zilun is joined by Dr. Giacomo...

How can people be empowered through community-led development? In this episode, Esther, our Europe Events Officer, speaks with Naomi Muando, the regional manager of ACET Uganda in Mbale. During the interview, they talk about ACET as an organisation and Naomi’s role there. There is a discussion about the community-led initiatives designed to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDs and reduce stigma around the disease through education. Naomi talks about the rise in teenage pregnancies following...

We need to look deeper into the coverage of COVID-19 in Africa. From vaccination rates to incentivising policies, is there a disconnect between the coverage and what is happening on the ground? Even for journalists working within Africa, there is a delicate balance between maintaining the integrity of news and taking into account the impact of news on people’s decisions. On this podcast, Samuel Ajakaiye (Africa Events Officer) interviews Peter Mwai, Deputy Editor and Senior Africa...

Why is sustainable development important? How can business mentoring and entrepreneurship be used to support refugees from post-conflict regions? In this episode, our Europe Events Officer, Esther, speaks with Zufi Deo, the co-founder of BizGees. Throughout the interview, they talk about Zufi’s motivation behind setting-up BizGees and how his background in business strategy and mentoring informs his work. There is a discussion about the BizGees business model and how this targets sustainable...

How does change happen? In this episode, one of our events officers, Marnie, speaks with Dr Duncan Green, a strategic advisor to Oxfam GB on the topic of “What’s wrong with aid and other topics of debate in International Development?” Throughout the interview, they talk about how following a linear pattern is not the best way to go about approaching aid and how understanding the complexity of a situation and through focusing on what is already going right in an area, we can achieve the best...

Why have only 9% of people in Africa been fully vaccinated when other countries are offering their citizens booster jabs? This lack of access to vaccines arguably points towards greater infrastructural issues which have led to underdeveloped healthcare systems across Africa. On this podcast, Africa Events Officer, Sam, speaks to Ade Adeyemi, global health policy expert working in the UK's Department for Health and Social Care, PhD student at Kings College London and founder of the African...

Eric Zhang interviews Mr. Huang HongXiang to discuss his journey from being a wildlife journalist featured in the Oscar nominee documentary ‘The Ivory Game’ to establishing the social enterprise ‘China House’ that strives to present a fuller image of China on international platform. China-House is a social enterprise set up in 2014 which, through various channels such as field research, blogs, and public service activities, aims to refute stereotypes and present a fuller image of China on an...

How can developing countries ever develop if so many of their doctors, nurses and engineers are moving abroad seeking higher pay? This asymmetric movement of skilled workers is called 'brain drain' and has spurred intense debate in recent years.  On this podcast, Zilun talks to Kelsi and Haley, lead researchers from Stanford's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center about their groundbreaking book project 'Talent Flows'. Exploring the problems and potential benefits of 'Brain...

In the recent months, Afghanistan has undergone a series of political and social changes. In this podcast, we take a step back and start by looking at how this all began with the US invasion in the 2000s, as well as wider implications of this today and what this means for the future of Aghanistan. Joining Sara al Soodi on this podcast, is Craig Whitlock, staff writer for the Washington post since 1998, recipient of the George Polk Award for military reporting and three-time finalist for the...

If development is to mean more than economic growth, then language should be on top of our agendas. The preservation of minority languages and the building of lingua franca is crucial for the cultural, social and civil well-being of societies. Development which values culture is inseparable from policies which preserve and languages. In this conversation with James Griffiths, the author of 'Speak Not: Empire, Identity and the Politics of Language', Zilun delves deep into the history and...

Is censorship ever effective? What methods do the Chinese government use to censor the internet? Why does the Chinese government believe in censorship, and why do so many people in China agree? In the second half of this two-part series on internet censorship in China, Jemima talks to Rongbin Han about social, political, and economic factors that lead to censorship, and its wider implications both in China and worldwide. The speaker, Rongbin Han, is an Associate Professor at the Department...