Honours
Bachelor of Development Studies Honours (1707)
The Honours programme deepens theoretical knowledge and research capacity in Development Studies. Students engage critically with key debates and complete a supervised research project.
Each year, around
50
Honours
and
30
Masters/PhD
students from across the globe graduate from ISD.
Selected international partners include:
Our comprehensive approach to Development Studies
The Institute for Social Development (ISD) offers a suite of postgraduate programmes in Development Studies, designed to prepare students to critically engage with pressing social, economic, and political challenges in South Africa, Africa, and the wider global context. These programmes combine rigorous academic training with practical applications, equipping graduates to become leaders, researchers, and practitioners in the field of development.
Masters
Masters in Development Studies, Course Work
The structured Master’s programme combines coursework with research, offering students a balanced approach to advanced study. It provides both theoretical grounding and practical skills, preparing graduates for diverse roles in government, NGOs, and international organisations. The elective modules allow students to tailor their studies to specific interests such as poverty, inequality, or migration.
Masters
Masters in Development Studies, Full Thesis
This research-focused Master’s programme is designed for students seeking to undertake rigorous, in-depth academic research in Development Studies. Candidates complete a substantial thesis that contributes original insights to the field. Graduates are well positioned for academic careers, policy research, and leadership roles within the development sector.
PhD
Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies (1921)
The PhD in Development Studies is the highest level of academic achievement in the field. It requires candidates to produce a doctoral thesis that makes a significant and original contribution to knowledge. The programme is ideal for those pursuing academic careers, high-level policy research, or leadership positions in international development.
News and Events
Critical conversations and events shaping the global development landscape
All news and eventsISD Strengthens Strategic Collaboration with Leading African Institutions
The Institute for Social Development (ISD) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) is strengthening its commitment to African-centred knowledge production, postgraduate education and South–South collaboration through strategic engagements with leading African institutions.
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IFAA summit
The ISD was delighted join and be associated with the Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA), who held a summit at Iyatsiba Lab in April 2026.
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World Summit for Social Development
Stephen Devereux was invited by the World Food Programme to deliver the keynote presentation at a ‘solutions session’, introducing “a new era of social protection for food security and nutrition” at the Second World Summit for Social Development (https://social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025) in Doha, Qatar, on 4 November 2025.
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T20 Summit
Stephen Devereux was a co-lead of a T20 Task Force under South Africa’s leadership of the G20 in 2025. Devereux co-authored the T20 Communique (https://t20southafrica.org/t20-communique/) and was invited by the T20 Secretariat to speak in plenary at the T20 summit at the Sandton Convention Centre, on 14 November 2025. Devereux spoke about the need to strengthen social protection systems and to build equitable food systems, to address the persistence of global hunger, malnutrition, and famines as 2030 approaches.
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17TH BRICS+ Summit Declaration for the Global South 2025
The Seminar will reflect on the implications of the 17th BRICS+ Summit Declaration for Global South & Africa. The Seminar will give an overview of the resolutions and then reflect on the issues of intra-BRICS+ trade, investment, food security, cross border payments and mobilization of social movements in addressing imbalances in international relations with respect to the Global South and Africa.
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ISD’s Resources archive documents critical debates shaping our world today.
From seminars and public dialogues to book launches and special events, these materials reflect the Institute’s commitment to engaged scholarship, social justice, and evidence-based responses to inequality, hunger, migration, and political-economic injustice.
View resources
African Human Mobility Review (AHMR)
AHMR is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed on-line journal created to encourage and facilitate the study of all aspects (socio-economic, political, legislative and developmental) of human mobility in Africa.
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Celebrating New Agenda 100
Celebrating 25 years of New Agenda: South African Journal of Social and Economic Policy, this landmark publication honors the distinctive partnership between the University of the Western Cape’s Institute for Social Development (ISD) and civil society. At a time of persistent inequality and stalled transformation, this enduring collaboration underscores the vital role of ideas in shaping a just society—renewing intellectual courage and deepening public engagement.
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A research centre dedicated to understanding social change. We empower students to drive meaningful transformation across global communities.
VIEW OUR RESEARCH PROJECTSResearch study on refugee and asylum seeking
Project Timeline:
2017–2018
Project Focus:
This study examines refugee and asylum-seeker representative structures, their legitimacy and representativeness, and the ways community-based protection and self-help initiatives function. It also seeks guidance directly from refugees and asylum seekers to help shape a stronger community representation and engagement model in South Africa.
Project locations:
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Musina, Port Elizabeth
Expected output:
A full report with recommendations for a community representation and engagement model in South Africa.
Research Team:
Prof Mulugeta F. Dinbabo, Prof Yanga Zembe, Dr Sharon Penderis, Mr Sergio Carciotto, Dr Chris Nshimbi, Dr Vanya Gastrow, with several postgraduate researchers from UWC and UP.
Data management and statistical analysis for the Migrafrica Project
Project Timeline:
2017
Project Focus:
Conducting data management and statistical analysis for migration-related research in selected sub-Saharan African countries. The work contributed to two main outputs: an atlas and a working paper.
Project locations:
—
Expected output:
—
Research Team:
Prof Mulugeta F. Dinbabo and Mr Michael Nguatem Belebema.
Food choices and Body Mass Index (BMI) in adults and children
Project Timeline:
2015–2016
Project Focus:
This study explored the relationship between food choices and BMI in adults and children in South Africa, using both secondary data and fieldwork. It looked at what people consumed in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain, what shaped their food choices, and how those choices related to health perceptions and actual BMI.
Project locations:
—
Expected output:
—
Research Team:
Prof Mulugeta F. Dinbabo, Dr Abdulrazak Karriem, Dr Sharon Penderis, Prof Julian May, Prof Christopher Fulcher, and several postgraduate students.
Key factors identified:
Income, food cost, accessibility, availability, culture, taste, familiarity, knowledge, social setting, time constraints, religion, and travel distance to buy food.
Meet the Team
The Team
Professor Amiena Bayat
Acting Director; DSTI-NRF-Sasol Foundation SARChI Chair in Local and Regional Economic Development
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Dr. Anna Wolkenhauer
DAAD Lecturer in Development Studies
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Professor Stephen Devereux
Extraordinary Professor; Research Affiliate; SARChl Chair in Social Protection
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Professor Julian May
Director of the DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS), affiliated to ISD
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