ODI | Think Change

Episoder

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  When the state disappears, who governs? 03.09.2026 38min

  What happens when communities are forced to govern themselves? Across conflict-affected contexts, communities are often doing far more than surviving the breakdown or failure of formal institutions. They are organising, delivering services, making decisions, representing their communities and creating new forms of governance - sometimes long before peace agreements are signed or states are rebuilt. In this episode of Think Change, we explore what makes these systems legitimate, how movements ...
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  Learning from liberation – insights for a better humanitarianism? 20.08.2026 34min

  Humanitarian crises are often understood through the lens of immediate need: more aid, more access and more funding. But ODI Global’s new report Oppression, Liberation and Humanitarianism in Palestine, Myanmar and Sudan argues that we must also understand the systems of power that produce and sustain suffering. In this episode of Think Change, guests Dustin Barter, Hala Al Karib and Athena Rayburn explore what humanitarian action can learn from movements of solidarity and resistance and what ...
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  AI in a burning world: who pays the climate cost? 06.08.2026 33min

  This episode of Think Change explores the growing environmental footprint of artificial intelligence – from rising energy demand and emissions to the vast quantities of water needed to power and cool the data centres behind today’s AI revolution. As Europe experiences another summer of record-breaking heat, devastating wildfires and growing water stress, the race to develop and deploy AI raises urgent questions about how we balance technological progress with climate goals. Can the environmen...
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  Manchesterism goes global – can Andy Burnham change Britain's place in the world? 23.07.2026 42min

  Following Andy Burnham’s appointment as Britain's Prime Minister, there is renewed interest in what some have described as ‘Manchesterism’ – a political philosophy rooted in place, economic renewal and the belief that national prosperity begins with strong local communities. But if this approach were to shape government thinking, what could it mean beyond Britain’s borders? This episode explores whether a place-based politics could shift Britain’s foreign policy. Would international eng...
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  Why isn't evidence enough to win the political argument? 09.07.2026 32min

  Across the world, a familiar story is being retold with striking success: that stagnant wages, housing crises and crumbling public services are the fault of migrants and outsiders - not the billionaires and global systems quietly getting richer. It's a story reshaping elections, hardening divisions, and in some places, fuelling violence. In this episode of Think Change, Sara Pantuliano is joined by Dimi Reider (Othering and Belonging Institute / Shared Futures Institute), Tania Cheung, Libby ...
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  What happened to truth since episode one? 25.06.2026 29min

  Our first episode of Think Change, recorded in March 2022 just after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, explored how disinformation was shaping narratives around a fast-moving conflict. We asked who was producing it, how it spread through digital platforms, and how it influenced public understanding of war in real time. Three years on, to mark our 100th episode, we return to these same questions – which have become pivotal to understanding not only conflicts around the world but also interna...
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  Will the first International Peacebuilding Week make a difference? 11.06.2026 38min

  The first-ever International Peacebuilding Week, which will run from 22-26 June, comes at a critical moment. Violent conflict is becoming more protracted, global cooperation is under strain, and climate shocks, displacement and weak institutions are compounding risks in some of the world's most fragile settings. Can a dedicated week for peacebuilding help shift the conversation from crisis response to long-term investment in peace? In this Think Change episode, guests discuss what it will tak...
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  What do clients really think about multilateral development banks? 28.05.2026 35min

  Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are under growing pressure to prove their relevance in a world where development finance is becoming increasingly fragmented, financing needs are rising, and fiscal space is tightening across many countries. Governments are asking these institutions to deliver more finance, more quickly, and with greater efficiency and impact. MDBs are also in the middle of a far-reaching reform agenda – driven through successive G20 presidencies and shareholder processes...
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  From donor to partner – what to expect from the Global Partnerships Conference 14.05.2026 41min

  At a moment of fiscal constraint and growing geopolitical fragmentation, international development is being reshaped in real time. This episode of Think Change explores the shift from aid to investment and the growing emphasis on partnerships across governments, development finance institutions, philanthropy, and the private sector. Recorded alongside the Global Partnerships Conference, we bring together four of the conference chairs to answer the following question: are we seeing a mea...
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  The UN's glass ceiling – can a woman finally win the race for Secretary-General? 30.04.2026 27min

  Recorded at the Women Deliver conference, this episode of Think Change – produced in partnership with GWL Voices – sets out the stakes for gender equality and multilateralism at a moment of deep geopolitical strain, and asks what the race for the next UN Secretary-General reveals about both. Recent rollbacks on gender rights and climate action are not isolated. They are part of a broader political project that mobilises “traditional values” and divisive narratives to hold onto power, weaken a...
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  Food systems in a fractured world – who sets the rules? 16.04.2026 32min

  For years, food systems transformation has been guided by shared global visions, grounded in the idea that sustainable food production and consumption are essential to a resilient, healthy and equitable future. But progress has stalled – and in some places it’s even gone into reverse. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), around 673 million people faced hunger in 2024. More than 2.3 billion experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, and 2.6 billi...
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  What’s really “in it” for private investors in emerging markets? 02.04.2026 33min

  Mobilising private capital has become central to development finance and to the future of the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) itself. In this episode of Think Change, we unpack what private capital mobilisation actually means in practice, and why it has become such a defining measure of success. We explore the pressures facing the IFC, the changing expectations of global and institutional investors, and what’s really “in it” for the private sector as well as for developme...
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  How do wars end? 19.03.2026 43min

  How do wars actually end, and what does it take to make peace lasting and just? What lessons has the world still not learned about how wars end? In collaboration with Conciliation Resources, this episode reflects on what past conflicts can teach us about the pathways out of war, what current wars might tell us about the limits and possibilities of peacemaking today, and how peace processes can be designed to be not only durable but also just and inclusive. Looking ahead, we ask: in a wo...
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  Who’s afraid of gender equality? Inside the latest political battleground 05.03.2026 36min

  Across many countries, legislative strategies are increasingly being used to roll back hard-won rights related to gender and bodily autonomy. This International Women's Day, we're asking: what can be done at national and multilateral levels to resist further erosion of sexual and reproductive rights worldwide? This episode explores the political and ideological forces behind the growing politicisation of Women's Sexual Health and Reproductive rights, the weaponisation of gender issues globall...
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  Can the G20 fix the global investment disconnect? 19.02.2026 29min

  Why is abundant global capital is not translating into stronger productive investment, and what role the G20 can play in shaping a more resilient and sustainable capital flows framework in an increasingly fragmented global economy? Global finance has demonstrated considerable resilience despite persistent economic uncertainty, geopolitical tension and worsening debt dynamics. Capital flows and investment remain central to economic performance - particularly in emerging and developing economie...
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  Beyond rearmament: what does security mean for Europe now? 05.02.2026 28min

  Europe is again confronting war on its continent at a moment when old assumptions and rules about security are breaking down. Alliances feel less certain, deterrence less predictable, and responsibility more contested. Military-first, state-centric models of security are dominating the debate. But this narrow view doesn't capture the overlapping risks shaping the world Europe now faces – from conflicts and humanitarian crises to climate stress, tech disruption and deepening trust between majo...
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  Trump 2.0, one year on – how are big powers and smaller states responding? Inside the Indo-Pacific power shift 22.01.2026 32min

  A year into Trump’s second term, guests examine how India, China, Russia and other big powers are recalibrating strategies in a shifting global order. 2026 has already been marked by significant geopolitical upheaval. US military intervention in Latin America points to a wider trend: the return of a world order shaped by hard power, where rules and international law are increasingly sidelined. The international landscape is rapidly evolving. But how are other major powers responding? How is t...
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  Davos 2026 – Is impact investing living up to its promise? 08.01.2026 33min

  As global leaders gather in Davos later this month amid shrinking aid budgets and hardening geopolitical priorities, development finance is being recast through the language of investment – raising urgent questions about who shapes this new model, who carries the risk, and who benefits. Development finance is entering a period of profound transition. Traditional aid models are under strain, squeezed by fiscal pressure, political fragmentation and shifting global priorities. In their place, in...
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  What trends will shape 2026? 18.12.2025 40min

  After a year of extraordinary upheaval, this special episode looks ahead to the forces set to shape 2026. From deep aid cuts and accelerating AI to renewed geopolitical tension, political violence and humanitarian catastrophe, guests explore what a fractured global landscape means for democracy, development and the future of international cooperation. 2025 has tested the resilience of the international system. Aid budgets have been slashed, debt pressures have mounted across low-income countr...
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  How are Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms rewriting the humanitarian playbook? 04.12.2025 28min

  After one of the most challenging years for the humanitarian system, Sudan offers both a stark warning and a source of new thinking. This episode of Think Change examines how local actors are reshaping aid around solidarity, dignity and community leadership. Sudan’s crisis is unfolding at an extraordinarily difficult moment. Since violence escalated in April 2023, state institutions have collapsed, essential services have disappeared and millions have been displaced. Yet despite the scale of ...