How and under what conditions does citizen-led social and political action contribute to empowerment and accountability? What are the strategies used, and with what outcomes, especially in settings which are democratically weak, politically fragile and affected by legacies of violence and conflict? Drawing on research from the Action for Empowerment and Accountability research programme conducted between 2016 and 2021, the panelists will discuss these themes in relationship in particular to a series of studies conducted by the programme, including work on how marginalised groups interact with authorities, women’s protests and political participation, and mobilisation on energy issues.  

Professor John Gaventa is a political sociologist, educator and civil society practitioner with over 40 years of experience in research, teaching and organisational leadership in North and South. He is currently a Research Fellow at IDS and Director of the Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) research programme. His most recent books include Citizen-Led Innovation for a New Economy, Globalizing Citizens and Citizen Action and National Policy Reform. He holds a DPhil degree from Oxford University.

Ayesha Khan has worked with the Collective for Social Science Research for almost twenty years and has participated in IDS-led multi-country research programmes Action for Empowerment and Accountability, and Pathway of Women’s Empowerment. She has extensive experience researching gender and development, social policy and conflict/refugee issues Pakistan. Her book The Women’s Movement in Pakistan: Activism, Islam and Democracy, was published in 2018. She is pursuing a PhD in Development Studies by Published Works.

Khawar Mumtaz is a Pakistani women’s rights activist and the Former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women. Mumtaz’s research focuses on women and development, feminism, politics, the economic and environment challenges facing women, and sexual and reproductive health. In 1989, she received the Prime Minister’s award for the co-authored book Women of Pakistan: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back? and is recipient of the civil award Sitara e Imtiaz for promoting women’s rights. Mumtaz has a Master of Arts in International Relations and a diploma in French.

Dr Sarah Khan is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science at Yale University. She is also an Associate Fellow at the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS) in Lahore. Her research interests lie at the intersection of gender and comparative politics, with a regional specialization in South Asia. She explores questions related to the prevention of violence against women. She completed her Ph.D. in political science at Columbia University, and was previously a doctoral candidate fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C.  

Dr Miguel Loureiro is a Research Fellow at IDS and the course convener of the MA ‘Governance, Development and Public Policy’, whose work primarily focuses on analysing and improving state-citizen relations. Most of his research focuses on what happens when poor and marginalised households interact with public authorities. He also teaches on the MA courses ‘Making Public Policy’, ‘Democracy and Public Policy’ and ‘Research Design’. He has a DPhil in Social Anthropology, University of Sussex.

Dr Umair Javed is an Assistant Professor of Politics and Sociology at LUMS. His research interests span various aspects of political participation, socio-economic development, and urban public life in South Asia. His academic work has been published in Economic and Political Weekly, Current History, and Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy. His research has been featured by BBC, Sky News, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Economist, and the Washington Post. He completed his PhD from LSE, where he was a recipient of the LSE Centennial PhD Studentship.