Development Studies Association

Our Aims and Objectives

We are the UK association for all those who research, study and teach global development issues

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What is Development Studies

What is development studies and decolonising development.

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Our Members

We have around 1,000 members, made up of individuals and around 40 institutions

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Governance

Find out about our constitution, how we are run and meet our Council

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People

Meet our Council members and other staff who support the running of DSA

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About

The DSA Conference is an annual event which brings together the development studies community

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DSA2025

Our conference this year is themed "Navigating crisis: dangers and opportunities in development"

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Past Conferences

Find out about our previous conferences

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Study Groups

Our Study Groups offer a chance to connect with others who share your areas of interest

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Students and ECRs

Students and early career researchers are an important part of our community

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Publications

Our book series with OUP and our relationship with other publishers

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Decolonising Development

The initiatives we are undertaking that work towards decolonising development studies

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Membership Directory

Find out who our members are, where they are based and the issues they work on

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Become a member

Membership is open to anybody with an interest in development studies

Benefits
Fees
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Join us

DSA is a friendly, inclusive organisation and we welcome anyone with an interest in development studies to join us

You may join as an individual, or as an institution.

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Delegates network at DSA2024

Membership benefits

Join the DSA to connect with like-minded people, share your ideas, and develop networks and collaborations

Individuals

Development researchers, educators, students and practitioners from all fields can join the DSA. Members can be from around the world, and a fee-waiver is currently in place for those living in and citizens of low- and middle-income countries. Members in the UK may claim tax relief on DSA membership subscriptions they have paid for themselves, via HMRC and can back-claim membership fees from 2019 onwards.

As part of our community, all members benefit from:

  • discounted registration fee for our annual conference (online or in-person)
  • inclusion in our members’ directory, listing your interests, publications and contact details
  • collaborating and developing your research with one of our many active Study Groups
  • publicity for your research through our website, newsletters and social media channels
  • eligibility to apply for funding and prizes, including for students and early career researchers
  • invitations to take part in consultations
  • discounts on development studies publications
  • support in proposing a title for the DSA-OUP book series
  • opportunities to develop your career and profile by volunteering as a study group convenor or Council member

Institutions

We’re proud to have built a network of more than 30 leading development studies institutions from across the UK. A variety of university departments, think-tanks, NGOs, consultancies and publishers from around the world are also part of our institutional membership.

Our institutional members have access to:

  • opportunities for collaboration at our annual Heads of Centres meeting and other DSA events
  • consultations with REF, ESRC, HEFCE, and FCDO White Paper processes
  • opportunities to promote your research to nearly 3000 subscribers across the UK, in our monthly newsletter
  • publicity for your events, conferences, publications, jobs, student opportunities and research through our website and the DSA’s social media accounts
  • advertising and sponsorship opportunities at our in-person and online annual conference
  • up to six discounted individual conference places at the DSA annual conference  (online or in-person) according to institution size.

Fees

Membership runs for one year from 1st February. Institutions joining the association up until November will be joining for the current year. Those joining from November onwards can opt to take membership from February of the following year.

Individual Fees

After six years without any increases, the DSA made a small increase to its membership fees in the year 2022/23. Fees are still much lower than equivalent organisations, and offer excellent value for money. Membership fees are:

  • Individual: £64 per year; or £300 for five-year membership
  • Concession: £32 per year (for retired academics and the unwaged)
  • Student: £11 for undergraduate, masters or doctorate students
  • Fee waiver: If you are living in and a national of any low- or middle-income country, then membership is free. Others may qualify in exceptional circumstances.

Publisher Fees

The DSA offers publishers with development studies related publications the opportunity to advertise their publications via the DSA website. Publisher members may avail of discounted exhibition rates at the annual conference. Membership costs £950 per year.

Charities and non-governmental organisations

We welcome engagement from the NGO sector who are critical partners in delivering development. If your NGO is interested in becoming a member of the DSA, please email [email protected]

Institutional Fees

The institutional fees are based on size.

  • Small Institutional Membership (annual turnover < £500k): £400 per year
  • Large Institutional Membership (annual turnover £500k – £2.5m): £850 per year
  • Level 1 Premium (turnover < £2.5m GBP): £1,750 per year
  • Level 2 Premium (turnover £2.5m-£10m GBP): £3,500 per year
  • Level 3 Premium (turnover > £10m): £4,500 per year

Join now

Joining the DSA is easy

To join or rejoin as an individual member, complete the application form and we will send an invoice for your fees (if applicable). Membership runs for one year from 1st February.

If you’d like to join as an institution, please contact us to talk through the options.

Join now
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Matura, India by Charu Chaturvedi