Disruption and Reform
In light of global crises and increasingly disruptive, authoritarian forms of politics, forward-looking, cooperative reforms are necessary to secure sustainable development, international cooperation and democratic foundations. In this web special you will find IDOS's work on the dynamics of our 2025/26 annual theme, ‘Disruption and Reform’.
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Stabilization and development in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena)
This research and advisory initiative examines the question of what the changes mean for Germany's and Europe's dealings with the MENA countries.
Gender equity and development
Gender-specific research at IDOS ranges from concepts and methods that originate from gender and/or feminism research to critical reflections on the positioning of researchers who are themselves social actors and agents and are thus embedded in power relations.
Opinion pieces and media contributions
How China can exploit the disruption of international order
We need a broader societal engagement with China as a country and with the Chinese government as a global actor.
Read moreTrump’s tariffs have gutted Agoa’s duty‑free promise: our model shows how
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) was introduced in 2000 as the cornerstone of US development-oriented trade policy towards sub-Saharan Africa. In February 2026, President Donald Trump signed a one-year extension after the programme lapsed in September 2025. Agoa technically lives on after a one-year extension. But its main advantage has largely disappeared since the US added tariffs on top of it, say Tim Vogel and Zoryana Olekseyuk.
Read moreEvents
Online, 19.03.2026
Online, 24.03.2026
Jakarta, 19.04.2026 until 23.04.2026
Current publications
The ramifications of aid cuts on refugee lives: case of the Differentiated Assistance (DA) model and the Shirika Plan in Kenya
Ikanda, Fred / Michael Owiso (9/2026)
Biodiversity and the future creditworthiness of nations
Agarwala, Matthew / Pati Klusak / Matt Burke / Moritz Kraemer / Ulrich Volz / Benjamin Sovacool (2026)
Entwicklungspolitik: Welche Reformen notwendig sind
Janus, Heiner / Armin von Schiller (2026)
Beyond the wage channel: climate-smart public works programmes and household resilience in Malawi
Sakketa, Tekalign Gutu / Francesco Burchi / Sophia Schubert / Donald Makoka (2026)
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