Developmental Leadership Program (DLP) phase 3

The Institute partners with the University of Birmingham to implement the Developmental Leadership Program (DLP). This research partnership explores how leadership, power and political processes drive or block successful development. The DLP is funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

The DLP program is currently in its third phase which runs from 2019 to 2022. Research during this phase will focus on exploring how leadership is understood in different contexts, where leaders come from, how leaders collectively influence institutions, and how developmental leadership can be supported.

DLP has published a series of foundational papers which provide a conceptual framework for the research. This includes How Can Developmental Leadership Be Supported which was authored by Institute Director Chris Roche and Senior Research Fellow Lisa Denney.

DLP has commissioned seven research projects in this phase, all of which were selected through a rigorous competitive process. These projects cover three countries in Asia and four countries in the Pacific. All of the projects are led or conducted in partnership with a researcher or institution based in the country of study with local researchers undertaking the large majority of fieldwork. Five of the projects are led by a female researcher,  two projects focus on women's leadership and one on leadership by people with disabilities.

The Institute Director, Chris Roche, is the Deputy Director (Impact) of DLP. Ujjwal Krishna, a Specialist Doctoral Research Scholar based at the Institute, is undertaking research on the impact of the DLP's research on policy and practice.