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The Rise and Fall of the Department for International Development will be published in hardback by The Center for Global Development on 3rd October 2024.
LONDON—Based on over one hundred interviews and insider testimonies, The Rise and Fall of the Department for International Development s the first account of how the UK led the world in international development, before its shocking dissolution under Boris Johnson that foreshadowed the end of "Global Britain."
This book serves as an important reminder that the world has made incredible progress improving lives of the poorest people—and can do so again"—Bill Gates
As Keir Starmer redefines the UK's role on the global stage, this timely new book takes readers behind the scenes of New Labour’s success, offering a roadmap for how the UK can reclaim its place as a visionary leader and force for good in the world.
The creation of the Department for International Development (DFID) in 1997 marked a new chapter in UK’s history. As the first separate government department dedicated to reducing worldwide poverty through sustainable development, its humanitarian expertise was universally admired and cemented the UK as a leading figure on the world stage.
"DFID transformed Britain’s position in the world"—Gordon Brown
Yet, in 2020, amid an unprecedented rise in humanitarian crises resulting from the pandemic, the department was closed by Boris Johnson and merged with the Foreign Office.
In this meticulously researched new book, two of the department’s senior insiders take us from the ambitious environment of New Labour in the 1990’s through some of the most turbulent and dramatic years in foreign affairs, including the Iraq and Afghanistan war, the 2005 Gleneagles Summit where “Make Poverty History” was coined, the 2008 financial crisis, the rise of global warming, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more.
Written by the UN’s former “Relief Chief” and the DFID’s Permanent Secretary (2011 – 2017), Sir Mark Lowcock, and former Senior DFID Economic Advisor (2011 – 2020), Ranil Dissanayake, Rise and Fall gives exclusive access to twenty-five years behind the scenes in Whitehall. The result is both an important historical portrait of the UK government through crises, successes, and leadership changes, and a fresh take on Britain’s ideological move from global leader to parochial insularity.
As the world reels from the aftermath of Covid’s ‘great reversal’ in foreign aid, and amidst record economic and environmental instability, Rise and Fall is a much-needed testament to what excellent leadership, clear vision and transparent management can achieve in government, offering hard-won lessons and timely advice for the future of international development.
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Notes to editors
About Sir Mark Lowcock
Mark Lowcock worked for the UK’s Department for International Development (and its predecessor organisation) for more than 30 years, including as Permanent Secretary from 2011 to 2017. He was United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator from September 2017 to July 2021. He is now a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development and a Visiting Professor of Practice in the Department of International Development at the London School of Economics. He has contributed opinion pieces to the Washington Post, the Financial Times, the Guardian, and others and is the author of Relief Chief: A Manifesto for Saving Lives in Dire Times.
About Ranil Dissanayake
Ranil Dissanayake served in senior advisory roles in the UK’s Department for International Development from 2011 to 2020, including as a Senior Economic Adviser to successive Chief Economists. He also served as a senior adviser to the governments of Malawi and Tanzania, focusing on aid management and debt sustainability. He holds a DPhil in public policy from the University of Oxford and is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Global Development.
About the Center for Global Development
The Center for Global Development works to reduce global poverty and improve lives through innovative economic research that drives better policy and practice by the world's top decision makers. Over the past 20 years, the Center for Global Development’s independent research has driven major changes in global health and development policy that have helped save lives and livelihoods.