Danny Burns Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK

Danny Burns has worked at the Institute of Development Studies since 2010. He is a research professor and was research team leader of the Participation, Inclusion and Social Change team for 9 years. He was formerly co-director of SOLAR (Social and Organisational Learning as Action Research) at the University of the West of England and before that he worked for the University of Bristol. Danny has directed more than 25 participatory action research programmes. He is currently director of CLARISSA (Child Labour Action-Research-Innovation in South and South East Asia) a programme working on worst forms of child labour. CLARISSA is supporting 54 parallel action research processes across three countries (Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar). Danny is also co-coordinating a bottom up peace building programme in Mali which is developing a Systemic Action Research methodology. Danny’s work has focused on how to build deeply participatory and systemic processes at scale. Danny is author of two books on action research: Systemic Action Research (2007) and Navigating Complexity in International Development (2015) – with Stuart Worsley, as well as numerous articles and research papers. He has also written extensively on community development and participatory governance. Other key books include Poll Tax Rebellion (2001), The Politics of Decentralisation - Revitalisting Local Democracy (2004) – with Paul Hogget and Robin Hambleton, and Community Self-Help (2004) with Colin Williams and Jan Windebank.