Government Social Research
Palace Street
Social Development Advisers (SDAs) are one of a number of professional groups working within the DfID to contribute to achieving goals of poverty reduction and development in our partner countries. SDAs are social analysts, with expertise in the analysis of: social processes and structures; social difference (dynamics of inclusion/exclusion by gender, generation, caste, ethnicity or other factors); institutional change; and the impact of power relations on development processes.
SDAs are resposible for developing policies and approaches to development that promote social inclusion, equality of opportunity and equity of outcome, and tackle discrimination. Social development is a cross-cutting specialism which advises on all aspects of DfID's activities, from macro and structural policies, through sector programmes (transport and energy - as much as health or education), to local level support to assist poor people to organise themselves for securing livelihoods or political voice.
SDAs have academic backgrounds in a number of different disciplines, including development anthropology, sociology, political science and human geography. A higher degree in a relevant subject is a requirement of recruitment at all levels. Most SDAs have experience of field research at the grassroots level in developing or transitional countries. It is a requirement of recruitment at all levels that candidates for SD posts should have some practical field experience of overseas development work.
DFID employs around 60 SDAs in a variety of roles. More than half of the group work as members of multi-disciplinary advisory teams at the country level - many in country offices. SDAs play a particular role in making sure that poverty is understood, bringing social and economic analysis together, and ensuring that issues of gender, equity and participation are taken into account. At the country level SDAs contribute to the development of policies, strategies and programmes which assist Government and civil society in our partner countries to effectively tackle poverty reduction on a sustainable basis. This involves contributing a social analysis perspective to the following broad types of activity:
Other members of the Social Development group work on:
DFID's experience in the field of social development offers a professional model for mainstreaming concerns with social inclusion, empowerment and participation into the practice of a large bureaucracy. Areas where the experience may be relevant include:
DFID's Social Development Advisory Group would welcome the opportunity to broaden our interaction with colleagues in other parts of Whitehall, with a view to learning lessons from policy in the UK and sharing relevant aspects of our own experience.