Ben Ramalingam is a researcher, author, advisor and facilitator focusing on global development and humanitarian issues. Currently Leader of the Digital & Technology Cluster at the Institute of Development Studies, his research agenda includes economy and inequality; government and service delivery; citizenship, activism and rights; sustainability, resilience and humanitarianism; and digital practices, tools and methods.
He previously served as Head of Research and Development at ALNAP, a unique multi-stakeholder network for aid effectiveness, performance and learning. Prior to this, he led the Knowledge and Learning research programme at the Overseas Development Institute, and was Deputy Director of the Humanitarian Futures Programme based at Kings College London. He has also worked in strategy consulting and investment banking.
Working at the interface of research, policy and practice, he has written and worked extensively on development and humanitarian issues ranging from climate change, urbanisation, food prices and economic development to humanitarian crises, health systems and environmental sustainability. He works with and advises many international agencies including the United Nations, World Bank, NGOs, national and regional governments and businesses.
Ben co-founded and is Chair of the Humanitarian Innovation Fund, the first dedicated fund for new ideas and approaches in international disaster responses. This work has been featured in Wired Magazine.
His 2013 book Aid on the Edge of Chaos: Rethinking International Cooperation in a Compex World (published by Oxford University Press) has been widely cited and received positive acclaim from across development experts and the media. It explores how ideas from the cutting-edge of science can help aid become more relevant, innovative and catalytic.
