Nicola Banks

With two decades of research on urban poverty, youth, and the role of NGOs in global development, I have published extensively in top-ranking journals and co-led pioneering work at the intersection of critical scholarship and real-world change. My academic journey has connected three distinct but interrelated fields, deepening both theoretical insight and practical impact. My work (both research and teaching) is grounded, engaged, and committed to generating meaningful outcomes for the communities I work with and the students I teach.

My research began by investigating urban poverty and livelihoods, exploring the role of work and social networks in supporting poverty dynamics in Bangladesh. This led to a more focused inquiry into youth experiences of urban poverty across East Africa, particularly the psychosocial effects of growing up in difficult urban contexts. The next decade of my work turns towards the structural and institutional inequalities underpinning global aid, examining the role of charities and NGOs in development, and how emerging movements for localisation and locally-led development are challenging (or not) the status quo.

In 2022, I took the rare and powerful step of moving from research to enterprise, launching One World Together – a global movement for trust-based giving – through the ASPECT Research Commercialisation Accelerator. This marked a bold reapplication of my research: transforming a decade of critical research into a practical vehicle for systemic change. I was awarded £45,000 through the programme to bring the idea to life, and in 2025 received a University of Manchester Making a Difference Award for outstanding social and environmental impact through enterprise.

One World Together channels small monthly donations into direct, unrestricted support for grassroots changemakers. This is giving, reimagined: rooted in trust, solidarity, and community power. Alongside this, our Next Generation for Change programme is nurturing a new wave of ethical givers and activists committed to reshaping aid and philanthropy from the ground up.