Call for Pitches: In Development Issue 1 [New Development Magazine]

In Development is a new magazine dedicated to exploring how progress actually happens in the developing world. We publish narrative-driven essays on ideas, policies, and technologies that have the possibility to, or are already, improving global well-being.

Much of global development journalism focuses on crisis response: famine, war, or disaster. The rest often consists of technical writing for experts. We want something different: to explore how the world changes. We’re interested in stories that are intellectually serious, empirically grounded, and a pleasure to read - pieces that a policymaker in Nairobi, a donor in New York, or a grad student in Delhi could all find illuminating.

Our mission is to expand the conversation about development. We take a “yes, and” approach to development - we think NGOs and aid are a key part of the picture, but so are governments, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, innovation, and institutional reform.

What We’re Looking For

We’re commissioning 2,000–4,000-word longreads that:

Tell a compelling story about how something works — or fails to work — in the developing world.
Combine deep subject knowledge with accessible storytelling.
Surface important but underreported trends, people, or institutions.

We’re especially interested in:

Unexpected success stories: projects, entrepreneurs, or policies driving real change.
Comparative or historical insights: what can we learn from how different countries tackled similar challenges?
Technological innovation: AI, energy, urban planning, or health breakthroughs in low- and middle-income countries.
Institutional and policy experiments: from land titling to regulatory reform.

We’ve also listed some story ideas that we’d be particularly excited about here.

Who Should Pitch

We welcome pitches from journalists, researchers, and practitioners with deep knowledge of their subject area. First-time contributors are welcome - what matters most is clarity, originality, and intellectual curiosity.

We especially value contributions from people based in developing countries.

What to Include in Your Pitch

Please send a short document (no more than one page) outlining:

The core idea: What question or problem does your story explore?
The angle: Why this story, now? What makes it surprising or illuminating?
A brief bio. Include 1–2 links to previous work if available. This may be essays, academic work, or other example writing.

Send pitches to [email protected] with the subject line: Pitch: [Your proposed headline]

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to respond to every pitch with feedback; if your pitch is accepted, we will be in touch within two weeks.