Established in 1971, the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) is an autonomous research institute situated at Ulloor in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. The main objective of this institution is to promote research, teaching and training in various subjects relevant to development.

CDS mainly offers two teaching programs, a two-year M.Phil. program in Applied Economics and a four-year Ph.D. program in Economics. The programs are affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The institution also offers various short duration training programs.