ELLA began in 2010 and has developed into a Network of fifteen partners spanning Latin America, Africa and South Asia. The Network conducts inter-regional comparative research, and runs exchange and learning programmes based on that research, with organisations and individuals from across the global south. The goal of the Network is to foster south-south learning that is sensitive to context, so that policymakers and practitioners can adapt knowledge from elsewhere to their own realities.

In the last six years, the research and exchange has centred on sustainable economic development, environmental management and governance issues. This has included work on the extractive industries, rural livelihoods, climate change, accountability systems, human rights, plus crime and violence.