Inequalities and Poverty

IDS works with global partners to generate new knowledge and evidence to identify the underlying causes of inequalities and poverty in all their dimensions and the progressive policies and practices that can help bring about transformative change.

Eradicating extreme poverty remains one of the world’s most pressing challenges, and addressing it requires the rising economic, social and political inequalities that harm people in rich and poor countries alike to be tackled.

IDS has also played a prominent part in promoting an approach that puts power at the heart of development analysis and contributed to strengthening understanding of the relationship between power, gender, sexual rights and poverty.

We continue to provide new analysis on inequalities and poverty trends, particularly in relation to the expansion of digital technologies and their impact on the lives of the poorest and most marginalised, and the growth of global cities and what this means for both urban and rural livelihoods, social relations and sustainability. Moreover, we work with governments, civil society, businesses and many others to help ensure this analysis shapes policies and programmes such as social protection and cash transfers to reduce poverty and vulnerability and strengthen livelihoods including agriculture.

People

Deepta Chopra

Professorial Research Fellow

Keetie Roelen

IDS Honorary Associate

Jerker Edström

Research Fellow

Melissa Leach

Emeritus Fellow

John Gaventa

Research Fellow and Director, Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) programme

Danny Burns

Professorial Research Fellow

Sohela Nazneen

Research Fellow

Patricia Justino

Professorial Fellow

Programmes and centres

Projects

Recent work

Filter results by

Showing 1–12 of 15318 results

Upcoming Event

Food Equity Centre

Power relationships and aquaculture livelihoods in Vietnam

Join us for this seminar that explores different kinds of power relationships that influence people’s access to resources, livelihood options and sustainability outcomes. This seminar looks at a case study of aquaculture production systems in northern Vietnam and the power relationships...

15 July 2025

Upcoming Event

Dignity in development: Evidence and gaps in respecting people worldwide

The development sector proclaims that it values dignity. Yet it often breaks this promise, with people leaving encounters with charities feeling bruised and unseen. In this seminar, Tom Wein examines dignity as a core value around the world, drawing on his in-progress research for the future...

19 June 2025

Upcoming Event

CEDCA Panel: Powering change: Women, youth, and the clean energy revolution

In this virtual panel event, we will bring together experts from various regions to address a critical challenge of our time: ensuring that women and youth are not left behind in the global transition to clean energy. Gender equity needs to be at the centre of clean energy policies or...

12 June 2025

Upcoming Event

Financing Social Protection in Protracted Crises 

Join us to explore how social protection can be better financed in protracted crises. This event shares new research findings and brings together key voices to discuss current challenges, funding gaps, and what needs to change ahead of the upcoming Financing for Development...

12 June 2025

Upcoming Event

Multilateralism at a crossroads

Join this high-level event Multilateralism at a crossroads: Transforming challenges into opportunities for a sustainable future, with senior representatives from Brazil, South Africa and Spain, along with expert speakers for discussion and Q&A. Multilateralism is facing significant...

4 June 2025

Opinion

Former farm workers in Mvurwi: structural constraints on success

Former farm workers living in compounds on resettlement farms in Mvurwi are some of the most marginalised people across the land reform farms. ‘Success’ is limited by a set of major structural constraints that individuals cannot overcome by themselves. We conducted success rankings in two...

2 June 2025

News

ICTD Launches new Community of Practice on Informality and Tax

The International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD), based at the Institute of Development Studies, is launching a Community of Practice (CoP) on Informality and Tax, a global network of practitioners and scholars committed to improving both knowledge and policy on how tax authorities engage...

28 May 2025

Brief

Key considerations: Introducing experimental vaccines during health emergencies

SSHAP Briefing

This brief provides an overview of the experimental stages of vaccine development during a disease outbreak and highlights key considerations at each stage from a social science perspective. This brief complements a recent SSHAP publication that synthesised social and behavioural science (SBS)...

28 May 2025

Why learn with us.

In an extraordinary time of challenge and change, we use more than 50 years of expertise to transform development approaches that create more equitable and sustainable futures. The work you do with us will help make progressive change towards universal development; to build and connect solidarities for collective action, locally and globally. The University of Sussex has been ranked 1st in the world for Development Studies for the past five years (QS World University Rankings by Subject).

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.