Our research on governance, power relations, participation and citizen engagement, informs change processes in pursuit of social justice and social change. With power and politics central to our analysis, we support the generation of new evidence that contributes to improved processes for good governance, citizen engagement, empowerment and accountability.
We pioneer new ways of working with governments, communities, activists and academics, to understand the complex relationships and processes that exist across states, markets, and citizens, and between formal and informal institutions, to tackle issues such as digital inequalities, women’s participation and empowerment, decentralisation and local governance, rapid urbanisation, migration, taxation and domestic resource mobilisation, food security and hunger and nutrition. These draw on our extensive expertise in complex approaches to how change happens. Through our research and policy partnerships we are also bringing new insights on the role that rising powers and emerging economies such as China and Brazil have in relation to global governance and tackling development challenges such as sustainability and poverty. Our world-renown participatory research has a particular emphasis on systematic social exclusion facing women, people living in extreme poverty, people with disabilities, slaves bonded labourers, indigenous peoples and others. We advance cutting edge methodological development in action research, participatory visual methods, participatory mapping, participatory statistics, participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) amongst others.
In alignment with the ‘leave no one behind’ framing of the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development, the PMA programme is working with groups of people living in poverty and marginalisation to strengthen processes of citizen-led accountability.
The International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) provides research evidence that supports developing countries in raising domestic revenues equitably and sustainably, in a manner that is conducive to pro-poor economic growth and good governance.
This Emerging Evidence Report gathers and analyses evidence on informal labour intermediaries (ILIs) involved in facilitating the worst forms of child labour in three countries – Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. More specifically, it attempts to identify who the ILIs are and how they work, and...
This paper considers whether the ‘Amount B’ proposal currently being negotiated in the Inclusive Framework, for the attribution of fixed remuneration for the ‘routine’ distribution and marketing activities of MNE affiliates, may offer a useful template for the re-working of the widely...
Uganda's government should both support the country’s religious minorities and be open to learning from their unique wells of expertise.
In February 2012, a great wildfire raged through the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. In this area of significant...
The Sanitation Learning Hub have recently been working hard to produce a new website with fresh branding, following the start of a new four-year programme funded by Sida.
We think everyone has the right to safely-managed sanitation and hygiene, and we need to make sure no one is...
Today is the International Day of Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, a day aimed at raising awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence and to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world.
One such group are children born of wartime...
Food has become both a pivotal topic in development and a lens through which to integrate and address a range of contemporary global challenges. This review article addresses in particular the interrelationship between food and sustainable, equitable development, arguing that this is...
The advent of digitalised business models has considerable potential to improve trade in Africa, however, it has greatly exacerbated the two central challenges of international tax.
The first challenge is the definition of taxable presence, and the second is the allocation of business profits...
This literature review is part of the DFID–K4D Learning Journey on Supporting a Demographic Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa. The review’s focus is on the available evidence that can explain the success of new champion countries in sub-Saharan Africa on spurring the demographic...
There has been a lot of debate lately about protectionism, populism, authoritarianism and nationalism. These debates have mostly focused on trade wars and democracy but have neglected natural resources – an issue of key interest to the Indian government. However, as with protectionism,...
Many countries have announced support programmes for their poor and marginalised citizens to deal with the effects of Covid-19. We know little, however, about whether and how they are reaching them. Listening to those who mediate between poor disenfranchised citizens and the state throws an...
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).