Inclusive Economies

Our work explores what characterises inclusive economies and how these can be achieved, particularly in a world where new technologies, rural to urban migration, and growing youth populations are disrupting and putting new pressures on people’s lives and livelihoods.

Our research looks at the impacts of business and markets on development and inequality and explores the potential for novel market-based solutions to work for the poorest and most marginalised based on gender, ethnicity and disability.  It explores alternatives that enable workers, consumers and communities to have a real voice.

It continues to revitalise debates on agriculture as a key pathway out of poverty and towards inclusion, particularly for young people. Our work is focused on identifying what opportunities exist in a period of agricultural commercialisation and rural transformation and how far different groups are able to access them.  It also understands how new technologies such as drones or blockchains pose risks, but can also be harnessed to improve the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people.  In a rapidly urbanising world where cities have become focal points for economic growth, jobs and innovation but also for poverty, inequality, vulnerability and conflict, our work explores what this means for both urban and rural people, and the opportunities and challenges they face in living safe and fulfilling lives.

People

Jodie Thorpe

Research Fellow

Philip Mader

Research Fellow

Richard Jolly

Emeritus Fellow and Research Associate

Ana Pueyo

Research Fellow

Carlos Fortin

Emeritus Fellow and Research Associate

Rachel Sabates-Wheeler

Research Fellow

Keetie Roelen

IDS Honorary Associate

Giel Ton

Research Fellow

Programmes and centres

Projects

Recent work

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Showing 241–252 of 15301 results

News

Podcast: Navigating uncertainty – radical rethinking for a turbulent World

Uncertainties are everywhere. Whether it’s climate change, financial volatility, pandemic outbreaks or new technologies, we don’t know what the future will hold. For many contemporary challenges, navigating uncertainty – where we cannot predict what may happen – is essential. But how is...

17 December 2024

News

Exploring community-led stewardship in Southern Africa’s grasslands

Across Southern Africa, rangelands support a large amount of small-scale, communal livestock farming. A new IDS-led project, with partners in South Africa and the UK, explores the potential and challenges of context-sensitive and community-led approaches for stewardship of these...

16 December 2024

Student Opinion

16 Days, 16 voices of activism against gender-based violence

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence serves as a global campaign to amplify voices, movements, strengths and struggles in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV). This year, MA students from the Gender and Development programme at the Institute of Development Studies...

Wasfiya Sheikh

& 2 others

16 December 2024

Opinion

Zimbabweland’s festive top 20 for 2024

As has become the tradition at this time of year, this week I am sharing a list of top posts for the year. This time it’s not just ones published this year, but any post viewed by the 27.7k visitors to the blog. There are a lot of blogs on the site to choose from – nearly 600 since 2011 –...

16 December 2024

Past Event

Pathways to Development Conference: Governance and Inclusion

Pathways to Development is a multidisciplinary conference that brings together empirical and historical research by economists, political scientists, sociologists, legal and constitutional scholars, and law and policy reform experts, within and outside Pakistan, to document and describe the...

From 16 December 2024 until 18 December 2024

Past Event

Towards a digital tax administration: lessons learnt and directions for reform

Governments across the African continent are investing heavily in digital transformation and have made huge progress in the past decade. Many core functions such as tax filing and payment are fully digitised in many contexts. The development of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has been key to...

From 12 December 2024 until 13 December 2024

Working Paper

‘A bridge to those in need’ Frontline Provider Perspectives on the Accountability of Social Assistance in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

BASIC Research Working Paper 34

This paper explores the accountability of social assistance in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), focusing on the roles of frontline staff of local and international organisations since government-led programmes became inactive in 2015.

Louisa Seferis & 3 others

11 December 2024

Past Event

Indian Development at a crossroads?

The global expansion of authoritarian rule is witnessing a brand of development that is intensifying processes of social polarisation and growing inequalities. In engaging with these pressing issues of our times, this webinar brings together grassroots activists and development...

11 December 2024

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).

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