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 73–84 of 15297 results

News

Recent graduates author IDS Working Paper on food security

IDS graduates Callum Chapman and Norma Jean Park (MA Food & Development, Class of 2024) were lead authors on the IDS Working Paper Towards Transformative Change: Grass-roots Innovations for Food Security During Crises in Brighton & Hove, UK. This Working Paper analyses the emergence and...

7 April 2025

Opinion

ODA cuts and healthcare devastation in South Sudan

Poor countries are reeling from the sudden and wide-ranging US aid cuts. Among the worst affected is South Sudan, a poor country which gained independence in July 2011. South Sudan relies on international assistance to provide basic services to its people. These cuts will devastate South...

7 April 2025

Publication

Powering Change: The Critical Role of Women and Youth in Sustainable Energy Transformation

Research for Policy and Practice

How do we build economic systems that recognise and work within the biophysical limits of our finite planet while simultaneously reducing poverty and inequality? This has become a defining question of our time, and the global transition to clean energy is increasingly considered an important...

Bipasha Baruah & 9 others

7 April 2025

Opinion

Five strategies for disability inclusive education

The Raising Learning Outcomes (RLO) Programme emerged as a response to the global learning crisis. Launched in 2014 as a strategic partnership between the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), a number of RLO researchers...

Laurie Spicer
Laurie Spicer & 3 others

2 April 2025

Opinion

Why the UK government and others need to balance ‘growth from above’ with ‘growth from below’ if it wants to reduce poverty in our crisis-ridden world

On the back of Covid-19, high inflation and the uncertainty of climate-related disasters and other crises, many governments – particularly in low-income countries – are reverting to old-fashioned growth strategies. This often involves export-oriented growth and industrialisation with a...

2 April 2025

Opinion

Engaging people for Biodiversity Net Gain

People interact with planning processes, and the natural environment, in diverse ways, as residents, homebuyers, volunteers, and more, yet their role in delivering Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is often overlooked. Findings from research into how developers and local authorities engage...

2 April 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).

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