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

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Showing 2521–2532 of 14914 results

News

Call for sustained commitment to independent scrutiny of aid spending

As the FDCO publishes its review of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, announced in a statement by the Foreign Secretary, IDS Director Melissa Leach calls for a sustained commitment to ensuring that UK aid remains effective in tackling extreme poverty and supporting the Sustainable...

17 December 2020

News

What can be done to prevent genocide?

On 9 December 2020, a roundtable of experts, discussed religious inequalities and what can be done to prevent genocide, especially given the current Uyghur crisis in China. The event, co-hosted by the IDS-led Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID) and its partner...

17 December 2020

Opinion

Debating for Development: Why we need to learn how to argue our corner  

We live in a world where it feels increasingly vital to stand up and make the case for the positive changes we want to see whether that’s protecting rights or securing our wellbeing. International development finds itself in an increasingly precarious position, from grassroots civil...

Marcela Gomez Valdes

16 December 2020

Past Event

Macro-economic impacts of Covid-19: growing public debt in emerging economies

Join us for the second discussion in a webinar series co-hosted by the International Development Research Centre, Southern Voice and IDS, In Conversation With. This series is a unique opportunity for researchers, international stakeholders and policymakers to connect and share evidence on the...

16 December 2020

Opinion

Protests in a Time of Corona

There is increasing evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the shrinking of civic space around the world. Several leaders responded to the health crisis and reduced civic freedoms, clamped down on dissent, and made politically motivated arrests. At first glance, it looks like...

Niranjan Nampoothiri

15 December 2020

Opinion

Student insights into doing the MA Food and Development at Sussex

Evelyn Djuwidja completed the MA Food and Development in 2020, taught jointly by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the University of Sussex. Here she tells us why she chose this specialist master’s course and what surprised her during her year at Sussex. Watch a short video...

15 December 2020

Journal Article

Urban Social Assistance: Evidence, Challenges and the Way Forward, with Application to Ghana

Motivation Urban areas are growing as is urban poverty, yet few countries have developed comprehensive programmes for social assistance in urban areas. Those programmes that exist, moreover, are often extensions or duplicates of rural schemes. Urban social protection needs to reflect the...

Jose Cuesta & 7 others

14 December 2020

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).