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

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 2617–2628 of 14672 results

Opinion

Merging DFID and Foreign Office puts research at risk

New department must retain approach and expertise built over decades, says Melissa Leach. Prime minister Boris Johnson’s 19 June announcement that the UK Department for International Development (DFID) is to be merged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has raised many concerns....

3 July 2020

Working Paper

Towards Ethical Good Practice in Cash Transfer Trials and their Evaluation

CLARISSA Working Paper 3

Although cash transfers are now widely used within development and social policy, there is still limited discussion over how (and indeed whether) cash transfer trials and research on them can respect ethical standards. This Working Paper assesses the latest ethics-relevant literature and...

2 July 2020

Opinion

Localised food networks give hope in Brazil’s Covid-19 crisis

Brazil is being severely struck by Covid-19. The soaring number of deaths, rising unemployment, and food insecurity, together with baffling negligence by the federal government, paint a bleak picture. Yet, there are uplifting stories of solidarity and innovation in food provisioning propping up...

Claudia Schmitt

2 July 2020

News

IDS publishes anti-racism statement

Following consultation with our equality, diversity and inclusion working group, the Institute of Development Studies is publishing its Anti-racism statement.  The statement builds on commitments made in its equality, diversity and inclusion policy and sets out concrete actions for how these...

2 July 2020

Opinion

When Covid-19 impacts your PhD fieldwork

Ru-Yu Lin is a PhD researcher exploring local responses to environmental change in the Eastern Himalayas. In March her fieldwork was suddenly interrupted by Covid-19 and she had to rethink her approach. In this blog post, she shares her experiences and hope with others who are in a similar...

1 July 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).