Can you help shape our future priorities? Take a five minute survey now. Survey closes on 8 July.

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

Filter results by

Showing 61–72 of 15452 results

Opinion

Whose reality counts?: Applying the knowledge & skills I learnt at IDS

Hitomi Fujimoto, MA Poverty & Development, Class of 2014-15, currently works at the Global Survivors Fund as an Advocacy and Policy Officer for Asia. In this blog post, Hitomi talks about why she decided to study at IDS, how it has impacted on her career path, and advice for prospective students...

Hitomi Fujimoto, MA Poverty & Development, Class of 2014-15

7 July 2025

Working Paper

Mining Legitimacy: Governing the Politics of Resource-Based Green Industrial Policy

IDS Working Paper 623

Green transitions are not only technological but deeply political. They rely on resources – land, minerals, water – mostly located in low- and middle-income countries, where extraction is increasingly contested. Drawing on evidence from Argentina and Chile, this paper examines how...

3 July 2025

Student Opinion

Feminised labour, masculinised visas: Who really belongs in the UK?

The UK government’s 2025 Immigration White Paper titled ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’ proposes sweeping changes to the Skilled Worker (SW) visa route, raising salary thresholds (currently £38,700), removing discounts for shortage occupations, closing the social care visa...

Antea Gomes, MA Gender and Development, Class of 2022/23

& 3 others

3 July 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).

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.