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

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Showing 61–72 of 14671 results

Brief

Researching Capacities to Sustain Social Protection in Protracted Crises. Part 2: Early Findings

BASIC Research Research Briefing 2

This briefing applies BASIC Research's new tool – the Capacity Cube – to better understand how to sustain capacity to deliver existing social programmes and systems in situations of climate and/or conflict crisis in Nigeria, Iraq, and Syria.

6 March 2024

Brief

Researching Capacities to Sustain Social Protection in Protracted Crises. Part 1: The Capacity Cube

BASIC Research Research Briefing 1

This research briefing introduces the Capacity Cube framework – a new tool for thinking about how capacity to deliver national social protection programmes and systems might be sustained in times of crisis.

6 March 2024

Opinion

International Women’s Day: Palestine and weaponising gender and sexuality

There is no turning away from the harrowing images and videos coming out of Palestine each day. In one such video, not explicitly ‘brutal’ like the rest of them, an Israeli soldier shows a pair of high heels belonging to a Palestinian woman. He records himself saying how pretty they are, and...

5 March 2024

Past Event

This Stained Dawn: feminist documentary and director Q&A

An International Women’s Day film screening of 'This Stained Dawn', a documentary film about the build up to the 2020 Aurat March (women’s march) in Pakistan. The screening will be followed by a question and answer session with the globally acclaimed film director and producer Anam...

5 March 2024

News

Podcast: African Perspectives on Agroecology

For the continent of Africa, seed's are integral to life. From deserts, river systems and forests, and for those growing a range of grains and vegetables, seed provides the mainstay for the continent’s 500 million small-scale farmers and is at the heart of  rich and varied...

4 March 2024

Journal Article

Nuevas perspectivas para el desarrollo en base a recursos naturales: una visión neo-schumpeteriana para América Latina

El estancamiento económico y las limitaciones para sostener un proceso de desarrollo sostenido en América Latina en las últimas décadas demandan un replanteo profundo y audaz de las políticas de desarrollo productivo y tecnológico. Este replanteo requiere, en primer lugar,...

Carlota Pérez

1 March 2024

News

UK’s international climate finance commitments at risk

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has published a review of UK aid’s international climate finance commitments today. The aid watchdog warns that as resources are stretched, the UK’s £11.6 billion commitment is at risk of not being met. The rapid review finds that the...

29 February 2024

Past Event

Between the Lines Podcast

Podcast S06 Ep2: African Perspectives on Agroecology

For the continent of Africa, seed’s are integral to life. From deserts, river systems and forests, and for those growing a range of grains and vegetables, seed provides the mainstay for the continent’s 500 million small-scale farmers and is at the heart of  rich and varied cultures. But...

29 February 2024

Opinion

The ethics of using photos in the WASH sector

Sanitation and hygiene issues deal with difficult, hidden, and taboo areas of life, which people often don’t really want to talk about, let alone look at. They can also deal with seemingly mundane issues (for example, going the toilet, washing hands) which people can overlook as...

Ruhil Iyer
Ruhil Iyer & 3 others

27 February 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).