Our interdisciplinary research explores how pathways to sustainability, green transformations and equitable access to resources such as land, water and food can be achieved and help us meet the environmental as well as human development-related goals of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
Our work builds on a long tradition of critical social science engagement with environmental issues and resource politics in collaboration with partners globally. It explores how pathways to sustainability are shaped by political-economic and social processes, and understands how they are driven by technology, markets, states and citizens. Our research sheds new light on how we can achieve green transformations that move us from fossil fuel to renewable energy, from throw-away to circular economies. It addresses the politics of sustainability, and understands how transformations occur at local levels as well as global, in both rural and urban settings, and be led by citizens as well as national governments. In doing so, it shines a light on how sustainable resource use, consumption and production is shaped by issues such as gender, livelihoods and politics.
The ESRC STEPS Centre (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) is an interdisciplinary global research and policy engagement centre.
Rising prices in the face of fuel shortages and war in Ukraine are pushing up the cost of living across the globe. The squeeze on living standards is also acutely felt here in the UK. Soaring energy prices and record high inflation mean the country faces the biggest drop in disposable household...
Our research shows how Vietnam’s Covid-19 policy response has influenced Vietnamese migrant workers and counter-trafficking work, particularly in border areas.
The Cerrado is a natural biome occupying 25 per cent of Brazil’s surface. Compared to the Amazon, it is relatively unknown to international audiences, yet it is currently the world’s largest agricultural frontier.
This panel discussion will delve into the evidence generated by the CORE research initiative. Speakers will explore the impact the pandemic is having across the most vulnerable groups, how gender intersects and often exacerbates these effects and what recommendations for future policy responses...
In this new episode of the IDS podcast Between the Lines, IDS Research Fellow John Gaventa interviews Ben Jackson and Harriet Lamb, authors of the book From Anger to Action: Inside the Global Movements for Social Justice, Peace, and a Sustainable Planet.
Questions asked amongst others include:...
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption globally. Measures to stop the spread of the virus have been necessary, but their knock-on effects have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable.
Kuttanad, in Kerela, India, is a tourist hotspot surrounded by water and wetlands. Yet its water resources have come under considerable pressure in recent years and have become contaminated and depleted. On World Water Day 2022, we use photos to highlight the everyday challenges faced by...
In most policy discussions, “water” has a very narrow definition in colloquial language. However, a broader, pragmatic, and positive set of talking points about water can serve as a powerful diplomatic tool for communicating coherence and resilience across sectors. In the words of a former...
In this episode of Between the Lines, IDS Research Fellow John Gaventa interviews Ben Jackson and Harriet Lamb, authors of the book From Anger to Action: Inside the Global Movements for Social Justice, Peace, and a Sustainable Planet.
Listen now
About the authors
Ben Jackson has had a...
22 March 2022
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).