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.
This brief summarises the state of the evidence and debate, gaps in the evidence, and directions for research that emerge from the thematic paper on cash-plus in protracted crises characterised by conflict and fragility.
This brief gives an overview of the evidence, gaps and future directions for social assistance and climate resilience, with a particular focus on FCAS.
The increasing emphasis on reinforcing social protection in fragile contexts and the Grand Bargain ‘participation revolution’ workstream suggest the need for a fresh look at accountability frameworks and how they play out in practice for the people they aim to serve.
A knowledge gap exists around how the movement towards biometric identification and algorithmic management using humanitarian and social protection data will affect the interests of vulnerable populations – so too does a gap in research that is focused on the standpoints, interests, and...
The importance of leaving no one behind is vital in contexts of recurrent shocks, climate and humanitarian crises, protracted conflict, and forced displacement that cause disruption, deprivation, and a lack of access to basic needs.
Value for Money (VfM) is an essential tool for balancing difficult policy and programme decisions and the trade-offs between the ‘5 Es’ of economy, efficiency, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and equity.
Protracted crises are increasing and becoming compounded, but financing solutions for humanitarian and social assistance in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) are not keeping up.
This paper examines the role of cash-plus programming (including graduation) for livelihoods, income, protection, and health outcomes in contexts of different conflict intensity.
Globally, the number of crises lasting five years or more – has proliferated in recent decades. Yet, responses to these crises continue to be dominated by humanitarian assistance in response to short-term shocks. The Better Assistance in Crises (BASIC) Research programme is launching a series...
7 February 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).