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.
The informal economy is typically depicted as unplanned, uncontrolled, and messy; as such, many governments have criminalised or ignored entrepreneurial endeavours in the informal sector.
Yet, a growing body of literature combined with experiences from enterprise development programmes, show...
The purpose of this paper is to understand female entrepreneurship in the context of informality and the value of formalisation to improve their livelihoods and income in the context of LMICs.
Zimbabwe is a lower-middle income country in southern Africa with a population of approximately 15 million. Malaria, HIV and tuberculosis (TB) remain important public health concerns in the country, despite significant progress over the past two decades.
Malaria incidence has declined markedly...
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. The population is estimated to be 61 million in 2021. Malaria, HIV and tuberculosis (TB) are significant public health concerns in Tanzania.
HIV/AIDS was the third leading...
Malaria, HIV and tuberculosis (TB) are significant public health concerns in Mozambique. Malaria was the fourth leading cause of death in the country in 2019, accounting for 42% of deaths among children under 5 years of age (Mugabe et al., 2021; USAID, 2018).
Mozambique is among the top eight...
This is the 24th monthly Humanitarian Evidence and Discourse Summary from the Knowledge, Evidence and Learning for Development (K4D) Programme.
It signposts to the latest relevant evidence and discourse on humanitarian action to inform and support their response.
It is the result of one day...
Last week, Egyptian Coptic youth from Minya welcomed a delegation from the UK Embassy, led by HM Ambassador Gareth Bayley, to a reconstituted “heritage village” providing a tangible experience of their intangible heritage. Heritage shared with the British Ambassador and delegates included...
This Knowledge, Evidence and Learning for Development (K4D) Programme Helpdesk Report synthesises the literature from academic sources, knowledge institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and trusted independent media outlets on the approach used by the Russian government to provide...
There have been multiple efforts in recent years to introduce cash transfers complemented by livelihood support in protracted crisis contexts. This approach to strengthening livelihoods is known as ‘cash-plus’, graduation, or economic inclusion programming.
While cash alone can assist...
Children and young people are engaged with contradictions and tensions, and ethical and existential questions, in their everyday lives. They are already grappling with many uncertainties, including the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. This Sussex Development Lecture will explore the power...
7 April 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).