Inclusive Economies

Our work explores what characterises inclusive economies and how these can be achieved, particularly in a world where new technologies, rural to urban migration, and growing youth populations are disrupting and putting new pressures on people’s lives and livelihoods.

Our research looks at the impacts of business and markets on development and inequality and explores the potential for novel market-based solutions to work for the poorest and most marginalised based on gender, ethnicity and disability.  It explores alternatives that enable workers, consumers and communities to have a real voice.

It continues to revitalise debates on agriculture as a key pathway out of poverty and towards inclusion, particularly for young people. Our work is focused on identifying what opportunities exist in a period of agricultural commercialisation and rural transformation and how far different groups are able to access them.  It also understands how new technologies such as drones or blockchains pose risks, but can also be harnessed to improve the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people.  In a rapidly urbanising world where cities have become focal points for economic growth, jobs and innovation but also for poverty, inequality, vulnerability and conflict, our work explores what this means for both urban and rural people, and the opportunities and challenges they face in living safe and fulfilling lives.

People

Jodie Thorpe

Research Fellow

Philip Mader

Research Fellow

Richard Jolly

Research Associate

Ana Pueyo

Research Fellow

Carlos Fortin

Research Associate

Rachel Sabates-Wheeler

Research Fellow

Keetie Roelen

IDS Honorary Associate

Giel Ton

Research Fellow

Programmes and centres

Projects

Recent work

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Past Event

Book launch: Poverty, Gender & Health in the Slums of Bangladesh

  https://youtu.be/hIOI8BMk7iI Join us for a launch event for Prof Sabina Faiz Rashid’s book Poverty, Gender and Health in the Slums of Bangladesh: Children of Crows, published by Routledge UK. Author Prof Sabina Faiz Rashid will read excerpts from her book, which is a compelling...

4 June 2024

Opinion

The World Bank and land: some questions

The World Bank’s land conference returned this year in May after a gap since 2019. It is the go-to venue for mainstream (economic) debate about land. To a room full of suits, the conference was opened by a keynote from Andrew Steer, now President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund (and formerly...

3 June 2024

Report

Bridging Learning and Action: How Did CLARISSA’s Participatory Adaptive Management Approach Foster Innovation, Effectiveness, and Stakeholder Empowerment?

CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper 10

This paper shares insights emerging from evaluating CLARISSA’s participatory adaptive management (PAM) practices, connecting them with current discussions on adaptive management. It provides an in-depth evaluation of CLARISSA’s PAM approach, exploring how adaptive strategies were implemented...

31 May 2024

Journal Article

Women’s Struggles for Empowerment in Bangladesh

Women have made substantial gains in health, education, and political representation in Bangladesh, which has been led by female prime ministers since 1991. Women play a key role in the garment industry, the country’s main export sector, and entrepreneurial ventures funded by microcredit loans...

29 May 2024

Report

Qualitative Analysis of 400 Life Stories from Children and Young People Working in the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Nepal

CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper 7

This research paper explores the findings from semi-structured interviews with business owners operating enterprises involved in leather processing and production across three prominent neighbourhoods and business districts in and around Dhaka, Bangladesh.

28 May 2024

Working Paper

Conflict, Displacement, and Social Assistance in Three Districts of Ethiopia

BASIC Research Working Paper 27

In the context of recurrent drought shocks and other climate stresses, and in the aftermath of conflict that has affected different parts of Ethiopia, the country is struggling to address a sizeable humanitarian challenge alongside the need to sustain support to those living in chronic and...

28 May 2024

Working Paper

Pathways Into the Tax Net: Better Ways to Register African Taxpayers

ICTD African Tax Administration Paper 34

Based on recent experience in a range of African countries, we list some taxpayer registration practices that should be abandoned or used sparingly, and some that should be used more widely, to better target registration on those businesses and individuals who should be paying tax.

24 May 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).