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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Showing 133–144 of 14829 results

Student Opinion

Advocating for diversity and accessibility: reflections on a podcast

Jigyasa Agarwal, class of 2023 (Master’s in Governance, Development and Public Policy) guest-edited two episodes of IDS’ Between the Lines podcast. In the episode ‘Intersections in Education: Disability, Development, and Gender’ she interviewed three students from IDS and the...

Jigyasa Agarwal

16 May 2024

News

How IDS is making its communications more accessible

This Global Accessibility Awareness Day, IDS is highlighting the progress it has made towards making our content, communications, and workplace as accessible as possible to users both within and outside of IDS. We also spoke with two of our recent graduates about their experiences of...

16 May 2024

Student Opinion

IDS student with invisible disabilities reflects on accessibility

Ana Palma Garcia, graduate of the IDS MA Power, Participation & Social Change, won the DSA’s Masters Dissertation Prize 2024 for her work entitled: “Co-constructing notions of inclusion with Deaf women in Colombia throughout cooperative inquiry”. To celebrate Global Accessibility...

Ana Palma Garcia (IDS Alum)

16 May 2024

Opinion

CDI@10: Replace Impact Evaluation with Contribution Analysis

The term Contribution Analysis was introduced by the late John Mayne 25 years ago when he wanted to motivate people involved in development programmes to look at their rationale and impact critically. It opened the field of impact evaluation to alternative methods, when econometric methodologies...

16 May 2024

Brief

Key Considerations: Effective Vaccine Rollout and Uptake in Sierra Leone

SSHAP Briefing

This brief draws on evidence from academic and grey literature, proposing key considerations for ongoing vaccination efforts in Sierra Leone.

Abu Conteh & 3 others

15 May 2024

Working Paper

Social Protection in Nigeria: Analysing Capacities

BASIC Research Working Paper 23

This report describes findings of an analysis of capacities to deliver social protection in Nigeria. It focuses specifically on generating findings that will be useful to situations of protracted crisis, such as displacement due to conflict or climate shocks.

15 May 2024

Book Chapter

The Role of European Investment Bank (EIB) and National and Regional Development Banks in the Green Transformation

Climate Change in Regional Perspective

This chapter examines the important role that can be played by national and regional development banks in the green transformation. Our focus is on the European Investment Bank (EIB), but we argue that EIB’s effective mechanisms to fund the initiatives of the European Green Deal can be...

14 May 2024

Opinion

Can a new global wave of land redistribution emerge?

At the International Global Land Grabbing conference held recently in Bogota, Colombia, we held a ‘dialogue session’ with about 50 academics and activists, asking whether land redistribution had a future. I co-facilitated the session with Morgan Ody, the General Coordinator of La Via...

13 May 2024

News

Weaponising gendered disinformation across Africa 

Gendered disinformation is being used across Africa as a tactic to silence critics and exclude women from online civic discourses, new research shows. A new book ‘Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics, Power and Propaganda’ explores this further. It is written by Nkem...

10 May 2024

News

The global land grab is still taking place, landmark conference finds

Major land sales organised by states and businesses continue to cause problems for rural communities and indigenous groups, a landmark conference in Colombia has found. Over the past 20 years, more than 30 million hectares of agricultural land has been sold off around the world according...

10 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).