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 37–48 of 14829 results

Past Event

How can critical accounting contribute to development studies?

Critical accountants study how accounting shapes organisations and the social world. They aim to bring alternative accounts into focus. This parallels radical aspirations in development studies to empower countervailing voices in the economic sphere. Yet little dialogue exists between these...

10 July 2024

Report

Opening the Black Box of Participatory Action Research in Response to the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Nepal and Bangladesh

CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper 14

How, for whom, and under what conditions does Participatory Action Research (PAR) generate innovation to tackle the drivers of the worst forms of child labour (WFCL)? This paper presents the findings of a realist evaluation that investigated how PAR groups facilitated children who work in...

Mieke Snijder
Mieke Snijder & 9 others

9 July 2024

Publication

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Nepal Action Research Group 5

The formation of CLARISSA Nepal Action Research Group 5 was prompted by recurring issues around children’s mental health and overall wellbeing that emerged through the research. The children involved are exposed to various forms of exploitation, abuse, trauma, and violence, all of which have a...

9 July 2024

Publication

Journey To and From Work

Nepal Action Research Group 9

As part of CLARISSA’s qualitative, thematic research agenda, Geographic Information System journey mapping and ethnographic observation was conducted to gain insights into the daily lives, experiences, journeys, and feelings of children involved in the Adult Entertainment Sector.

9 July 2024

News

New fellowships in UK-Japan partnership to tackle antimicrobial resistance

Two experts in infectious disease have been selected to be Policy Fellows as part of a wider Japan-UK collaboration to tackle the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global health, with overuse of drugs, including antibiotics,...

9 July 2024

Past Event

Participatory approaches to complex social issues like child labour

Hard labour: Understanding children’s experiences of urban child labour and what drives small informal businesses to hire them

This webinar articulates the research findings of a large participatory programme on Worst Forms of Child Labour in Bangladesh and Nepal (CLARISSA). It used participatory methods to build a micro level understanding of children’s lives, their workplaces, and their neighbourhoods. Watch...

9 July 2024

Opinion

The UK election: new development priorities in Africa?

The UK went to the polls last week with Keir Starmer, as widely predicted, now installed as prime minister and the Labour party in power for the first time in 14 years. This blog asks, will this bring a change to policies on aid and development in Africa, and what should the priorities...

8 July 2024

Brief

SSHAP West Africa Hub: Health Emergency Cycles and Social Context in West Africa

SSHAP Briefing

In this landscape paper, we aim to summarise the contextual factors that shape health emergencies and responses to health emergencies in the West Africa region (termed ‘health emergency cycles’).

5 July 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).