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 817–828 of 14837 results

Working Paper

The Promise and Limitations of Information Technology for Tax Mobilisation

ICTD Working Paper 135

Tax revenue in many low-income countries is inadequate for funding investments in public goods and human capital. While tax systems have been adopting new technologies to improve tax collection for many years, limitations to in-person interactions due to COVID-19 have further highlighted the...

Oyebola Okunogbe

1 February 2023

Opinion

Pandemic Portraits: Disability & Covid-19 in Bangladesh & Liberia

Covid-19 has changed the world as we know it. In particular, the pandemic has significantly affected the lives of people with disabilities, with many facing additional barriers in access to services, increased isolation and increased risks of poor health and social outcomes. To strengthen...

31 January 2023

News

Podcast: Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East

Digital deception is the new face of information warfare. Social media has been weaponised by states and commercial entities alike, as bots and trolls proliferate and users are left to navigate an infodemic of fake news and disinformation. In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast,...

31 January 2023

Brief

Trade Policy for Sustainable and Inclusive Agriculture

IDS Policy Briefing 208

Trade policy provides a powerful set of levers for accelerating a transition to more inclusive and sustainable agricultural practices. Yet, trade in agriculture is often reliant on unsustainable methods of production, misaligned to tackling hunger, inadequate in support for decent farmer...

Anna Sands & 2 others

31 January 2023

Opinion

Can the US and China cooperate to support development in Africa?

There is no doubt that we have a greater chance of supporting development in Africa, and broader global challenges,  if the two super powers of the world cooperate with each other and pull together in the same direction.  IDS Research Fellow and Director of the IDS China Initiative, Jing Gu,...

31 January 2023

Past Event

Recasting Development in 2023

Will 2023 be a year in which we make progress on development, or continue to falter? Watch now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vqd25SNUM8 2022 was a year of immense development challenges. The world slowly emerged from the pandemic that had gripped countries for more than two years,...

31 January 2023

Student Opinion

Feeling at home – how IDS is like a small, unique family

O’bai Conteh graduated from the IDS MA Gender & Development in 2018. His studies at IDS were supported by the IDS Graduate Scholarship programme. We caught up with O’Bai about why he chose this Master’s, how it helped his career and what it was like to study at IDS. Watch a video of...

O'bai Conteh

30 January 2023

Opinion

Tackling neglected diseases for health equity and social justice

For World NTD Day (30 January), Professor Gail Davey, looks at why it is crucial that we act now and together to end NTDs and says that NTD programmes can no longer be considered in isolation from endemic country health systems. Gail is Co-Director of the IDS-partnered NIHR 5S Foundation, which...

Gail Davey

30 January 2023

Journal Article

Africa’s Lockdown Dilemma: High Poverty and Low Trust

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, sub-Saharan African countries faced the dilemma of how to minimise viral transmission without adversely affecting the poor. This study proposes an index of lockdown readiness, taking into account housing conditions and income security, and analyses how this...

27 January 2023

Opinion

Durdin-er Diaries: chronicles of hard times in Bangladesh

Which governance channels do people whose livelihoods and incomes were severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic navigate while attempting to bounce back? Through a joint IDS and BIGD research project we aim to answer this question by exploring the trajectories of recovery, coping strategies,...

27 January 2023

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).