Photo by Juan Arredondo/Getty Images/Images of Empowerment

 

SDGs in focus

SDG5 - Gender equality SDG8 - Decent work and economic growth
SDG10 - Reduced inequalities SDG16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions
SDG17

 

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About UNU-WIDER

 

Transforming economies, states, and societies

At its core, development is about the well-being of people. But it is also about creating societies which provide fundamental rights and just social political outcomes. Sustainable and inclusive development requires transformative changes across three fundamental areas: in the structures of economies, in the state, and institutions that govern social and market interactions and broader developmental processes, and in society itself. These transformations are central to the achievement of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 2019–23 UNU-WIDER work programme focuses on the interlinked development challenges of transforming economies, states, and societies and maps them against SDGs 5, 8, 10, 16, 17. By mobilizing research evidence for action through the ongoing processes in the UN and its member states, the institute continues to work with stakeholders to strengthen capacities for research, technical, and policy analysis, and facilitate exchange of experiences and knowledge towards bold and collaborative development solutions for countries and regions around the world.

Click on the table below to explore our current work or scroll down to search past projects.

Transforming economies
Transforming states
Transforming societies
African Cities Research Consortium — the structural transformation domain
ETD – Economic Transformation Database
Inclusive growth in Mozambique – scaling-up research and capacity
Southern Africa – Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED)
Structural transformation – old and new paths to economic development
Sustainable development solutions for Tanzania – strengthening research to achieve SDGs
The developer’s dilemma – structural transformation, inequality dynamics, and inclusive growth
Towards inclusive development in Myanmar
Transforming informal work and livelihoods
Clientelist politics and economic development – theories, perspectives and new directions
Detecting and countering illicit financial flows
Effects of Swedish and international democracy support
Extractives for Development (E4D) – risks and opportunities
Fiscal states – the origins and developmental implications
How do effective states emerge?
Inequality and governance in unstable democracies – the mediating role of trust
Institutional legacies of violent conflict
The state and statebuilding in the Global South – international and local interactions
Building up efficient and fair tax systems – lessons based on administrative tax data
Effects of aid on social protection systems in sub-Saharan Africa
GRD – Government Revenue Dataset
SOUTHMOD - simulating tax and benefit policies for development Phase 2
The domestic savings shortfall in developing countries – what can be done about it?
Women's work – routes to economic and social empowerment
Addressing group-based inequalities
Assessment of potential distributional impacts of four development programmes in Benin, Djibouti-Ethiopia, Uganda, and Viet Nam
Social mobility in the Global South – concepts, measures, and determinants
The changing nature of work and inequality
The impacts of inequality – growth, human development, and governance @EQUAL
WIID – World Income Inequality Database
Transforming economies
SDG8
African Cities Research Consortium — the structural transformation domain
ETD – Economic Transformation Database
Inclusive growth in Mozambique – scaling-up research and capacity
Southern Africa – Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED)
Structural transformation – old and new paths to economic development
Sustainable development solutions for Tanzania – strengthening research to achieve SDGs
The developer’s dilemma – structural transformation, inequality dynamics, and inclusive growth
Towards inclusive development in Myanmar
Transforming informal work and livelihoods
Transforming states
SDG16
Clientelist politics and economic development – theories, perspectives and new directions
Detecting and countering illicit financial flows
Effects of Swedish and international democracy support
Extractives for Development (E4D) – risks and opportunities
Fiscal states – the origins and developmental implications
How do effective states emerge?
Inequality and governance in unstable democracies – the mediating role of trust
Institutional legacies of violent conflict
The state and statebuilding in the Global South – international and local interactions
 
SDG17
Building up efficient and fair tax systems – lessons based on administrative tax data
Effects of aid on social protection systems in sub-Saharan Africa
GRD – Government Revenue Dataset
SOUTHMOD - simulating tax and benefit policies for development Phase 2
The domestic savings shortfall in developing countries – what can be done about it?
Transforming societies
SDG5
Women's work – routes to economic and social empowerment
 
SDG10
Addressing group-based inequalities
Assessment of potential distributional impacts of four development programmes in Benin, Djibouti-Ethiopia, Uganda, and Viet Nam
Social mobility in the Global South – concepts, measures, and determinants
The changing nature of work and inequality
The impacts of inequality – growth, human development, and governance @EQUAL
WIID – World Income Inequality Database

131 active and previous projects

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Programme
    Transforming societies
    UNU-WIDER Winter School on tax policy research
    Transforming economies
    African Cities Research Consortium — the structural transformation domain
    Transforming states
    Building up efficient and fair tax systems – lessons based on administrative tax data
    Transforming states
    Effects of aid on social protection systems in sub-Saharan Africa
    Transforming societies
    The impact of inequality on growth, human development, and governance @EQUAL
    Transforming states
    Fiscal states – the origins and developmental implications
    Transforming states
    How do effective states emerge?
    Transforming states
    Extractives for Development (E4D) – risks and opportunities
    Transforming economies
    Structural transformation – old and new paths to economic development
    Transforming states
    Institutional legacies of violent conflict
    Transforming states
    The domestic savings shortfall in developing countries – what can be done about it?
    Transforming economies
    The developer’s dilemma – structural transformation, inequality dynamics, and inclusive growth
    Transforming states
    The state and statebuilding in the Global South – international and local interactions
    Transforming economies
    ETD - Economic Transformation Database
    Transforming states
    Detecting and countering illicit financial flows
    Transforming states
    SOUTHMOD - simulating tax and benefit policies for development Phase 2
    Transforming states
    Inequality and governance in unstable democracies – the mediating role of trust
    Transforming states
    Clientelist politics and economic development – theories, perspectives and new directions
    Transforming societies
    Addressing group-based inequalities
    Transforming societies
    World Income Inequality Database (WIID)
    Transforming societies
    The changing nature of work and inequality
    Transforming economies
    Transforming informal work and livelihoods
    Transforming societies
    Social mobility in the Global South – concepts, measures, and determinants
    Transforming societies
    Women's work – routes to economic and social empowerment
    Transforming states
    Effects of Swedish and international democracy support
    2018-19
    Conference on transforming economies – for better jobs

    The creation of productive jobs for both men and women are essential preconditions for the achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on decent work and gender equality. The conference engages current debates around the future of work in the...

    Transforming economies
    Sustainable development solutions for Tanzania – strengthening research to achieve SDGs
    2018-19
    2018 Nordic conference on development economics

    The conference aims at bringing together Nordic and international scholars for the exchange of ideas and discussion of recent results within theoretical and applied development economics research.

    2016-17
    Conference on migration and mobility – new frontiers for research and policy

    Migration and mobility are key facets of our increasingly globalized world, posing challenges but also offering opportunities. For migrants, this may include economic and social mobility, as well as improved physical security and an escape from...

    2016-17
    Conference on responding to crises

    The ‘Responding to crises’ conference aimed to improve knowledge about ongoing, unexpected, and future crises, and to discuss the options available for responses by governments, international agencies, NGOs, civil society and private citizens. The...

    2016-17
    Conference on human capital and growth

    Human capital has been identified not only as a key determinant of growth and poverty alleviation, but as critical for human development. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and now the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), have...

    Transforming societies
    GRD – Government Revenue Dataset
    Displaying 32 of 131 results