SDGs in focus

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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