The Brooks World Poverty Institute (BWPI
is a research centre at the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...
dedicated to multidisciplinary research on
poverty,
inequality
Inequality may refer to:
Economics
* Attention inequality, unequal distribution of attention across users, groups of people, issues in etc. in attention economy
* Economic inequality, difference in economic well-being between population groups
* ...
and growth. It was established in 2005 following the donation of £1.3 million to the university by the
Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation, one of the largest known gifts to fund poverty research in Europe. In September 2008, the Foundation awarded a further £1.4 million to the Brooks World Poverty Institute over three years and in June 2012, a further £1 million.
BWPI has received additional research funding from the University of Manchester, the
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the
Department for International Development (DFID), the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI) and the
Chronic Poverty Research Centre
The Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) is an international partnership of universities, research institutes, and NGOs established in 2000 with initial funding from the UK's Department for International Development. Addressing chronic poverty is ...
(CPRC).
The Institute has built international partnerships with practitioners and researchers around the world, including BRAC Development Institute, Bangladesh, the
University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University ...
, the Université de Thiès, Senegal and Rimisp in Latin America. Professor
Joseph Stiglitz,
Nobel Prize in Economics
The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel ( sv, Sveriges riksbanks pris i ekonomisk vetenskap till Alfred Nobels minne), is an economics award administered ...
, was the inaugural chair of BWPI's research.
BWPI provides research funding to a number of PhD and post-doctoral students as well as employing established academic staff working on aspects of poverty. It organises research around the following levels of engagement:
Global governance – Examining international systems and structures and suggesting how they should be organised for development to succeed. Proposing how international institutions can make decisions that reduce the divide between rich and poor and examining at how groups that hold power can make a commitment to ending poverty, how that commitment can be sustained how poor people can be involved in decision making to improve their lives.
Creating states that work – Working behind the scenes and directly with governments to support countries to create policies and institutions that will support development. Also examining what practical interventions need to be available and accessible and sustainable for development to succeed.
Activating civil society – ensuring that poor people are represented, and that their voices can be heard by working with local civil society groups. Includes topics such as political representation as well as focussing on specific issues such as adaptations for specific local environments, such as in cities, or areas impacted by climate change.
The Institute also takes a specific focus on two issues to support people out of poverty:
Social protection – examining the impact of government-owned and supported systems policies and programs designed to reduce poverty and vulnerability such as cash transfers, child benefits, old age pensions and credits.
The world of work – examining global value chains and working conditions and work with companies, workers and governments to make recommendation on improving those conditions.
The Brooks World Poverty Institute is also home to the Effective States and Inclusive Development Research Centr
and th
International Research Initiative on Brazil and Africa
The Director of the Institute was Professor David Hulme, who praised the work of countries like Brazil, India and China tackling poverty and reducing inequality in their countries on October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Professor
Rorden Wilkinson was a research director of the Institute from 2010-2014. He led the
global governance theme and organised and convened the 2011
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...
Global Poverty Summit.
As of February 2016 the Brooks World Poverty Institute joined with the Institute for Development Policy and Management to form th
Global Development Institute The GDI is the largest development focused teaching and research institute in Europe and emphasises the University’s commitment to addressing global inequalities.
Notes
Further reading
*David Alexander Clark (editor), ''Adaptation, Poverty and Development. The Dynamics of Subjective Well-being'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)
{{Authority control
Research on poverty
Departments of the University of Manchester