Geographies and character of extreme poverty and deprivation may be changing radically over the next years. This situation requires an in depth understanding of the phenomenon and consequently adjustments to the EU’s development policies and instruments may be needed in years to come. This study is designed to provide an in-depth review of the evidence on extreme poverty and associated inequalities, and on what reduces them, in order to inform the EU’s reflections on implementing the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The project's primary objective is to provide an up to date and insightful analysis of trends and underlying factors as a basis for the EU’s own reflections on its policies. The objectives will be accomplished partly by scrutinising the literature, but significantly by new analytical work which will seek to:

• Identify trends for indicators of poverty, inequality and human development, using the best methods for assessing change;

• Interrogate conventional country categories and propose new approaches to doing so;

• Identify policies that evidence suggests could eradicate extreme poverty, and assess countries and the EC’s own international development work against these policies;

• Analyse various projections of extreme poverty through 2030, highlight the assumptions they make, and provide commentary on the most likely scenarios. This will include projections of conflict, although this is notoriously difficult to do accurately.

The project is funded by the European Commission. 

Research Output