Welcome to the first issue of the UNRISD e-Bulletin. This replaces the previous print edition of UNRISD News. It will initially be produced quarterly with the purpose of informing diverse audiences—in academia, civil society, the UN and government—about UNRISD research, events, publications and other activities, as well as commenting on current issues in the field of social development.
The contemporary global context offers the potential for paradigmatic change in the development field (as discussed at the UNRISD conference, Social and Political Dimensions of the Global Crisis reported below), but this potential may be eluding us. In response to multiple crises, policy alternatives are being tested which place employment, equity, social protection and environmental sustainability higher on national policy agendas. At the same time, a strong perception persists that the dominant response globally remains focused on shoring up the same institutions that created financial and economic havoc. Just as more resources are desperately needed to assist individuals, communities and economies in recovering from, and building resilience to, unprecedented levels of insecurity, those economies that can provide necessary resources are struggling to control their own fiscal deficits.
At least as important as resources, however, are the ideas and evidence for alternative approaches, and a commitment to test and implement them. The crisis in ideas reflects in part an underinvestment in types of research and research capacities, globally and particularly in the South, that recognize the value of diversity in ideas and policy choices that can be tailored to local conditions. Without both resources and alternatives that are informed by solid research and reliable evidence, the international community may miss this opportunity to give adequate weight to socially equitable and environmentally sustainable patterns of growth and recovery, in which economic growth is the mechanism for achieving core development goals such as well-being, equality and social justice, rather than an end in itself.
In this context of uncertainty, UNRISD is developing a new research strategy for 2010–2014, which will engage networks of institutions and scholars in numerous countries. We will continue to pursue research on policies and processes—in both the social and economic spheres—that contribute to improvements in social well-being, social relations and social institutions while reflecting the heightened insecurities linked to recent and ongoing crises. We will also focus on the political dynamics and institutional arrangements required for achieving progressive social change. In the coming months we will share with you further details of this agenda.
In September we will publish our flagship report on poverty reduction, titled Combating Poverty and Inequality, the outcome of a multi-year, multi-country research initiative on the effectiveness of different approaches to poverty reduction. The report will be launched prior to the MDG Summit and we hope it will contribute to discussions and debates, both on making progress to 2015 as well as on a longer term global poverty reduction agenda. The key messages of the research and report are highlighted in UNRISD Research and Policy Brief 10, which has also been issued as EC–ESA Policy Brief 1.
We welcome your comments on any aspects of this newsletter and our work.
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