Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo » Research » Poverty and Development

Poverty and Development

(PAD)

Despite several decades of development, efforts to radically reduce world poverty have only enjoyed moderate success. Indeed, hundreds of millions across the world suffer the daily anguish of deprivation in some form or another, be it the pain of persistent hunger and disease, the absence of adequate health care or the blatant disregard of basic human rights And the promotion of human development − understood as development that prioritises human well-being and aims at enlarging opportunities, freedoms and choices − continues to proceed slowly, and recent evidence paints a rather gloomy picture.

The aim of this interdisciplinary programme is to focus on a set of interrelated sub-topics related to development and poverty reduction. Poverty is a multidimensional concept and although low income is a major indicator of poverty, it is only one of several. Therefore it is important to focus on how the lives of the poor are characterised by the lack of capabilities and entitlements to food, health, education, security and political influence. We are also interested in comparative studies of disparities across countries and regions in terms of income poverty, vulnerability and well-being and issues related to ethics, foreign aid, governance and human rights. As a result, the programme focuses on both success stories and failures, including studies of policy formulation and implementation which shed light on why certain poverty reduction strategies succeed in certain contexts and not in others.