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43-589: A small team of researchers coordinates UNRISD's research programmes, which focus primarily on the developing world, working in collaboration with national research teams from local universities and research institutes. The Institute's work takes a holistic, multidisciplinary and political economy approach. UNRISD's location at the United Nations Office at Geneva gives researchers access to channels of policy influence through active participation in events, meetings, conferences and working groups. UNRISD

86-594: A PhD poster session, book presentations, a practitioners' forum, movie screenings and a special session on alternative finance and complementary currencies hosted by the UN-NGLS. In 2011, UNRISD organized a conference held in Geneva on climate change as a social development issue called "Green Economy and Sustainable Development: Bringing Back the Social Dimension" . The conference created a forum for developing

129-461: A brochure detailing the impact of its work in terms of its agenda-setting capacity, its multiple spheres of influence, and its networking and capacity building. UNRISD has a small core staff, located in Geneva , Switzerland, which coordinates an international network of collaborating researchers. Collaboration with UNRISD may take one of several forms. Original research may be directly commissioned for

172-400: A centrally coordinated research project. Alternatively, researchers can respond to a Call for Papers and submit research already underway for publication as part of an UNRISD project. UNRISD also publishes think pieces on its website by collaborating scholars. UNRISD's network of currently active collaborating researchers numbers over 400, with a large proportion from the global South. UNRISD

215-503: A conceptual and policy framework to position social dimensions at the centre of green economy and sustainable development. Policy reports and other publications prepared for this conference informed the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) preparatory process and subsequent policy discussions. In addition to its international conferences, UNRISD organises a regular Seminar Series to provide

258-458: A key role in determining who got enough to eat and who didn't. By the 1980s, UNRISD was growing in size, in terms of both funding and staffing. Its remit diversified to cover popular participation and refugee issues, gradually leaving some of its early preoccupation with statistics behind. In the 1990s UNRISD thrived. A wide range of topics were addressed, ranging from political violence to the socioeconomic impact of illicit drugs. Globalization in

301-419: A key topic in development. UNRISD's work on the so-called Green Revolution (the introduction of newly bred high-yield grain seeds to increase food production) took a typically critical view. It highlighted the fact that the quantity of food available was only one factor in ensuring populations in developing countries were not subject to hunger. Power inequalities impacting on the distribution of foodstuffs played

344-426: A lack of gender capacity in-house following staff restructuring. Environmental issues are re-emerging as a key area of work, especially as they relate to social policy and climate justice . The current research agenda is shaped by three major contemporary development challenges: inequalities, conflict and unsustainable practices. It consists of three programmes: These programmes pursue a variety of projects including

387-587: A major international conference in Geneva which convened innovative research from the global South and North. The title of the conference was "Overcoming Inequalities in a Fractured World: Between Elite Power and Social Mobilization" . Keynote speeches were given by François Bourguignon and Vandana Shiva . The conference was preceded by a roundtable discussing whether elites are the engines of inequalities, featuring Naila Kabeer (London School of Economics), Saskia Sassen (Columbia University) and Jomo Kwame Sundaram (Council of Eminent Persons, Malaysia). As part of

430-471: A modern precursor to Classical Economic thought. Leading on from this, the French physiocrats were the first major exponents of political economy, although the intellectual responses of Adam Smith , John Stuart Mill , David Ricardo , Henry George and Karl Marx to the physiocrats generally receive much greater attention. The world's first professorship in political economy was established in 1754 at

473-403: A significant body of recent research. UNRISD frequently convenes conferences and seminars, as a means of refining and developing its research and to disseminate its findings. Its events are often closely linked with its policy impact, being the forums where development policy makers and practitioners can come into contact with academics working on social development. In November 2018 UNRISD held

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516-475: A space for open, informed and insightful conversation around contemporary issues of concern to social development research and policy. Recent seminars have included: In recent years, UNRISD's outreach and communication strategy has focused on four core objectives: Communication of the research findings has proven to be a key component in strengthening the ultimate purpose and impact of UNRISD activities as well as increasing recognition and use of UNRISD research by

559-651: Is a microfoundations theory closely intertwined with political economy. Both approaches model voters, politicians and bureaucrats as behaving in mainly self-interested ways, in contrast to a view, ascribed to earlier mainstream economists, of government officials trying to maximize individual utilities from some kind of social welfare function . As such, economists and political scientists often associate political economy with approaches using rational-choice assumptions, especially in game theory and in examining phenomena beyond economics' standard remit, such as government failure and complex decision making in which context

602-584: Is not a unified discipline, there are studies using the term that overlap in subject matter, but have radically different perspectives: Fran%C3%A7ois Bourguignon François Bourguignon (born May 22, 1945) is a former Chief Economist (2003–2007) of the World Bank . He has been the Director of the Paris School of Economics , and from 1985 to his retirement in 2013 a professor of economics at

645-613: Is overseen by a Board, headed by a Chairperson who is appointed by the UN Secretary-General . Board members are selected based on their expertise and qualifications, and membership is confirmed by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Board members participate in their individual capacity and do not represent UN member states. The Board reports to the Commission for Social Development biennially. Chairs of

688-667: The University of Naples Federico II in southern Italy . The Neapolitan philosopher Antonio Genovesi was the first tenured professor. In 1763, Joseph von Sonnenfels was appointed a Political Economy chair at the University of Vienna , Austria. Thomas Malthus , in 1805, became England's first professor of political economy, at the East India Company College , Haileybury, Hertfordshire . At present, political economy refers to different yet related approaches to studying economic and related behaviours, ranging from

731-595: The political business cycles , central-bank independence and the politics of excessive deficits. An interesting example would be the publication in 1954 of the first manual of Political Economy in the Soviet Union, edited by Lev Gatovsky , which mixed the classic theoretical approach of the time with the soviet political discourse. A rather recent focus has been put on modeling economic policy and political institutions concerning interactions between agents and economic and political institutions , including

774-567: The École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. in 2016 Bourguignon was awarded the Dan David Prize . He focuses on the study of income and wealth inequality, economy-wide country studies (Brazil, China, India…), international trade and trade policy, education, wealth, income, redistribution, and tax policy . Trained as a statistician at ENSAE Paris (French National School of Statistics and Economics), François Bourguignon has

817-424: The 2010s, the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by UN member states in 2015 established new global roadmap for development. UNRISD continued to work on social policy, often in conjunction with questions related to the 2030 Agenda. It also took up the new issue of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) and its contribution to sustainable development. Output on gender issues since 2016 fell due to

860-740: The Board Directors The Director reports to both the Board and to ECOSOC via the Commission for Social Development. The Director is responsible for UNRISD's research activities, fundraising and external relations with the UN secretariat, senior UN officials, specialized agencies, donors and other research entities. Directors are also actively engaged in research. UNRISD relies wholly on voluntary funding from governments, development agencies and foundations, receiving no funding from

903-584: The Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Yugoslavia. Political economy Political economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies ) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Widely studied phenomena within

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946-902: The UN system, academia, civil society, and funding bodies. UNRISD is currently active on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter; on the last of these it has recently reached 31,000 followers. UNRISD also produces multimedia material as a means of making seminars and conferences available through online videos and podcasts UNRISD's position within the UN system allows it a significant degree of policy influence, while its governance structure and funding situation (see below) give it more latitude for independence than other UN entities enjoy. Its staff serve on UN system-wide committees, task forces and expert groups, and undertake collaborative research with other UN agencies. UNRISD's independent international events, conferences, seminars and symposiums (see above) are held in order to discuss and present research findings and debates in select fields of focus. These events often draw in

989-584: The United Nations budget. This arrangement, while fluctuant, at the same time guarantees the Institute's independent status and gives it a certain critical latitude. The following governments have contributed to UNRISD over the past 50 years: Australia, Austria, Canada, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway,

1032-547: The administration of states' wealth; political signifying the Greek word polity and economy signifying the Greek word οἰκονομία ; household management. The earliest works of political economy are usually attributed to the British scholars Adam Smith , Thomas Malthus , and David Ricardo , although they were preceded by the work of the French physiocrats , such as François Quesnay and Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot . In

1075-534: The celebrations of its 50th anniversary, UNRISD co-hosted a conference with the ILO ( International Labour Organization ) in 2013 entitled "The Potential and Limits of the Social and Solidarity Economy" . The conference featured prominent speakers such as Guy Ryder , Jose Luis Coraggio, Paul Singer and Sarah Cook. Over 40 academics presented research findings to about 400 participants. There were several side events including

1118-554: The combination of economics with other fields to the use of different, fundamental assumptions challenging earlier economic assumptions. Political economy most commonly refers to interdisciplinary studies drawing upon economics , sociology and political science in explaining how political institutions, the political environment, and the economic system — capitalist , socialist , communist , or mixed —influence each other. The Journal of Economic Literature classification codes associate political economy with three sub-areas: (1)

1161-429: The design of indicators to measure development not just in terms of economic growth but also social factors, such as nutrition, health and education. As such, it employed many statisticians in its early years. Another early project focused on cooperatives as a tool for development, which produced some controversial results. In the 1970s, global population growth made food production, supply and eventually food systems into

1204-587: The discipline are systems such as labour markets and financial markets , as well as phenomena such as growth , distribution , inequality , and trade , and how these are shaped by institutions, laws, and government policy. Originating in the 18th century, it is the precursor to the modern discipline of economics. Political economy in its modern form is considered an interdisciplinary field, drawing on theory from both political science and modern economics . Political economy originated within 16th century western moral philosophy , with theoretical works exploring

1247-556: The distinction between "profit" and "sustenance", in modern political economy terms, surplus and that required for the reproduction of classes respectively. He also calls for the creation of a science to explain society and goes on to outline these ideas in his major work, the Muqaddimah . In Al-Muqaddimah Khaldun states, "Civilization and its well-being, as well as business prosperity, depend on productivity and people's efforts in all directions in their own interest and profit" – seen as

1290-769: The following, some of which are recently completed, others are still underway: UNRISD has recently introduced a new way of sourcing projects in the form of an "Ideas Incubator", in which it actively seeks partners to expand its research portfolio. UNRISD makes its research widely available through books (in partnership with publishers like Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan and Wiley Blackwell), research papers and occasional papers (which are peer-reviewed) and working papers (which are not peer-reviewed). UNRISD researchers also regularly contribute articles to scholarly journals. These publications are typically of interest to an academic audience. Other publications target an audience of policy-makers, programme designers and decision-makers. These take

1333-569: The form of briefs, whether research and policy briefs, or briefs concerning a specific project, issue or event. UNRISD maintains on online open access repository with over 1300 publications, in the form of the publications section of its website. The majority of items published after 1990 can be downloaded free of charge. Others are books which can be obtained from the publisher. Some of these publications have received international recognition, success and incorporation into major global debates. UNRISD regularly publishes flagship reports which synthesize

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1376-421: The importance of institutions , backwardness , reform and transition economies , the role of culture , ethnicity and gender in explaining economic outcomes, macroeconomic policy , the environment , fairness and the relation of constitutions to economic policy , theoretical and empirical. Other important landmarks in the development of political economy include: Because political economy

1419-408: The late 19th century, the term economics gradually began to replace the term political economy with the rise of mathematical modeling coinciding with the publication of the influential textbook Principles of Economics by Alfred Marshall in 1890. Earlier, William Stanley Jevons , a proponent of mathematical methods applied to the subject, advocated economics for brevity and with the hope of

1462-416: The modern era and structural adjustment programmes in developing countries brought about social crises which UNRISD researched and criticized, arguing that unregulated markets required a healthy public sector and stable governance to function properly. Environmental issues took firm root in development debates during this decade. UNRISD's take was typically critical: whatever the benefits of conservation, it

1505-461: The participation of local and international NGOs, government representatives, the media, universities and other research institutes, as well as individual researchers and academics. UNRISD events have also been co-hosted and co-organized with co-operating universities, NGOs and local governments. This extensive cooperation with social development stakeholders is one of the Institute's key channels of policy influence and impact. In 2014, UNRISD published

1548-557: The role of government and/or class and power relationships in resource allocation for each type of economic system ; (2) international political economy , which studies the economic impacts of international relations ; and (3) economic models of political or exploitative class processes. Within the field of political science, there is generally a distinction between international political economy (studied by international relations scholars) and comparative political economy (studied by comparative politics scholars). Public choice theory

1591-476: The seeming discrepancy of economic policy and economist's recommendations through the lens of transaction costs . From the mid-1990s, the field has expanded, in part aided by new cross-national data sets allowing tests of hypotheses on comparative economic systems and institutions. Topics have included the breakup of nations, the origins and rate of change of political institutions in relation to economic growth , development , financial markets and regulation,

1634-413: The term political economy represents a distinct and competing approach. Originally, political economy meant the study of the conditions under which production or consumption within limited parameters was organized in nation-states. In that way, political economy expanded the emphasis on economics, which comes from the Greek oikos (meaning "home") and nomos (meaning "law" or "order"). Political economy

1677-409: The term "positive political economy" is common. Other "traditional" topics include analysis of such public policy issues as economic regulation , monopoly , rent-seeking , market protection , institutional corruption and distributional politics. Empirical analysis includes the influence of elections on the choice of economic policy, determinants and forecasting models of electoral outcomes,

1720-404: The term becoming "the recognised name of a science". Citation measurement metrics from Google Ngram Viewer indicate that use of the term economics began to overshadow political economy around roughly 1910, becoming the preferred term for the discipline by 1920. Today, the term economics usually refers to the narrow study of the economy absent other political and social considerations while

1763-493: Was established in 1963 "to conduct research into problems and policies of social development, and relationships between various types of social development and economic development". It was originally set up with a grant from the Government of the Netherlands, and its first Board Chair was the eminent economist Jan Tinbergen , who received the first-ever Nobel prize for economics in 1969. UNRISD's initial research focused on

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1806-453: Was often happening at the expense of social justice and the livelihoods of minorities. In the 2000s, as globalization continued apace and social dimensions began to be re-introduced in the face of the sometimes catastrophic impacts of wide-ranging economic liberalization , UNRISD criticized a narrow social policy focus on safety nets and the targeting of vulnerable groups, arguing instead in favour of universal transformative social policy. In

1849-607: Was thus meant to express the laws of production of wealth at the state level, quite like economics concerns putting home to order. The phrase économie politique (translated in English to "political economy") first appeared in France in 1615 with the well-known book by Antoine de Montchrétien , Traité de l'economie politique . Other contemporary scholars attribute the roots of this study to the 13th Century Tunisian Arab Historian and Sociologist , Ibn Khaldun , for his work on making

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