Durable inequalities both within and between nations present the most significant obstacle to promoting democratic, inclusive, and sustainable development. The Institute's research in development includes the study of racial, ethnic, and class inequality, national and sub-national governance, urban transformation, democracy and civil society, and social provisioning. The relationship between development and globalization is also an area of focus, and includes work on international aid and finance, transnational movements, comparative development, and global governance.
Research Themes
Focusing on three main areas – development, security, and governance – the Institute leverages Brown's tradition of true interdisciplinarity to foster innovative, policy-relevant scholarly activities. From Latin America to China, from the Middle East to India, the Institute's work helps us all make sense of the world.
Development
Security
While traditional security concerns persist, the transformed security landscape of the early 21st century presents a range of “new” challenges, from climate change, resource conflicts, and pandemics to cyber-threats, transnational crime, and irregular warfare. Engaging Brown faculty across the social sciences and beyond, the Institute's research spans these and more conventional security issues, including armed intervention, post-conflict reconstruction, nuclear proliferation, and military spending.
Governance
Globalization, with its volatile mix of economic opportunity and social disruption, has provoked fundamental challenges to the institutions of political and economic governance. Global problems, such as climate change and labor standards, cannot be tackled by any single nation state; they demand new forms of governance involving governments, private firms, and nongovernmental organizations. This research program focuses on efforts to expand the regulatory capacity and institutional efficacy of individual nation states as well as these new forms of global governance.