BIG IDEAS Series

Addressing Group-based Inequality: A Range of Measures

ONLINE: On 24 October, UNU will host a BIG IDEAS Dialogue with Dr. Rachel Gisselquist, Senior Research Fellow at UNU-WIDER.

On 24 October 2023, UNU will host “Addressing Group-based Inequality: A Range of Measures”, a BIG IDEAS Dialogue with Dr. Rachel Gisselquist, Senior Research Fellow at UNU-WIDER in Helsinki, Finland. This event will be held via Zoom webinar at 18:00 JST (UTC+9).

Addressing inequality between groups is a core component of Leave No One Behind — the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Focusing on inequalities between ethnic and racial groups, this event will consider a range of measures to promote greater equality and social inclusion, and argue for the need for greater attention to the politics of their adoption and implementation.

Dr. Gisselquist will join UNU Senior Vice-Rector Sawako Shirahase to discuss the work of the Addressing Group-based Inequality project at UNU-WIDER, including a new dataset on affirmative action around the world.

Please note this event will be in English; Japanese interpretation will not be provided. Advance registration by 23 October is required. Registrants will receive an email on the day of the event with a link to attend via Zoom webinar. 

About the Speaker

Rachel M. Gisselquist, is a Senior Research Fellow with UNU-WIDER and a member of the institute’s senior management team. She works on the politics of developing countries, with particular attention to inequality, ethnic politics, statebuilding and governance and the role of aid therein, democracy and democratization, and sub-Saharan African politics.

Her work is published in various journals and edited volumes, including World Development, Journal of Development Studies, and Oxford Development Studies. She is editor/co-editor of a dozen journal special issues and collections, and co-author of the first two editions of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which has become a standard reference on governance.

Before moving to Helsinki, she spent three years at Harvard University as Research Director, Index of African Governance. She has also spent time at the London School of Economics and with the World Bank. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master in Public Policy degree from Harvard University.

About the series

The BIG IDEAS: SDGs Dialogue Series introduces the people, projects and organizations behind shared efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each event features leading representatives and researchers from international organizations, UN agencies and UNU institutes to stimulate discussion on sustainable development issues and initiatives. The events provide a unique opportunity for young researchers, graduate students and civil society to become more familiar with SDG-related topics, ask questions and learn how they can contribute to local and global SDG progress.