Close
The Institute for Economic and Social Inclusion (IESI) exists to promote positive societal change and to address the causes and consequences of economic and social exclusion within society.
IESI brings together research, practice, learning, and place-making activity from across the University, addressing issues such as the causes and consequences of socio-economic exclusion, precarious communities, inclusive growth, and equality of opportunity. The aim is to inform policy and interventions that deliver local, regional, and national impact for marginalised communities across Sunderland, the wider north-east, and the UK.
The Institute draws on the University's long-standing and deep commitment to widening participation and equality. It also reflects and strengthens the University’s impactful and wide-ranging research excellence from across all faculties as well as its extensive external partnerships with public, private, and third sector organisations. Underpinning all of this is a uniquely community-led practice-based approach to understanding the long-standing and pervasive issues of economic and social exclusion.
The combination of these factors allows IESI to bring a new voice to national and regional policy debates on these topics and to inform new approaches and innovative policy solutions.
The cost-of-living crisis, rising inequality, and the need to address economic and social inclusion have all become high-profile in recent years, with a prominent focus on policy to tackle these challenges. Sunderland and the wider region have been extensively impacted by uneven economic and social opportunity, impacted further by wider global factors. Against this backdrop of rising inequality, economic and social inclusion is morally compelling and socially urgent.
Creating IESI in Sunderland provides an opportunity to build on existing partnerships and to grow the University’s local, regional, and national influence and impact, as well as having an immediate, sustained, and meaningful impact on marginalised and excluded communities.
IESI research will inform practice and vice versa. Areas of core focus include:
The Institute complements, builds on, and works with the University's established Research and Knowledge Exchange programme and structures including the other research institutes.
The Institute's work is organised around four workstreams:
Investigating the importance of a stable home and domestic environment on life outcomes.
Exploring how fair employment builds financial resilience.
Understanding the role of learning in lifelong opportunity and social mobility.
Studying the links and consequences of exclusion on health (and vice versa) and examining socio-economic arguments for health interventions.
Internal and external advisory boards govern the institute and support the strategic development of research and knowledge exchange activity.
The Institute’s Research and Knowledge Exchange activity is to be supported by Visiting Professors and Visiting Research Fellows internationally and nationally. Further details of these important roles will be announced in the near future.
IESI offers a range of events that highlight the work of the Institute and our collaborations with partner organisations, and provide opportunities for discussion and debate. Our next programme of events will commence in September 2024.
Our activities are open to, and bring together, University staff and students, external partners and funders from the public, private and third sector, and – most importantly – the communities we serve.
You can contact Graham for further information about IESI, including how to get involved: graham.thrower@sunderland.ac.uk.