Bina Agarwal and James Boyce awarded the first Global Inequality Research Award

Bina Agarwal and James Boyce have been awarded the first Global Inequality Research Award for their significant contributions to understanding global inequalities, specifically in the areas of social and environmental inequalities. The laureates will be invited to receive their awards and present an overview of their work at conferences in Paris in the fall and spring of 2024. These conferences will be organized in conjunction with Sciences Po’s Social-Ecological Transitions (SET) initiative.

Institutional Announcements

The announcement of the award was relayed by the institutions of the two winners:

• The University of Manchester’s Global Development Institute (GDI) for Bina Agarwal.
• The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) for James Boyce.

Significance of the Award

The GiRA Award recognizes the importance of addressing global inequalities from diverse perspectives and disciplines. It highlights the need for comprehensive research and collaborative efforts to understand and mitigate the complex challenges posed by economic, social, and environmental inequalities worldwide.

By honoring outstanding researchers in this field, the award aims to inspire further work and promote a deeper understanding of global inequalities, ultimately contributing to the development of effective solutions and policies.

In recent decades, the study of global inequalities has experienced a remarkable growth. Economic, social, and environmental inequalities have become the subject of extensive theoretical and empirical research, with prominent visibility and influence worldwide.

To acknowledge significant contributions to understanding global inequalities, the World Inequality Lab (WIL) and Sciences Po’s Center for Research on Social Inequalities (CRIS) have joined forces to launch the first edition of the Global Inequality Research Award (GiRA).

Objectives of the GiRA Award

The GiRA Award aims to recognize researchers from all disciplines who have made outstanding contributions to the understanding of global inequalities. It will be awarded every two years.

The award seeks to acknowledge major scholarship in the field of global inequality from two key perspectives:

1. Inequality research being conducted in all corners of the world.
2. Inequality as a complex issue that requires examination from multiple angles to be fully understood and mitigated.