Frances Stewart

Director

Email: frances.stewart@qeh.ox.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)1865 281811

Research areas

Horizontal inequalities; Poverty and human development; group behaviour; causes and consequences of conflict. 

Current research

- Horizontal inequalities. Investigating how horizontal inequalities (ie inequalities in economic and political resources between culturally defined groups) contribute to the causes of conflict. An initial investigation into experience in eight conflict-affected countries shows that horizontal inequalities can be conflict-promoting, while carefully designed policies to moderate horizontal inequalities, as in Malaysia, may greatly ameliorate the situation – but unless designed sensitively they may also inflame it, as in Sri Lanka. See CRISE Working Paper no. 1, Horizontal Inequalities: A Neglected Dimension of Development.

Research on the nature, causes and consequences of horizontal inequalities will form the central focus of the new research centre, CRISE. We are exploring this by in-depth country studies, regional comparisons and some econometric analysis using data from across the world.

- Concepts of poverty. Work with Professor Barbara Harriss-White, S Franco Rodriguez, C Ruggeri Laderchi, R Saith

This project, supported by DFID, has two broad objectives: to compare four different conceptual approaches to poverty - monetary, capabilities, social exclusion and participatory - from a theoretical point of view; and to assess empirically the informational losses arising from adopting one or the other, in a comparative perspective. Empirical work was undertaken with collaborating institutions in India and Peru. Conclusions have been drawn with respect to both the academic debate on the nature of poverty, and the identification of the poor for policy purposes. QEHWPS 107 summarises some of the results of this work. Caterina Ruggeri Laderchi, Ruhi Saith and Frances Stewart (QEH), ‘Does it matter that we don't agree on the definition of poverty? A comparison of four approaches.’ A book is being prepared.

- Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. Investigations with Michael Wang on whether PRSPS empower the poor or the World Bank – two papers have been written:  (QEHWPS108)(Date of Publication: October 2003) Frances Stewart and Michael Wang, ‘Do PRSPs Empower Poor Countries And Disempower The World Bank, or is it the Other Way Round?’ : and one on PRSPs from a Human Rights perspective.

- Human development and economic growth. Work with Michael Boozer, Gus Ranis and Tavneet Suri at Yale is investigating econometric relationships between human development and economic growth, particularly focussing on the sequencing issue, a follow up to a paper on this issue with Alejandro Ramirez and Gustav Ranis published in World Development 2000 (QEHWPS 18). See Yale Economic Growth Center Discussion Papers 874: Boozer, Michael, Gustav Ranis, Frances Stewart, & Tavneet Suri, "Paths to Success:   The Relationship Between Human Development and Economic Growth," December 2003.  (48pp.)(http://www.econ.yale.edu/~egcenter/EGCdp4c.htm).

- Global influences on violent self-determination movements. With V FitzGerald, C. Lloyd, S, Duncan and R. Venugopal, P. Englbert and W. Reno.  The aim was to explore the cultural and economic linkages (and their interactions) between external factors and movements of self-determination. We found, though some general analysis and some case studies in Africa and Asia that such identities, constructed or accentuated by local leaders, are often heavily influenced by global cultural forces. Secondly, we found that global cultural links frame and help determine the source, nature and quantity of political and economic resources received by groups supporting or opposing the struggles. The international provision of economic resources through trade, aid, investment, remittances and crime is often crucial in determining the strength of self-determination movements and the nature and outcome of the struggle. A book is being prepared. See also QEHWPS98) (February 2003), Frances Stewart ‘Global Economic Influences and Policies towards Violent Self-Determination Movements: An Overview’.

CRISE publications

CRISE Working Paper No. 50: Macro Adjustment Policies and Horizontal Inequalities (with Arnim Langer) (2008)

CRISE Working Paper No. 45: Horizontal Inequalities in Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire: Issues and Policies (with Raufu Mustapha and Arnim Langer) (2007)

CRISE Working Paper No. 42: Policies Towards Horizontal Inequalities (with Graham Brown and Arnim Langer) (2007)

CRISE Working Paper No. 39: Horizontal inequalities: Explaining Persistence and Change (with Arnim Langer) (2007)

CRISE Working Paper No. 36: The Implications of Horizontal Inequality for Aid (with Graham Brown ) (2006)

CRISE Working Paper No. 19: Why Horizontal Inequalities Matter: Some Implications for Measurement (with Graham Brown and Luca Mancini) (2005)

CRISE Working Paper No. 7: Policies towards Horizontal Inequalities in Post-Conflict Reconstruction (2005)

Social Exclusion and Conflict : Analysis and policy implications (with Manuel Barrón, Graham Brown, and Marcia Hartwell) (2005)

CRISE Working Paper No. 3: Development and Security (2004)

CRISE Policy Context Paper: International Policy Levers (December 2003)

CRISE Working Paper No. 1: Horizontal Inequalities: A Neglected Dimension of Development (2003)

Recent publications

‘When and how far is group formation a route out of chronic poverty?’ with Rosemary Thorp and Amrik Heyer, World Development, Volume 33, Issue 6, June 2005, Pages 907-920

‘Do PRSPs empower poor countries and disempower the World Bank, or is it the other way round?’ in G. Ranis, J.R. Vreeland and S.Kosack (eds) Globalization and the Nation State, London: Routledge (2006).

‘The evolution of economic ideas: from import substitution to Human Development’, in V. FitzGerald and R. Thorp Economic Doctrines in Latin America. London: Palgrave (2006).

'Human Development: Beyond the Human Development Index', with G. Ranis and E. Samman. 2006. Journal of Human Development 7, 3, 323-358. Shortened version in UNDP, Poverty in Focus (Dec. 2006).

‘Basic needs approach’ in DAClark (ed), The Elgar Companion to Development Studies. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar (2006).

‘The priority of Human development’ (with Gustav Ranis) in E.Hershberg and C.Thornton (eds.), The Development Imperative. New York: Social Science Research Council (2005).

‘Horizontal Inequalities : a neglected dimension of development’ , in UNU-WIDER, Wider Perspectives on Global Development. London: Palgrave (2005)

‘Poverty reduction strategy papers within the human rights perspective’ with Michael Wang in P. Alston and M.Robinson (eds.) Human Rights and Development, pp 447-474. Oxford: OUP (2005)

‘Groups and capabilities’, Journal of Human Development, 6, 2, 185-204 (2005).

'Fundamental socio-economic causes of conflict’ in D. Fortuna Anwar et al. (eds.), Violent Internal Conflicts in Asia Pacific , Yayasan Obor: Jakarta (2005) [English version]; 'Sebab-sebab dasar sosial ekonomi, konflik politik, dengan kekerasan', Konflik Kekerasan Internal: Tinjauan Sejarah, Ekonomi-Politik, dan Kebijakan di Asia Pasifik, Yayasan Obor: Jakarta (2005) [versi Bahasa Indonesia]

‘Development and Security’ in Conflict, Security and Development, 4 (3), 261-288, December (2004).

'Horizontale Ungleichheit als Ursache von Bϋrgerkriegen', in S. Kurtenbach and P. Lock (eds.), Kriege als (Über) Lebenswelten , Stiftung Entwickeln und Frieden: Bonn (2004)

'Development and security', Conflict, Security and Development 4:3 (2004)

'Income distribution and development', in J. Toye (ed.), Trade and Development: Directions for the 21st Century, Edward Elgar: Cheltenham (2003)

'Conflict and the millennium development goals’, Journal of Human Development 4:3 (2003)

'Does it matter that we do not agree on the definition of poverty? A comparison of four approaches’ (with C. Ruggeri Laderchi and R. Saith), Oxford Development Studies, 31:3 (2003)

'Global governance: the case for a world economic and social council' (with S. Daws), Finance and the Common Good 15 (2003)

Group Behaviour and Development: Is the Market Destroying Cooperation? (ed. with J. Heyer and R. Thorp), OUP: Oxford (2002)

'Amartya Sen’s contribution to development thinking’ (with S. Deneulin), Studies in Comparative International Development 37:2 (2002)

War and Underdevelopment, 1: The Economic and Social Causes of Conflict; 2: Country Experience (with V. Fitzerald et al.), OUP: Oxford (2001)

War, Hunger and Displacement: The Origin of Humanitarian Emergencies, 1: War and Displacement in Developing Countries; 2: Weak States and Vulnerable Economies: The Origins of Humanitarian Emergencies in Developing Economies (ed. with E. W. Nafziger and R. Väyrynen), OUP: Oxford (2000)

Detailed c.v.