The institutions and political inequality research unit focuses on the political economy of social and political inequality. The unit’s initial work has two core strands:

The first strand focuses on inequalities in linkages between citizens and states, examining topics of political accountability and political alienation: when can citizens affect political outcomes and when do they disconnect from, or challenge, political structures?

The second strand, focused on informal institutions, examines the evolution of social norms around behaviors related to equality, fairness, and justice. Of particular interest is norm change induced by changes in economic or demographic structures, such as those produced by migration and urbanization.