GLOCEPS in a Consortium with BRAC –IGD and ETHOS Wins Southern Voice SVGD 2027 Flagship Programme Grant for Global Development
The Global Centre for Policy and Strategy (GLOCEPS), based in Kenya, East Africa, has secured a competitive research grant under the Southern Voice SVGD 2027 flagship programme, in partnership with the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development in Bangladesh, South Asia, and Ethos Innovation in Public Policy in Mexico, Latin America. The cross-continental consortium will spearhead a major study on policy innovations to strengthen labour systems and enhance economic security across the Global South.
The award follows a Southern Voice call issued on 27 November 2025, which invited member think tanks to form cross- continental consortia to generate policy-relevant evidence from the Global South. The initiative seeks to inform post-2030 development frameworks while amplifying Southern perspectives in global policy debates amid growing economic volatility, rapid technological transformation, and escalating climate risks.
Titled “Securing the Floor, Dignifying Work: Innovations for Decent Work and Social Protection from the Global South,” the research project advances Sustainable Development Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth. It will examine three policy case studies: Bangladesh’s Ultra Poor Graduation Programme, which supports vulnerable households in transitioning to sustainable livelihoods; Kenya’s national social protection reforms, including the use of digital registries under the Social Protection Act; and Mexico’s labour reforms extending protections to digital platform workers in the gig economy.
Guided by three core objectives; analysing institutional enablers, evaluating the effectiveness of expanding employment and reducing inequality, and identifying scalable policy lessons, the study aims to inform adaptive social protection systems that can respond to economic shocks, technological disruptions, and climate vulnerabilities. The USD 27,000 grant will facilitate collaboration across the three institutions throughout the 2026 research cycle, with findings feeding into the Southern Voice Global Development Report 2027 and broader global discourse on the future of decent work and social protection.
By bringing together expertise from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the consortium reflects the growing leadership of Global South think tanks in generating rigorous, actionable policy knowledge. GLOCEPS’ central role further underscores Kenya’s rising influence in shaping cross-regional research collaborations and advancing practical solutions to pressing global development challenges.
