Understanding Poverty and Inequality

Understanding Poverty and Inequality, offered by SDG Academy in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution, is an online course designed to examine the definitions, scale, and scope of poverty and inequality across the world. The course is framed through the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with particular focus on SDG 1: No Poverty and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. It explores why poverty and inequality remain central global challenges and how they are linked to wider issues such as health, education, climate change, migration, conflict, and social inclusion.

Core Content

The curriculum presents a broad overview of poverty and inequality while also examining their links to well-being, socioeconomic mobility, and the specific challenges faced by women, minorities, Indigenous people, and other vulnerable populations. It concludes with policy approaches and tools for addressing poverty and inequality in different contexts. The syllabus includes modules on measurement, trends, and rates of change, economic growth and poverty, multidimensional poverty, inequality across and within countries, social inclusion, mobility, and policy responses, supported by case studies from different regions.

Key Skills

Participants will develop the ability to understand what poverty and inequality mean in different contexts, interpret how they are measured, and assess how they relate to wider development outcomes and social vulnerability. The course also helps learners build a stronger understanding of socioeconomic mobility, multidimensional poverty, and policy tools for reducing exclusion and improving resilience. Its emphasis is on connecting evidence, case studies, and policy thinking in a more practical way.

Target Learners

This course is designed for policy professionals who want to understand the scale and scope of poverty and inequality in order to design effective interventions, development practitioners seeking knowledge on poverty alleviation, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in economics, development, and related topics. Its applied development framing makes it relevant for both professional and academic learners.

Learning Format

Hosted through edX and SDG Academy, the course is delivered in a flexible online format with six modules, accessible at any time, and an expected study effort of two to four hours per module. The learning experience includes pre-recorded lectures, readings, activities, quizzes, a final exam, and a discussion forum, allowing learners to progress at their own pace while building practical understanding step by step. SDG Academy also notes that the course is free, has no prerequisites, and offers a verified certificate signed by the course instructors for successful learners.

Additional Benefits

The course offers practical value for learners who want a more structured and evidence-based understanding of poverty and inequality in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. Its partnership with the Brookings Institution adds policy relevance, while its combination of global case studies, multidimensional analysis, and applied policy discussion makes it especially useful for those working on development, social policy, and inclusion.

Browse more ESG courses and certifications to enhance your skills and knowledge.