The Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) is an independent not-for-profit research think tank which focuses on generating new knowledge, information and analysis in the field of poverty and inequality studies, entering its first 10 years of existence.
The main objectives of SPII’s founding trustees was to create a safe space within which policy analysts and activist in civil society, researchers, intellectuals and government policy-makers could come together to interrogate the development and implementation of effective evidence-based anti-poverty policies necessary to address the growing level of economic, social and political exclusion and inequalities in South Africa, as well as the Southern Africa region more broadly.
SPII is not just another research and policy institute, it puts emphasis on both content (knowledge) and process (inclusive participation). In addition, SPII’s approach relies on identifying and exploring not only areas of agreement between policy actors, but also areas of dissent. Unspoken assumptions and ideological values will ultimately affect the development of appropriate policies. SPII’s methodology acknowledges this and as a result, SPII provides space for policy actors to challenge their own position and those of their peers and to distinguish between occasion that require intellectual engagement and those that are determined through ideological engagement.
