Research Institutes, Progressives Think-Thanks and other Online Resources

The Center for Global Development (CGD) is an independent think tank that works to reduce global poverty and inequality by encouraging policy change in the U.S. and other rich countries through rigorous research and active engagement with the policy community. More.
The International Poverty Centre (IPC) is a joint project between the United Nations Development Programme and the Brazilian Government to promote South-South Cooperation on applied poverty research. It specializes in analyzing poverty and inequality and offering research-based policy recommendations on how to reduce them. See especially the section: Economic Policies, MDGs and Poverty. More.

Gapminder is a non-profit venture for development and provision of free software that visualise human development. This is done in collaboration with universities, UN organisations, public agencies and non-governmental organisations. Gapminder Foundation advances software development that have been done earlier by the non-profit company Gapminder Ltd. Funding has been and is mainly by grants from Sida for the Trendalyzer project. Being a producer of global public goods Gapminder benefit from free and creative inputs from pilot-testers and other end-users in many institutions and organisations. More.

Mapping Worlds initiates maps to illuminate the issues important to the world community. It develops maps in which the size of a country is rendered by an indicator, rather than by its geography ('cartogram'). These maps offer a different perspective on the contemporary world. International development institutions spend a lot of effort assembling statistics and assessing changes. Mapping Worlds suggests to enhance the value of these data, to better detect and analyze differences between countries or regions. More.
Social Watch is an international network informed by national citizens' groups aiming at following up the fulfilment of internationally agreed commitments on poverty eradication and equality. These national groups report, through the national Social Watch report, on the progress - or regression - towards these commitments and goals. The international secretariat of Social Watch is hosted by the Third World Institute in Montevideo, Uruguay. More.
The Southern African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN) is a non-profit organisation that promotes debate and knowledge sharing on poverty reduction processes and experiences in Southern Africa. SARPN aims to contribute towards effective reduction of poverty in the countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) through creating platforms for effective pro-poor policy, strategy and practice. More.

The South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) is a network of like-minded NGOs, mass-based organisations, academics, trade unions, community based organisations and the like from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, working together towards the eradication of poverty and protection of human rights and social justice in the region. More.
The Third World Network is an independent non-profit international network of organizations and individuals involved in issues relating to development, the Third World and North- South issues. Its objectives are to conduct research on economic, social and environmental issues pertaining to the South; to publish books and magazines; to organize and participate in seminars; and to provide a platform representing broadly Southern interests and perspectives at international fora such as the UN conferences and processes. More.
The Unnayan Onneshan is a progressive think-tank that undertakes research for advancing ideas and building constituencies for social transformation. The Institute advances critical scholarship, promotes inter-disciplinary dialogue and amplifies grassroots perspectives. The public-interest research institute works in collaboration with national partners, international organisations and leading universities. More.