Objectives
The interdisciplinary consortium AIPRIL is a Centre of Excellence at the University of Antwerp. In a rapidly changing and crisis-prone world, it advances research on socioeconomic inequality through a multidisciplinary and global perspective.
(1) New data and measurement tools
We develop innovative ways to measure inequality across time and space. By combining historical and contemporary data, we move beyond income to capture multidimensional well-being, with particular attention to those worst off.
(2) Understanding precarity and buffers
We study how people navigate economic insecurity. Our research examines the role of public policies, private resources, and social networks in buffering income volatility and precarity across different contexts and over time.
(3) Global minimum income protection
We analyse how welfare systems support the most vulnerable worldwide. Taking a global perspective, we assess the adequacy, design, and reach of minimum income protection, including the role of wealth, assets, and public services.
(4) Solidarity beyond borders
We explore new forms of redistribution and social protection beyond the nation state. With a focus on the European Union, we investigate how mobility, integration, and supranational policies reshape social rights and solidarity.
(5) Inequality and the energy transition
We examine how climate change and the shift to low-carbon economies affect inequality. Our work focuses on the distribution of costs and benefits and on policies needed for a socially just transition.
(6) Societies under environmental stress
We analyse how societies respond to environmental crises. We study how collective action, institutions, and local knowledge can reduce vulnerability—or, conversely, deepen existing inequalities.