Battling deepening inequality: GRIP’s Annual Report 2022 embraces collaborative and multidimensional research

At the heart of the Global Research Programme on Inequality’s (GRIP) mission lies a collaborative framework with and within the International Science Council (Paris) and its own global networks, transcending disciplinary boundaries and knowledge systems, all dedicated to the practical and analytical confrontation of inequality. GRIP operationalises this vision by bringing together partners and research teams worldwide under a shared framework that embraces diverse epistemic traditions, knowledge discourses, and research methodologies. GRIP’s approach fosters inclusive and globally aware research-driven dialogues and alliances, delving into the multifaceted layers of inequality - economic, social, political, legal, cultural, historical, and spatial - across diverse global contexts.

Collaboration forms the bedrock of GRIP's endeavours, as the multi-dimensional challenges of inequality necessitate diverse research modalities to comprehend and address these complex issues. GRIP’s resolute commitment to a pluralistic, multidisciplinary, and multi-dimensional research strategy, guided by questions concerning the very essence and legacies of inequality's comprehension, steers the programme toward identifying pathways to heightened equality, often molded by the intricate interplay of global and local contestations. Through impactful research, GRIP's pivotal role surfaces in weaving together critical perspectives on inequality that ultimately contribute to transformative systemic changes and a more equitable future.

Throughout 2022, GRIP embarked on a series of initiatives, expanding its footprint in the realm of inequality comprehension and mitigation. Notably, its network of affiliates experienced a twofold growth, elevating from 24 affiliated researchers in 2021 to an impressive cohort of 49 in 2022. Further fostering the exchange of knowledge, the year welcomed three GRIP affiliates as visiting researchers in Bergen, enriching the intellectual discourse in the process.

GRIP assumes a position at the crossroads of scholarly expertise, seeking to bridge the gap between scholarly insight and the public's yearning for clarity and redress in an unequal world. GRIP’s engagement takes diverse forms, disseminating research across an array of platforms designed to reach an extensive and varied audience. These platforms encompass auditory and visual mediums, a podcast - "Unequal Worlds" - a YouTube channel, and a vibrant presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Through these platforms, we channel scholarly contributions, including books, journal articles, and thought leadership pieces that sometimes take the shape of thematic miniseries.

2022 marked a pivotal juncture in GRIP's organisational trajectory. This period saw significant strides in both the delineation of the programme's future scope and changes within the GRIP Secretariat. Early in 2022, GRIP welcomed Prof. Don Kalb, a luminary in social anthropology and a leading authority on the history and dynamics of social inequality, as the new Academic Director.

A cornerstone in GRIP’s evolution, the GRIP Development Plan, meticulously shaped through deliberations with UiB and ISC, crystallised the programme’s unwavering commitment to global, contextually driven, and epistemologically diverse knowledge. This visionary plan illuminates GRIP’s course for the next decade, accentuating its dedication to experimental, collaborative knowledge production and underscoring multi-dimensional, pluralistic research. The plan maps out quintessential activities that will drive the programme in the ensuing years.

Please follow this link to read and download the GRIP Annual Report 2022.