Research Initiatives

King Center research initiatives bring together communities of scholars working on sustained global development and poverty alleviation research agendas.

Learn more about the Request for Proposals (RFP) and application process

Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change in the Global South

Given the amount of unavoidable warming and the growing movement in the international community to provide funding for adaptation, the initiative aims to identify where adaptation has occurred and what policies can effectively encourage future climate adaptation and resilience.

African Urbanization and Development Research Initiative

The African Urbanization and Development Research Initiative (AUDRI) is a research program focusing on the determinants of household welfare and firm growth in two of the fastest growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa: Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire).

Climate Change and Political Mobilization in the Global South

The initiative is investigating how pressures emanating from the natural world in the wake of climate change increasingly shape politics in the Global South, including whether climate change itself could undermine the political feasibility of meaningful action on mitigation or adaptation.

Conflict and Polarization

A large body of research has shown the substantial role that violent conflict plays in underdevelopment around the world, particularly in the most vulnerable communities.

Extreme Poverty, Infrastructure, and Climate

The Extreme Poverty, Infrastructure, and Climate (EPIC) initiative seeks to shed light on how infrastructure investments can spur poverty alleviation, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Firms and Global Productivity

The Firms and Global Productivity initiative seeks to understand the underlying forces that drive productivity and how those forces affect economic growth in developing countries.

Gender-based Violence in the Developing World

Initiative team members aim to better understand the larger context of violence against women in low- and middle-income countries.

migrant worker picking strawberries in a field

Guestworker Migration

The Guestworker Migration initiative analyzes the impacts of short-term labor migration on agricultural employers, migrants, and origin communities to inform the development of productive, effective, and humane immigration policy.

Improving Health, Intelligence and Economic Growth by Reducing Lead Exposure

The initiative identifies stakeholders in the acid battery recycling and leaded paint industries and aims to produce long-term, viable solutions to remove lead from the value chain or find ways to ensure it does not contaminate the environment.

Migration and Development

The Migration and Development initiative seeks to reposition migration as a powerful catalyst for development in low-income countries.

Inclusive Democracy and Development Lab

In partnership with a political party in India and a large central government Ministry, the Inclusive Democracy and Development Lab will focus on improving women’s representation at all levels of the political process.

Stanford Human Trafficking Data Lab

Human trafficking for forced labor or sexual exploitation poses unique challenges for policymakers. However, little is known about how the market for trafficked individuals works – and ultimately, how to prevent these crimes.

Previous Initiatives

Read more about initiatives previously funded by the King Center.