The Social and Economic Policy Program Area focuses on public policies that can help to reduce poverty and enhance social equity in developing countries.  It works to strengthen long-term research capacities, to support policy-relevant research on issues of immediate policy concern, and to facilitate public accountability by helping researchers and civil society organizations participate effectively in policy debates at the local, national, and international levels.

• Globalization, Growth, and Poverty
  This program aims to enable developing countries to design appropriate domestic policies and international integration strategies for promoting more inclusive and equitable growth.

• Paz, Conflicto y Desarollo
  

• Think Tank Initiative
  The Think Tank Initiative is a new, multi-donor program dedicated to strengthening independent policy research institutions – or “think tanks” – in developing countries, enabling them to better provide sound research that both informs and influences policy.

• Derechos de las Mujeres y Participación Ciudadana
  IDRC's WRC program contributes to bringing Southern voices into current debates in the international gender and development field.