What critics often point to is a focus only on who is left behind takes attention away from some of the processes by which people get left behind. As a panelist in an ODI event put it, what about those who get ahead? In fairness to the framers of the SDGs there is a specific goal on inequality (goal 10) and routine disaggregation is proposed. But it remains a reasonable question as to how the ‘no one left behind’ approach will be used to think about inequalities not only absolute poverty. Hopefully by the end of next week we will know rather more about how intention will be turned into practice.
Research should contribute to this agenda by providing tools to uncover the processes by which inequalities are created and so informing better strategies to mitigate or reverse inequalities. Young Lives has written much on this topic. In analysis of how inequalities develop over the life course we identified 3 core conclusions of how poorer children are left behind in their development and, by extension, how policy might mitigate such disadvantages.