Reducing Inequality: What Does SDG 10 Mean to Policymakers? | School of Law and Social Justice

Aerial view of Liverpool city centre at dusk, showing illuminated streets and buildings.

Mark, Olivier, Ruth, Sorin and Teodora from the University of Liverpool's Schools of Management, Environmental Sciences, Law and Social Justice, Arts and Medicine, invite you to an event thinking about UN Sustainable Development Goal 10 and what it means for policy design, implementation and decision-making in relation to local, place-based initiatives. The event will be held on 13 July 2026 at the University of Liverpool. Please read this short blog for more information and sign up using the link at the end.

Sustainable development and the SDGs

The pursuit of sustainable development remains one of the defining challenges of our time. While economic growth is essential for creating prosperity and opportunity, it must be achieved in a way that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Equally important is ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared broadly across society rather than concentrated among a privileged few. To address these challenges, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, centred on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that provide a framework for countries to promote inclusive, equitable and sustainable development.

The 17 SDGs represent the culmination of more than 25 years of international efforts to build a global consensus on sustainable development, beginning with the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The goals were developed by a 30-member working group that sought to identify the diverse strategies and policy approaches required to address a range of interconnected challenges. Central to this work was the recognition that issues such as climate change and poverty cannot be tackled in isolation, but depend upon progress in areas including education, health, equality and economic opportunity. To track and monitor progress towards these goals, the SDGs are accompanied by a comprehensive framework of indicators and targets.

Understanding inequality within SDG 10

SDG 10, which focuses on reducing inequalities, is one of the broadest and most far-reaching of the Sustainable Development Goals. This reflects the fact that inequality manifests across multiple dimensions of social, economic and political life. At its core, inequality refers to disparities in power, resources, opportunities and outcomes that arise from social structures and hierarchies that advantage some groups while disadvantaging others. These disparities may stem from laws, institutions and cultural norms that directly or indirectly discriminate on the basis of characteristics such as gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief. Inequality also encompasses economic disparities, including unequal distributions of income and wealth, as well as unequal access to education, employment, healthcare and other opportunities which form barriers that prevent individuals from participating fully in society.

SDG 10 comprises 10 targets to:

Reduce income inequalities
Promote universal social, economic and political inclusion
Ensure equal opportunities and end discrimination
Adopt social and fiscal policies that promote equality
Improve regulation of global financial markets and institutions
Enhance representation for developing countries in financial institutions
Promote responsible and well-managed migration policies
Foster special and differential treatment for developing countries
Encourage development assistance and investment in least developed countries
Reduce transaction costs for migrant remittances

The United Nations is not a global government, and its member states are not legally obliged to adopt or implement the Sustainable Development Goals in a uniform or coordinated manner. Instead, the SDGs provide a shared framework intended to guide policy and development efforts across a wide range of national contexts. This raises important definitional and normative questions concerning how the goals should be interpreted and the extent to which they can deliver meaningful change in practice.

Countries differ significantly in their institutional arrangements, political systems, cultures, social norms and economic circumstances. They also vary considerably in terms of resource availability, development priorities and levels of economic and social development. As a result, states often pursue different pathways towards sustainable development, reflecting their unique challenges and opportunities. Consequently, policies and interventions that prove effective in one context may not be easily transferable to another. SDG 10 is concerned not only with reducing inequalities between countries, but also with addressing inequalities within them. Achieving sustainable economic growth requires a fairer distribution of wealth, opportunity and life chances, ensuring that the benefits of development are shared across society rather than concentrated among particular groups or places.

This need for contextual adaptation is evident even within individual countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, substantial regional disparities in economic performance, living standards and access to opportunity mean that achieving the objectives of the SDGs requires differentiated and place-sensitive policy approaches rather than a single national strategy.

Inequality at the local level

Liverpool provides a useful example of the challenges associated with tackling inequality at the local level. Despite significant progress in recent years, deprivation remains deeply entrenched in parts of the city. The Index of Multiple Deprivation (2025) found that 54% of Liverpool's neighbourhoods were among the most deprived in England, although this represents an improvement on previous years. Other indicators highlight continuing challenges: economic inactivity stands at around 24%, while across the Liverpool City Region almost one in five workers (18.8%) are employed in severely insecure forms of work.

At the same time, Liverpool has made substantial progress in improving economic and social outcomes. According to the Centre for Cities' Cities Outlook 2026, the proportion of working-age residents in employment was just 61% in 2013, while the share of residents with no formal qualifications has fallen from 15% in 2013 to around 8% today. These improvements reflect the city's broader economic resurgence over the past two decades. However, while Liverpool has experienced considerable growth and regeneration, the benefits of this transformation have not been distributed evenly. Significant disparities in income, employment, skills and opportunity remain, demonstrating that reducing inequality continues to be a central challenge for policymakers seeking to deliver the ambitions of SDG 10. This is clearly demonstrated by recent revelations that 69% of children are living in poverty in Liverpool’s Arundel ward, which is the highest level recorded in the entire UK (see Liverpool Echo - One of Liverpool's most famous streets is ground zero for a parenting crisis, 31^st May 2026).

This legacy of inequality has prompted both local authorities and national governments to introduce a wide range of policies and initiatives aimed at promoting economic growth and improving social inclusion, with varying degrees of success. Research on policy implementation highlights the importance of bottom-up approaches in identifying and delivering effective interventions. This is because those operating on the frontline of service delivery are best placed to understand local needs, barriers and opportunities, making context a critical factor in determining ‘what works’ in practice.

From this perspective, achieving the aims of SDG 10 requires more than the design of national policies; it also depends upon how these policies are interpreted and implemented within specific places. One way of advancing inclusion is through place-making approaches that consider the economic, social and environmental functions of local areas. By shaping places that are accessible, connected and responsive to community needs, policymakers can help create more equitable access to opportunities, resources and services, thereby reducing inequalities across society.

Policy challenges and the role of SDG 10

What remains unclear is how SDG 10 is understood and applied within these contemporary policy debates, and what significance it holds for policymakers, practitioners and community organisations. On the surface, there appears to be considerable alignment between the objectives of SDG 10 and many place-based approaches that seek to reduce inequality through the promotion of social value, wellbeing and inclusive local economic growth. However, it is less clear whether SDG 10 has actively shaped these initiatives or whether the apparent alignment merely reflects a convergence of goals and priorities. It is also notable that previous work looking at SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities (Arup and University of Liverpool, 2025) found that while it was increasingly shaping urban planning practice around the world, its influence varied significantly across regions, sectors and levels of government.

This raises important questions about the practical influence of the SDG framework. To what extent has SDG 10 informed policy design, implementation and decision-making? Has it led to tangible changes in practice, or does it function primarily as a guiding principle? More broadly, could a deeper understanding and application of SDG 10 strengthen policymakers' responses to inequality by encouraging greater collaboration, policy integration and coordination across sectors? Such an approach may be particularly valuable within place-making initiatives, where complex social, economic and environmental challenges often require joined-up and cross-cutting solutions.

Get involved

All these issues will be explored through a roundtable symposium held at the University of Liverpool on 13 July 2026. If you have an interest or experience in the intersections between public health, justice, housing and the built environment and would like to contribute to this debate, please register via the online form below

We would greatly appreciate your participation to help us to understand realities either at policy-making level or in frontline delivery. In turn, you will have the opportunity to help shape our research focus so that we can produce evidence and insights that are beneficial to your work. Attendance will also provide an opportunity to network with fellow professionals working across different sectors to address inequality, as well as with the academic team at the University of Liverpool.

Fill in the online form: SDG 10 - what does it mean to you? Roundtable event

Event information

Date: Monday 13 July 2026

Time: 10.30am - 3pm

Location: School of Arts Library (19-23 Abercromby Square), University of Liverpool

Attendance is free and includes lunch and refreshments.

This event is being supported by the University of Liverpool’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research.