Diane Elson

Diane Elson is Professor of Sociology, University of Essex, United Kingdom. She is the former Chair in Development Studies at Manchester University. She worked on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (NIFEM) report on Progress of the World’s Women 2000, and was named one of 50 key thinkers on development in 2006. Her current research and teaching interests are global social change and the realization of human rights, with a particular focus on gender inequality and economic and social policy. Professor Elson has been Special Advisor to the Executive Director at UNIFEM, a member of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality, and has provided consultancy services to many development agencies including the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has published widely on gender, development, and human rights. Her recent publications include “Macroeconomic Policy, Employment, Unemployment and Gender Equality” in Ocampo, J.A. and Jomo, K.S., ed., Towards Full and Decent Employment ( 2007) and “Emerging Issues with a Focus on Economic Decision-Making” in UN Economic Commission for Europe, ed., Gender Gaps and Economic Policy 2007).