- ATD Fourth World

Background

The Research and Training Institute, first known as the Social Research Bureau, was created in 1960 by Alwine de Vos van Steenwijk, at the request of Joseph Wresinski, founder of the International Movement ATD Fourth World.

Its mission is two-fold:

• To assist the International Movement ATD Fourth World in the formulation and development of its strategy, its message and analyses through continual interaction with the latest trends in research.

• To support the building of knowledge, research and training in all areas affecting the lives of the poorest, taking into account their personal knowledge and experiences as well as the contributions made by practitioners and academics.

Current Projects

• Preparation of a book based on an international conference held in partnership with Sciences Po Paris and the Association Française de Science Politique: "Exclusion, a Challenge to Democracy: How relevant is Joseph Wresinski’s Thinking?" which took place 17-19 December 2008. For more information: http://www.atd-quartmonde.org/Conference-Exclusion-a-Challenge.html

Other Projects

• Investigations into research-action-training associating people living in poverty. In order to prepare the international conference, a workshop on cross-disciplinary knowledge and practices (Belgium, France and Switzerland) reviewed the conditions that allow people living in extreme poverty to engage with others in their struggle (2007-2008). Workshops on cross-disciplinary knowledge and practices originated in the programmes Fourth World - University project (1996-1998) and Fourth World - Partnership project (2000-2001), both of which had the overall objective of bringing together the knowledge and experience of Fourth World activists, permanent volunteers, academics and professionals. Other projects undertaken by the Research and Training Institute are: Another Approach to Poverty Indicators in Belgium (2002-2004); and two family monographs from Burkina Faso and Peru (contribution to the World Bank study “Moving out of Poverty”, 2005).

Activities

Campus Annual Seminar Campus brings together members of the International Movement ATD Fourth World and others in a dialogue on extreme poverty and social exclusion. This year Campus will take place 23-27 August 2010. See: Summer Seminar.
Contact: institut@atd-quartmonde.org

Conferences

• in partnership with the History Centre of Sciences Po, "L’histoire des pauvres, pour quoi faire?" Paris, June 2008

• in partnership with the Political Research Centre of Sciences Po and CEVIPOF, "Refuser la misère. Quelle est l’actualité de la pensée politique de Joseph Wresinski?" Paris, March 2008

Other Seminars

• in partnership with the Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (FOKAL), a regional conference on human rights, violence and knowledge, in association with extreme poverty, was held in Port-au-Prince, Haïti, in February 2008
• in partnership with the International Movement ATD Fourth World Netherlands, "Dialogue with the Fourth World on Poverty and Human Rights" was held in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, November 2007
• in partnership with Action mondiale contre la pauvreté France (Global call to action against poverty), a seminar "Extreme Poverty and Decent Work", was held at the Conseil Economique et Social, Paris, 11 December 2006
• in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement, "Extreme Poverty and Development" was held in Paris, June 2006
• in partnership with the World Bank, "Attacking Extreme Poverty", was held in Washington, October 2005

Latest Publications

• Publication in November 2008 of the book Eradiquer la misère. Démocratie, mondialisation et droits de l’homme ed. PUF (Presses Universitaires Françaises). The book contains family monographs from countries in four different continents (France, Burkina Faso, Peru and the Philippines) and analyses and propositions for bringing human rights to all. An English version of this book is currently in preparation.

• Publication of Le croisement des pouvoirs. This book presents the results of experiences leading to a number of training programmes with partners from the professional world and institutions, university lectures and research, training courses and events as part of the International Movement ATD Fourth World and draws conclusions in four fields: knowledge, methodology, ethics and politics (December 2008, co-edited with Editions de l’Atelier and Editions Quart Monde).

Recent Publications

• Moving Out Of Poverty: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Mobility by Deepa Naryan and Patti Petesch (contribution to Chapter 8, "Resisting extreme poverty : learning from families in Burkina Faso and Peru"), published by the World Bank and Palgrave Macmillan, October 2007, 350 pages.

• Participatory Approaches to Attacking Extreme Poverty: Case Studies Led by the International Movement ATD Fourth World, 2006, World Bank Working Paper no. 77, edited by Xavier Godinot and Quentin Wodon.

• How Poverty Separates Parents and Children: A Challenge to Human Rights, Study for the United Nations, 2004. Fourth World Publications, 155 pages, 16 €. Also available in French under the title Quand l’extrême pauvreté sépare parents et enfants : un défi pour les droits de l’homme.

• Another Approach to Poverty Indicators In Belgium (2004). The summary in English and the full report in French are available from ‘Service de Lutte Contre la Pauvreté, la Précarité et l’Exclusion Sociale’ www.luttepauvrete.be

• Persistent Poverty in Europe in 2015 (2003). Find at: Insecurity and Extreme Poverty in Europe
  (Original: La Pauvreté en Europe: essai de prospective, published in Futuribles n°290, October 2003, www.futuribles.com)

• The merging of knowledge. People in poverty and académics thinking together Fourth world-University research group, published by University Press of America. See:
  

• Artisans of Democracy (2000). University Press of America, 276 pages, 16 €.

‘Revue Quart Monde’

The Revue Quart Monde is the journal of the Research and Training Institute and is a member of the association of scientific and cultural publications. Based on bringing the life and thinking of the very poor to the fore, it presents articles on actions and studies which hope to shed some light on the path towards overcoming poverty and exclusion and building a more equitable society. Published quarterly, each edition focuses on a particular issue or theme with contributions from a wide range of authors. It is currently only available in French. For more information and for details of purchase and subscription, visit the website at: www.revuequartmonde.org , or alternatively you can contact: