Inequalities and STI policies: impact analysis

As inequality rises around the world, practitioners of science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy need to consider their roles in exacerbating or mitigating it. Unless they are specifically designed to do otherwise, national and regional STI policies tend to increase inequality. Alternative designs are available, however, to use STI policy in ways that improve lives in low-resource households, reduce horizontal inequalities, and help to close the gaps between rich and poor. The size of the impact of these options is impossible to determine with current information but the potential is significant.