The number of people living on less than 1$ a day and suffering from hunger worldwide has decreased  since the Millennium Development Goals were set into action in 2000.

However, the extreme poor, who live on less than 0.5 $ per day, are mostly excluded from this progress. Millions of people, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa and South Asia are currently being marginalized and left behind.

Therefore, ZEF conducts research focusing on marginality and extreme poverty in developing countries to identify causes as well as opportunities which can help people improve their lives and overcome obstacles.

One possibility is to attract development investors: If they understand marginality better, poverty reducing investments will be more successful.