Ilcheong YI is the Senior Research Coordinator for the Alternative Economies for Transformation Programme and Transformative Social Policy Programme at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) which is an autonomous research institute within the UN system. Born in the Republic of Korea, he studied political science (B.A. and M.A. from the Department of Political Science, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea) and social policy (D.Phil from Oxford University, the UK). His interests span a wide range of subjects associated with development, environment, human rights, and peace, including the relationship between developmental state, poverty, inequality, and economic growth, universal social protection, social policy in a development context, social and solidarity economy, and sustainability reporting and ESG, and integrated approach to development, environment and peace nexus in borders and borderlands. Prior to joining UNRISD, Ilcheong was an Associate Professor at Kyushu University, Japan, and Korea Foundation Professor at the Department of East Asian Studies, at the University of Malaya, Malaysia, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Stein Rokkan Centre, Norway. He has authored and edited numerous books, journal articles, and book chapters including forthcoming two co-edited volumes (Encyclopedia of Social and Solidarity Economy (Edward Elgar), and Emerging Trends in Social Policy (Policy Press)).