CEDI was founded as a formal Research Centre based at Brunel University in November 2005. Its activities cover the emerging research field of Economic Development and Institutions, incorporating development economics, comparative economics and transition economics.

Its focus is on how a country’s economic performance is affected by its institutions - institutions that function to secure property rights, govern firms, allocate credit, redistribute wealth, select political leaders, and so on.

The underlying theme of this research is the big issue of why some countries are rich and some poor, and how change can be effected.