Inequalities in South Asian Advicescapes

David Lewis is Professor of Anthropology and Development in the Department of International Development. David's research interests lie at the interface between development studies and anthropology, and most of his work has been concerned with understanding people's encounters with development actors and development processes. He undertakes regular fieldwork in Bangladesh on governance, policy and civil society and also worked in Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Palestine and Uganda.

Anjali Sarker is an Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity and a social innovation expert and development practitioner with ten years of experience in leading projects that empower the underprivileged population, with a special focus on youth and women. She is currently the Programme Director of the Global Leadership Challenge at the University of Oxford. 

Rebecca Bowers is a feminist economic anthropologist whose research interests include gendered and inter-generational experiences of inequality, financialisaton, labour informality and labour organisation. Following completion of her PhD, Rebecca has taught Economic Anthropology and Professional Development at LSE, while responding through research to the urgency of rising inequalities during the pandemic. This has entailed simultaneous work on two projects undertaking qualitative research on the effects of government responses on vulnerable populations in the UK and India.

Luke Heslop is a Lecturer in Anthropology and Global Challenges at Brunel University and a Visiting Fellow in the Department of International Development at LSE. He has worked for many years in Sri Lanka and the Maldives and his research is centred on current trends in development and anthropology around markets, infrastructure, work and labour. His ethnographic work engages with the lived experience of macro-economic and political change and global challenges in emerging economies. He specialises in trade, mobility, and the social life of work in South Asia. 

Tasmiah Rahman has been working in the development sector for over 13 years, currently working as the Associate Director of Skills Development Programme at BRAC. Her work area is focused on skills development and employment for disadvantaged youth, understanding the informal economy and gender based challenges in training and employment. 

Anushka Wijesinha is the Co-Founder & Director of the Centre for a Smart Future and a Sri Lankan economist with experience in government, international organizations, private sector and think tanks. He consults with international organizations including International Trade Centre, World Bank and ADB.

Deborah James is Professor in the Department of Anthropology at LSE and a Faculty Associate at the International Inequalities Institute. She is a specialist in the anthropology of South and Southern Africa.

Alnoor Bhimani is the Director of the LSE South Asia Centre and Professor of Management Accounting in the Department of Accounting at LSE.