Dr Tom Lavers

Overview

My research focuses on the comparative political economy of development. Through most of my work I have used public policy as a lens for analysing state-society relations, both how politics shapes policymaking and how the implementation of policies, in turn, transforms state-society relations. This broad interest has led me to conduct research on a range of topics, including: land tenure and land use, agrarian transformation, agricultural production systems, social policy and social protection, and ideas in political analysis.

Most of my field research has been conducted in Ethiopia, though more recently I have done work in Rwanda and Uganda, and I retain an interest in Peru and Latin America more broadly from past fieldwork.

I welcome enquiries from potential PhD students working on issues related to my own work. See the 'Opportunities' tab.

Biography

Past employment

2014-16 Researcher, International Labour Organization (ILO)

2013-16 External Professor, University of Geneva

2013-14 Research Fellow, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

2006-08 Research Analyst, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

2004-06 Research Officer, ESRC Research Group on Wellbeing in Developing Countries (WeD), University of Bath

Education

2013 PhD in International Development and Social Policy, University of Bath

2008 MRes in International Development, University of Bath

2004 MSc in International Development, University of Bath

2001 BSc (Hons), University of Bristol