Meera Tiwari
University of East London, University of Hertfordshire, University of Southampton, Lancaster University, University of East Anglia, University of Lucknow
0000-0003-3307-6899
About
Dr Meera Tiwari is Professor of Global Development at the University of East London. She is the Director Research, Impact and Innovation for the School of Education and Communities.
Her expertise in examining social and economic insecurities experienced by the marginalised communities both in the Global South and North, through a human-centered approach is founded on her extensive fieldwork over two decades.
Her research interests include using and critiquing Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for poverty reduction, examining inequalities and investigating policy pathways for exploring multidimensional poverty within the Capability Approach (CA).
Additionally, she deploys mixed method approaches in her research while focusing centrally on actor engagement in development.
She has conducted fieldwork in rural Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in India. Professor Tiwari has also conducted primary research in the slums of Mumbai and Nairobi, as well as rural Ethiopia and Tanzania.
She completed a UKIERI funded project on exploring good practice in overcoming deprivation in East London and Mumbai with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India.
Her recent research comprises several thematic investigations within the wider domains of gender inequality, social inclusion and hierarchies, and sustainable development through the SDGs. These include understandings of how women/girls are valued in society and how dignity has a role in improving the menstrual health outcomes that are critical for the wellbeing of not just the women but that of the society.
Prof. Meera Tiwari’s ongoing project is investigating how grassroots organisations can enable communities to engage with sustainability and ecological practices as well as facilitate the achievement of the ‘Leave no one behind’ ambition of the SDGs in East London, UK and in rural Bihar, India with the ultra-poor households.
She is also looking to how dignity indicators can improve menstrual health outcomes in East London, Telangana, India and Nepal. Her current British Academy funded project (2022-25) ‘working in solidarity with Ethiopian Universities’ has partnered with Universities of Hawassa and Bahir Dar.
Professor Tiwari has extensive experience at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, of academic leadership, programme development and teaching core areas of global development including development economics, complexity theories and mixed methods. She has supervised seven Ph.D. students and examined seven.
She is currently Director of Studies for two ESRC funded doctoral students. She held the post of the Deputy Director of ESRC UBEL Doctoral Training Programme 2019-24. She was elected the Vice President of the Human Development and the Capability Association (2023-26) and is a Fellow of the HDCA
She has served as a Reviewer for following (amongst others):
Journals: World Development, European Journal for Development Research, Development and Practice, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities
Book proposals: Palgrave, Sage, Zed Books, Practical Action, Routledge
Grants: ESRC, Global Development Network, UEL QR Allocation
She has provided SDG Consultations (amongst others) to:
2012/2013 European Commission, EuropeAid;
2013: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Geneva;
2010: Panellist, Harvard University: MDGs, Human Rights.
2014-18 served as Associate Editor for Journal of International Development
She has served as a Consultant to the following projects (amongst others):
-Role of Faith Leaders in Covid-19 Mitigation in Brazil, Bosnia, Malawi, Kenya, and Bangladesh, (2021), World Vision
-Research Capacity Building for RGMVP, India (2017-18)
-Evaluation: Save the Girl Child, CRI, Hissar (2015-16)
-Evaluation: ‘Making My History’, Instituto Fazendo Historia, Sao Paulo, Brazil, (2016-17)
-Impact of the education projects of faith-based organisations for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon
Prof Tiwari has received the following Grants (amongst others):
-Working in solidarity with Ethiopian Research Universities, British Academy, 2022-25
-‘Leave no one behind’: Reaching the ultra-poor in rural Bihar, India, QR Funding, 2023
-Impact journey of three organisations as they adopt and co-create dignity indicators to improve the menstrual health outcomes of the populations they serve. QR Funding, 2023
-Role of Dignity in Improving Menstrual Health in rural India: Institutional GCRF, 2018-19
-Evaluation of Prohibition Policy in Bihar, India: Newton Funding Seed Money, 2017
-CROP International Studies Prize 2016 for the 'Why Some Development Works',
manuscript. (CROP: Comparative Research Programme on Poverty, Bergen, Norway)
-Poverty and Social Impact analysis of Rural Livelihoods Programme in Bihar – Phase 3, funded by the University of East London, February – July 2013
-Exploring good practice in urban Social Cohesion in India and the UK – UKIERI Grant, 2012-2
Employment
-
University of East London Professor of Global Development2003 - Present
-
University of Hertfordshire Fellow2001 - 2003
-
University of East Anglia Fellow2000 - 2001
Education
-
University of Southampton Ph.D.? - 2000
-
Lancaster University M.Phil.? - 1989
-
University of Lucknow MBA? - 1984
-
University of Lucknow B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry)? - 1982
Projects & Funding
Projects & funding information is unavailable.
Publications (30)
- Euphemism and everyday language Save
- Using theatre as a data collection tool in menstrual health research in rural India with Allan Brimicombe Save
- Opinion: Liz Truss, today is a chance to re-establish UK aid leadership Save
- What has dignity got to do with menstrual health? Save
- How to Achieve the “Leave No One Behind” Pledge of the SDGs in Newham and Tower Hamlets, East London Save
- Education, Environmental Crises and Sustainability Save
- Why Some Development Works, (2021) Save
- Women’s empowerment and economic democracy: case studies from rural India Save
- Why India Should Train its Village Health Providers Save
- ‘Bordering’ life: denying the right to live before being born Save