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Academic

Dr Laura Camfield

Laura Camfield
Job Title Contact Location
Lecturer in International Development  L dot Camfield at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 1885  
Arts 1.60 
  • Personal
  • Research

Biography

My research focuses on exploring, measuring and understanding subjective well-being in developing countries; studying experiences of poverty and resilience using qualitative and mixed methods approaches; and children and young people. The countries I work in most frequently are Ethiopia and Thailand; however, I have also conducted and managed research in Vietnam, Pakistan, Andhra Pradesh (India), Bangladesh, Peru, and UK/Europe. 

Academic Background

I have a PhD in Social Anthropology from Goldsmith’s College, University of London and a Masters in the Anthropology of Development from SOAS. Before joining the School of International Development in 2010 I was a Research Fellow with Young Lives (2007-10), www.younglives.org.uk) at Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford, and prior to that with the Wellbeing in Developing Countries ESRC Research Group at Bath (2002-7, http://www.welldev.org.uk).

I maintain links with both groups through an ESRC grant with under the Comparative Cross-National Research Methods call (2010-15), and membership of the WeD Network. I am an associate editor of Applied Quality of Life Research (Springer) and a board member of the International Society for Quality of Life Research. I am an active member of the Development Studies Association and co-covene the multidimensional poverty and poverty dynamics group.

CV and Experience

Click here to download Laura's CV

Room: Arts 1.60
Ext:  1885

Key Research Interests

My current focus is enhancing the quality of cross-national methodologies used to collect qualitative and quantitative data on poverty and vulnerability throughout the life course. I convene the core postgraduate research module 'Research Techniques and Analysis' and teach lectures on Research Methods for Social Anthropology, Applied Methods for Impact Evaluation, Social Analysis of International Development, and Education and Development.

I am co-organiser of the new research network, 'As Well as the Subject: Additional Dimensions in Development Research Ethics'

Doctoral Research Students

Carole White, 2011 - ‘Wellbeing and fisheries’ (co-supervisor Tim Daw)

Eowyn Castle, 2011 – ESRC funded studentship on Children and Young People's Social Resources and Competencies (co-supervisor Ben d’Exelle)

Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima, 2010 - ‘Measuring Multi-dimensional Youth Well-being in South Africa’ (co-supervisor Lucio Esposito)

Hannah Hoechner, 2010 - 'The experience of alms-seeking quranic students in Kano, Nigeria' (co-supervisor Raufu Mustapha)

Kate Orkin, 2009 - ‘Non-schooling factors influencing children’s time allocation to work, school enrolment, grade attainment and test scores’ (co-supervisor Prof. Stefan Dercon)

Kaneta Choudhury, 2006 - ‘Quality of life in Bangladesh: an exploration of people's goals, values and resources’ (co-supervisor Joe Devine)


Books

Camfield, L. (ed.) (2013). Research in International Development: a critical review. Palgrave Macmillan, UK (in preparation).


Recent Publications

Prowse, M., Camfield, L. (2013). What role for qualitative methods in randomized experiments? Progress in International Development. 13.1 (in press).

Camfield, L. (2012). Resilience and Well-being Among Urban Ethiopian Children: What Role Do Social Resources and Competencies Play? Social Indicators Research 107(3): 393-410. http://www.springerlink.com/index/j74698387617g346.pdf

Camfield, L. (2011). Editorial: Young lives in transition: From school to adulthood? European Journal of Development Research 23, 669–678 http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ejdr/journal/v23/n5/full/ejdr201145a.html

Camfield, L (2011). ‘From school to adulthood’? Young people’s pathways through schooling in urban Ethiopia. European Journal of Development Research 23, 679–694 http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ejdr/journal/v23/n5/full/ejdr201133a.html

Camfield, L. (2011). ‘A girl never finishes her journey’: Mixing methods to understand female experiences of education in contemporary Ethiopia. Research Papers in Education, 26(4), 393-412.

Camfield, L., Knowles, C. (2010). Editorial: Supporting children and young people in a changing world. Journal of International Development, vol. 22(8), p1055–1063 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jid.1745/abstract

Crivello, G., Camfield, L., Porter, C. (2010). Editorial: Researching children’s understandings of poverty and risk in diverse contexts. Children and Society 24:4, 255-260 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2010.00309.x/abstract

Camfield, L., Streuli, N., Woodhead, M. (2010). Children’s well-being in developing countries: A conceptual and methodological review. European Journal of Development Research, 22:3, 398-416.

Copestake, J., Camfield, L. (2010). Measuring multidimensional aspiration gaps: a means to understanding cultural aspects of poverty. Development Policy Review, 28(5), 617-33. See also http://www.welldev.org.uk/wed-new/workingpapers/workingpapers/WeDWP_09_45.pdf

Camfield, L. (2010). ‘Even if she learns, she doesn’t understand properly’. Children’s understandings of ill-being and poverty in five Ethiopian communities. Social Indicators Research, 96 (1), 85-112.4 http://www.springerlink.com/content/h378221m036t2491/

Camfield, L., Guillen-Royo, M. & Velazco, J. (2009). Does need satisfaction matter for psychological and subjective wellbeing in developing countries: A mixed-methods illustration from Bangladesh and Thailand. Journal of Happiness Studies (in press, online as DOI 10.1007/s10902-009-9154-5). http://www.springerlink.com/content/077475t77754861l/

Camfield, L., Guillen-Royo, M. (2009). Wants, needs, satisfactions: A comparative study in Thailand and Bangladesh. Social Indicators Research (in press, online as DOI 10.1007/s11205-009-9477-y).
http://www.springerlink.com/content/q67t6773635w6455/

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