The department is a lively community that is recognised internationally as one of the top centres for research and teaching in development studies.
Anna is a postdoctoral researcher working on the formalisation of informal gold mining in Peru with Professor Diego Sánchez-Ancochea. The project seeks to examine why attempts to formalise mining have had limited success and to consider alternative approaches.
Her PhD in anthropology, conducted at Goldsmiths University of London, considered how and with what effects public funds originating from mining taxation were spent largely on infrastructure projects by a local government in the northern Andes of Peru. Her argument explored how Andean conceptions of space are core to understanding projects as central points through which power is negotiated between communities and governments at local, national and international scales.
Having worked in the UK civil service for over eight years prior to her doctorate, Anna is also experienced in policy making and public administration. During this time she worked within and across a number of government departments and has collaborated with other governments, commercial and international non-governmental organisations. Her research interests in public policy and political economy reflect a continuing desire to collaborate with communities and policy makers to reduce inequality.
