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South Asia Research@Warwick


Warwick boasts of research expertise on South Asia across its faculties (Arts, Science, Medicine and Social Sciences). Much of what we do explores long- and short-term experiences of change within South Asia (its economic, social, political and natural worlds), as well as in the relationships between India and other regions and nations.

Although there is a variety of research that looks into areas such as industry and manufacture, leisure, corporate cultures, politics and political change, epideomiology and financial strategies; Warwick boasts of a particularly strong tradition of cultivating links across formal academic cohorts. Across disciplines and fields of expertise, we tap into the dynamic global interface connecting universities with the ‘third sector.’ In this, we nourish our strong linkages some of South Asia’s most high-profile thought leaders in academia, NGOs, and the arts. By cultivating dialog and exchange between ‘change makers' at Warwick and in South Asia, we work towards effecting impactful interventions across global scholarly, corporate and governmental sectors.

Within the specific countries of South Asia, Warwick’s academic community regularly produces scholarship about Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Key themes include: state and extra state violence, conflict and resolution, engineering (innovation in built structures; rainwater harvesting), new technologies and microfinance, formal and informal enterprise, health and disability, and gender and employment, culture.



Current projects

WARWICK MANUFACTURING GROUP
WMG in India

Professor Sujit Banerji (Executive Director of Postgraduate Programmes) and Professor Richard Dashwood (Academic Director)

Brief details and intended outcomes:

A series of collaborative programmes, research projects, and degrees with Indian companies and universities.

Brief details and intended outcomes: ‘WMG’s international reputation stems from our pioneering approach to research in an intensely competitive worldwide marketplace. It is this research that underpins our education programmes, transferring our valuable knowledge and expertise to students at all stages of their careers. Over the past 30 years we have created a strong, long-standing relationship with India through partnerships with leading manufacturers and universities.’


CENTRE FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS
ELT Research Survey of India (2013 – 2016)

Dr. Richard Smith (Warwick – Centre for Applied Linguistics), Professor Paul Bunashekar (English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad), Professor Rama Mathew (Delhi University – Central Institute of Education)

The British Council India

Brief details and intended outcomes:

Funded by the British Council India, this project involves a collaboration between the Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick (Richard Smith), the English and Foreign Langauges University, Hyderabad (Professor Paul Bunashekar and others) and the Central Institute of Education, Delhi University (Professor Rama Mathew). The aim is to map ELT research in India from 2005 to 2014, with a view to assessment of strengths and weaknesses and encouragement of capacity-building in this area.


WARWICK INSTITUTE FOR EMPLOYMENT RESEARCH
The impact of higher education expansion on economic restructuring, occupational change and access to opportunities in Brazil and India

Professor Kate Purcell (project director – Warwick Institute for Employment Research), Professor Nadya Guimarães (Sao Paulo University), Professor Alvaro Comin (Sao Paolo University), Professor Rakesh Basant (Observer Research Foundation New Delhi), Professor Jeemol Unni (the Institute of Rural Management in Anand, Gujarat)

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Brief details and intended outcomes:

Both Brazil and India have experienced rapid growth and are predicted to become leading world economies by 2050. In many ways, they are experiencing the same challenges experienced by the UK in the second part of the 20th century. Similarly, both have higher education sectors that have grown and diversified considerably in the last 30 years which are seen as key to their development of skills and knowledge to promote innovation, growth and global competitiveness. However, as in developed countries, development has mainly benefited those with existing educational and social advantages, despite initiatives to extend equality of opportunity and improve educational access to disadvantaged groups. This is an international project funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It builds directly on the preliminary phase of the Pathfinder project in Brazil and India, involving an interdisciplinary team of partners who participated in the preparatory workshops, extending existing bilateral collaborative research experience between members of the UK and Brazilian teams, the UK and Indian teams and the Brazilian and Indian teams. The project is led by Professor Kate Purcell, who is the project director, Professor Nadya Guimarães and Professor Alvaro Comin at the Sao Paulo University, Professor Rakesh Basant at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, and Professor Jeemol Unni at the Institute of Rural Management in Anand, Gujarat. It involves collaborative analyses and knowledge transfer among the partner teams to improve the use of and development of statistical resources nationally and internationally. The findings are being published in English and Portuguese and will be of interest to policy and academic stakeholders in the two overseas countries involved. The research and methodologies developed will be of relevance to and possible replication in other emerging economies and perhaps more widely. International publication and further development is planned by the co-applicants. Working papers can be downloaded on the right-hand side and a book in Portuguese, further working papers and other publications are in production.


HEALTH SCIENCES - POPULATIONS, EVIDENCE AND TECHNOLOGIES
Grey Literature Review: Health Promotion Interventions to Reduce Diabetes Risk in South Asians

Professor Ala Szczepura (Warwick – Health Services Research)

CLAHRC (Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care) Nottinghamshire