David Lewis (academic)
Encyclopedia
David Lewis is professor of social policy and development at London School of Economics
who specialises in development policy and management, with a particular interest in Non-Governmental Organisations
and civil society, and whose work has mainly had a geographical focus on Bangladesh. He has also written on rural development, organisational issues in development agencies, and anthropological approaches to development.
He is also a London-based acoustic
singer/songwriter who has released three CDs: No Straight Line (1995, Dejadisc), For Now (2001, Appleseed) and Ghost Rhymes (2007, Wow).
and BRAC (NGO)
in Bangladesh. He has also worked as an advisor to the Reality Check Project - a Sida
sponsored initiative that is documenting grassroots experiences and perceptions of health and education reform in Bangladesh.
and Simon Batterbury) for the World Bank
's poverty programs under the title Organizational cultures and spaces for empowerment? Interactions between poor people’s organizations and poverty programs (the countries covered were Bangladesh, Burkina Faso and Ecuador).
(author, The Last King of Scotland
), Jack Mapanje
(Malawian poet and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Newcastle University), and Sunny Singh
(Indian writer and journalist) as well as Professor Lewis all discussed the topic.
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
who specialises in development policy and management, with a particular interest in Non-Governmental Organisations
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
and civil society, and whose work has mainly had a geographical focus on Bangladesh. He has also written on rural development, organisational issues in development agencies, and anthropological approaches to development.
He is also a London-based acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
singer/songwriter who has released three CDs: No Straight Line (1995, Dejadisc), For Now (2001, Appleseed) and Ghost Rhymes (2007, Wow).
Geographical interest
His field work has been primarily in South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh and he has worked as a consultant for several development agencies. These have included DFID, OxfamOxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
and BRAC (NGO)
BRAC (NGO)
BRAC, based in Bangladesh, is the world's largest non-governmental development organization. Established by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed in 1972 soon after the independence of Bangladesh, BRAC is present in all 64 districts of Bangladesh, with over 7 million microfinance group members, 37,500 non-formal...
in Bangladesh. He has also worked as an advisor to the Reality Check Project - a Sida
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is a government agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sida is responsible for organization of the bulk of Sweden's official development assistance to developing countries....
sponsored initiative that is documenting grassroots experiences and perceptions of health and education reform in Bangladesh.
Poor people’s organizations and poverty programs
He conducted work (jointly with Tony BebbingtonAnthony Bebbington
- Anthony Bebbington :Anthony Bebbington is Professor and Director, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, USA. He was previously Professor of Nature, Society and Development in School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, UK.-Background:Tony Bebbington was born in...
and Simon Batterbury) for the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
's poverty programs under the title Organizational cultures and spaces for empowerment? Interactions between poor people’s organizations and poverty programs (the countries covered were Bangladesh, Burkina Faso and Ecuador).
Life histories of NGO activists and leaders
He was also lead researcher on the ESRC funded study on Activists, Power and Sectoral Boundaries: Life Histories of NGO Leaders.The fiction of development
He also was a coauthor with Dennis Rodgers and Michael Woolcock of the paper "The Fiction of Development: Literary Representation as a Source of Authoritative Knowledge". This paper's "novelty" aroused some media interest. The Crisis States Research Centre, in conjunction with DESTIN and the Department of Social Policy, all of the LSE, in February 2010 held a public event on the theme of this paper 'The Fiction of Development' - and at which three noted literary figures Giles FodenGiles Foden
Giles Foden is an English author best known for his award-winning novel The Last King of Scotland .-Biography:Giles Foden was born in Warwickshire in 1967. His family moved to Malawi in 1971 where he was raised...
(author, The Last King of Scotland
The Last King of Scotland
The Last King of Scotland is an award-winning 1998 novel by journalist Giles Foden. Focusing on the rise of Ugandan President Idi Amin and his reign as dictator from 1971 to 1979, the novel is written as the memoir of a fictional Scottish doctor in Amin's employ. Giles Foden's novel received...
), Jack Mapanje
Jack Mapanje
Jack Mapanje is a Malawian writer and poet. He was the former head of English at the University of Malawi, and is currently a senior lecturer in English at Newcastle University.-Works:* Of Chameleons and Gods, 1981...
(Malawian poet and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Newcastle University), and Sunny Singh
Sunny Singh
Sunny Singh is an Indian writer who was born in Varanasi.an altruist She has worked in a variety of roles as a journalist, teacher, in management for TNCs in Mexico, Chile and South Africa but she abandoned the corporate life for literature...
(Indian writer and journalist) as well as Professor Lewis all discussed the topic.
Major publications
- Lewis, D. 2011, forthcoming. Bangladesh: Politics, Economy and Civil Society. Cambridge University Press. http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item6469802/?site_locale=en_GB.
- Lewis, D and Kanji, N. 2009. Non-Governmental Organisations and Development London: Routledge ISBN 0415454301
- Lewis, D. & A. Hossain. 2008. Understanding the Local Power Structure in Bangladesh. Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Stockholm: Sida Studies No. 22.
- Lewis, D. & D. Mosse (eds) 2006. Development Brokers and Translators: The Ethnography of Aid and Agencies. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Books.
- Lewis D. 2001. The Management of Non-Governmental Development Organisations London: Routledge ISBN 0-415-20759-2.Now also 2nd Edition (2007)
- Lewis D. and D.Mosse (eds) 2005. The Aid Effect: Giving and Governing in International Development. London: Pluto Press.
- Glasius M., D. Lewis and H. Seckinelgin.(eds) 2004. Exploring Civil Society: Political and Cultural Contexts. London: Routledge.
- Lewis D and T Wallace. (eds) 2000. New Roles and Relevance: Development NGOs and the Challenge of Change. Hartford, Ct: Kumarian Press.
- Lewis, D. (ed) 1999. International Perspectives on Voluntary Action: Rethinking the Third Sector. London: Earthscan.
- Lewis, D. and K Gardner. 1996. Anthropology, Development and the Post-Modern Challenge. London: Pluto Press.
- Lewis D., GD Wood and R Gregory. 1996. Trading the Silver Seed: Local Knowledge and Market Moralities in Aquacultural Development. London: Intermediate Technology Publications.
- Lewis D. and Farringdon J. (ed) 1993. NGOs and the State in Asia: Rethinking Roles in Sustainable Agricultural development. London: Routledge.
- Lewis D., 1991. Technologies and Transactions: A Study of the Interaction between New Technology and Agrarian Structure in Bangladesh. University of Dhaka, Bangladesh: Centre for Social Studies.