School of Social and International Studies

Economics, International Development, Project Management

Peace Studies

Psychology

Social Sciences and Humanities

Dr Prathivadi Bhayankaram Anand, Senior Lecturer, Bradford Centre for International Development

My role involves different aspects - teaching, research, postgraduate administration work and also I do some external and commissioned work. I am an environmental economist with a focus on water, but I teach a range of subjects including project planning and management, public policy and research methods.

One of the main areas of my work is about understanding the interface between human activity and the environment and how social sciences can contribute. I'm interested in knowing why people behave in certain ways; why some institutions work and others do not.

Among the things I am working on presently is a project supported by a small grant of the British Academy to understand river water disputes with a focus on inter-state water disputes in India and the important challenges in resolving such disputes. Much has been written and theorised about the so-called water wars and natural resource-driven conflicts. As many studies suggest, conflict and co-operation tend to be two sides of the same coin - while lack of trust and communications usually constitute the former, co-operation emerges when individuals, groups or nations are able to communicate and work together. There are important implications for design of institutions and policies to promote such co-operation. My recent research seems to indicate that whether it is community-based waste collection associations in developing countries or the financing of global public goods, there are some similar challenges for collective action to succeed.

I use an interactive approach in my teaching. Today's issues are complex and there is scope for different viewpoints. This requires participation and interaction where different perspectives can contribute to enhancing our understanding. I see my role as that of facilitator of the learning process. This allows me to innovate and try out different approaches. I try to be a good friend to my students as far as teaching and learning are concerned and at the same time an honest critic as far as assessment and feedback are concerned.

The postgraduate community at the University of Bradford is very international with a diverse range of people. This brings together so much knowledge and understanding and provides an enriching experience. I am sure this experience is one of the reasons why a number of our postgraduate students choose Bradford when they want to continue or come back a few years later to study for MPhil or PhD.

I feel that one of the best things about the School of Social and International Studies here is that we interact quite a lot across the departments. This, I am sure, is a tremendous strength where you can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of subjects such as development studies, peace studies, and European studies. The University's strapline of Making Knowledge Work is also very true; we're not just interested in learning for learning's sake, everything we do is grounded in reality.