Centre for Accountability and Global Development (CAGD)

We aim to:

• further the understanding of governance and accountability ideas shaping the world
• produce public policy oriented research and provide practical solutions
• encourage collaboration with a wide range of organisations and individuals
• critique contemporary practices and power to advance democracy, equity and social justice
• use a plurality of theoretical perspectives to call power to account
• provide intellectual freedom to challenge established orthodoxies
• engage in lifelong learning

Our academic staff frequently feature within the wider press and media. Below are some examples of their latest appearances:

• Read The Work Bank Blogs article by Tobias Polzer, Pawan Adhikari, Cong Phuong Nguyen and Levi Garseth-Nesbakk on What emerging economies and low-income countries need to do before adopting International Public Sector Accounting Standards
• Read The Conversation article by Professor Thankom Arun on how Indian pharma is being squeezed - and it's bad news for drug access in developing countries
• Explore The Open Democracy article by Danson Kimani on How mentors are helping Malawi’s women entrepreneurs
• Read The Conversation article by Danson Kimani on Why corporate reforms falter: some insights from Kenya
• Learn more from The Business Daily Africa article on Tie State agencies to governance that delivers growth by Danson Kimani and Teerooven Soobaroyen
• The Business Daily Africa article on how to Embrace virtual AGMs to end shareholder apathy by Danson Kimani 
• Read The Conversation article by Danson Kimani and Geofry Areneke on how African multinationals bring home much more than profit
• Read The World Bank Blogs article by Bedanand Upadhaya, Kelum Jayasinghe, Pawan Adhikari, Chaminda Wijethilake and Thankom Arun People participation is a must in climate programs

Our members host and are invited to speak at a number of high profile research events. From workshops to conferences, here are some examples of our most notable appearances: 

• Professor Thankom Arun chaired a session on digital economy in the recently held BRICS Virtual Economic Conclave 2021, hosted by Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Government of India and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on November 26-27, 2021. 
• Joint research seminar with the Essex Accounting Centre and the CAGD with guest speaker Professor Kathryn Hochstetler from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
• Professor Aseem Prakesh discusses the three faces of climate justice 
• Participatory Budgeting and Human Rights-based Approach to Development: Insights from Makueni County in Kenya: His Excellency Professor Kivutha Kibwana, Governor of Makueni County in Kenya, presented this seminar on 4 November 2020, and which was also attended by colleagues from across the University of Essex.
• Governance: The Weakest Link: A seminar presented by guest speaker Mr. K. Jayakumar, Director of the Institute of Management in Government, Kerala, India (also founding Vice-Chancellor of the Malayalam University and former Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala, India), on 30 October 2019.
• Climate Change and Women Empowerment in Bangladesh: Half-day workshop with representatives of Gram Unnayan Karma (GUK) Microfinance Bank of Bangladesh, who discussed GUK’s agenda in job creation, mitigating poverty and supporting poor and ultra-poor households in the Northwest region of Bangladesh, on 9 October 2019.
• From International to Global Development: New Geographies of 21st Century Development: An inaugural lecture presided by David Hulme OBE, Professor of Development Studies at The University of Manchester and Executive Director of the Global Development Institute and CEO of the Effective States and Inclusive Development Research Centre, on 14 May 2019.
• New Means of Accountability in the Public and Third Sector of Emerging Economies: A half-day workshop with the Essex Accounting Centre staff and an external speaker (Dr Ram Mohan, Institute of Management in Government, Kerala, India) on 1 May 2019.
• Interrogating the causal theories underpinning social investment: action research using the Qualitative Impact Protocol (QuIP) with Professor James Copestake, University of Bath.

Our members have received funding from various funding bodies, such as The British Council, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) and The World Bank Group. 

For example, Professor Arun is leading a project on bilateral trade between India and the UK on Fintech and fintech enabled services, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). It is one of four projects supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) under their joint call for collaborative research on the future of UK-India trade and cross-border investment in a changing global environment, as stated in the India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD). The three-year project brings together leading research institutions, government organisations and fintech firms from both countries to assess the role of fintech in expanding bilateral trade between the UK and India. 

The key partners of the project are: Professor Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), in New Delhi, Professor Victor Murinde, Director, Centre for Global Finance, SOAS, Professor Sheri Markose, from Essex’s Department of Economics, Professor K J Joseph, Director of the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT), Dr Philip Kostov, from the School of Business at the University of Central Lancashire, Dr Priyadarshi Dash, of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and Dr Reji Joseph, of the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development in New Delhi

We have completed a project on mainstreaming financial inclusion in India in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore), India. Financial inclusion is a subject of growing interest with national governments and international institutions. Learn more about the project at the Financial Inclusion project website.  We are also conducting a project by World Bank/PEFA project on “Integrating Climate Change and livelihood within Public Investment Policies: A Cross Country Assessment in South Asia”, by Bedanand Upadhaya, Chaminda Wijethilake, Kelum Jayasinghe, Pawan Adhikari, and Thankom Arun.

Our members also work closely with various professional bodies and learned societies, including the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes; Global Studies Association; Development Studies Association; and The African Accounting and Finance Association.

Research case studies

• Impact: encouraging financial inclusion - improving policies and protecting families. 
• Impact: Raising the standard of accounting across Nepal's public sector

Research projects

• UK-India fintrade project 
• UKIERI project on Mainstreaming financial inclusion.
• Project to investigate how fintech can deepen UK-India trade relations.
• Bose, U; Arun, T and Arun, S (2020) Can Information Networks Influence Financial Behaviour of Female Headed Households? The Mediating Role of Financial Expertise.
• Markose, S., Arun, T. and Ozili, P., (2020). Financial inclusion, at what cost? : Quantification of economic viability of a supply side roll out. The European Journal of Finance. Online, 1-26.
• Bendig, M. and Arun, T., (2016). Uptake of Multiple Microinsurance Schemes: Evidence from Sri Lanka. The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice. 41 (2), 205-224.
• Arun, S; Annim, S and Arun, T (2016)‘Even’ After Access to Financial Services? Ricocheting Gender Equations IZA DP No. 10099 July 2016.
• Arun, T. and Kamath, R., (2015). Financial inclusion: Policies and practices. IIMB Management Review. 27 (4), 267-287.
• Kostov, P., Arun, T. and Annim, S., (2012). Determinants of Access to Finance: An Investigation into the Mzansi Intervention. The European Journal of Development Research. 24 (3), 397-412.
• Arun, T., Bendig, M. and Arun, S., (2012). Bequest Motives and Determinants of Micro Life Insurance in Sri Lanka. World Development. 40 (8), 1700-1711
• Lessons from Kerala flood relief (2020)
• Climate change policies and implementation issues: lessons to be learned from South Asia

Research papers

• Integrating climate change and livelihood within public investment policies: A cross-country assessment in South Asia (India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka). Authors: Bedanand Upadhaya, Chaminda Wijethilake, Pawan Adhikari, Kelum Jayasinghe, and Thankom Arun

Research studies

• Essex study shows climate change priorities across India, Nepal and Sri Lanka not matched at local level 

• Shahzad Uddin receives a prestigious award from the Labor and Employment Relations Association for his paper exposing workplace bullying in Bangladesh.

• Waste management education in Sri Lanka