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Dr Judith Shaw

Dr Judith Shaw joined the MAI in 2007 from RMIT University's international development program. Her main research interest is in labour markets and livelihoods in developing countries. Within this broad field, she has published on microfinance, microenterprise development, labour migration and migrant remittances, and working conditions in Sri Lanka's garment manufacturing sector.

Judith is a chief investigator on two projects supported by grants from the Australian Research Council (ARC ):

The first project investigates how financial services can enhance the development impacts of migrant remittances in six developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region: Fiji, Indonesia, the Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka and East Timor.

The second project is a comparative study of housing and livelihood projects in regions of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India which were affected by the Asian tsunami of 2004. It aims to distil a set of 'best practices' for use by donors and policy-makers in the ongoing rehabilitation of tsunami-affected communities and, more generally, in the design of future post-disaster interventions in developing countries. The focus is on political and institutional factors affecting project design and delivery, creation of stable and effective social institutions in resettled communities and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods.

Judith has conducted consultancies and collaborative research projects on international development issues with several Australian and international agencies including AusAID , the World Bank, the ANZ Bank, the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, the Foundation for Development Cooperation, Australian Volunteers International and the Sri Lanka Free Trade Zone Workers Union.

Recent Publications

Consultancy Reports

2007

Judith Shaw and Robyn Eversole: Leveraging Remittances with Microfinance: Synthesis Report and Country Studies, final report to AusAID on ARC Linkage Project LP0561577: Leveraging Remittances with Microfinance: A Comparative Study of Fiji, Indonesia, the Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste.
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/research/pubout.cfm?ID=564_9030_5946_1258_8278&FromSection=Research&Type=All

2004

The Bougainville Haus Moni and Microfinance Commercialisation in Bougainville: Problems and Prospects, report to AVI and AusAID

Refereed working papers

2008  

Migration and Remittances in Sri Lanka: Development Policy Issues,  MAI Working Paper Series

Edited Books

2005 

Judith Shaw and Robyn Eversole, Eds: Building the Links: Remittance, Microfinance and Development, Foundation for Development Cooperation, Brisbane

Refereed journal articles

Forthcoming

Making Housemaid Remittances Work for Low-income Families in Sri Lanka, Development in Practice, Vol 19

2007

 “There Is No Work in My Village”: the Employment Decisions of Female Garment Workers in Sri Lanka’s Export Processing Zones, Journal of Developing Societies , 23,1-2, 37-58

Opportunities for Pro-Poor, Pro-Women Growth in Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka, Development Bulletin72, March 2007

Mulligan, Martin and Judith Shaw (2007): Governance Issues and Problems in Post- Tsunami Reconstruction in Sri Lanka, International Journal of Asian and Pacific Studies, 3,2, 2007

2004 

Microenterprise Occupation and Poverty Reduction in Microfinance Programs:  Evidence from Sri Lanka, World Development 32, 7, July 2004

Chapters in books

2008 

Matthew Clarke and Judith Shaw: “Genuine Progress in Thailand” in Phillip Lawn and Matthew Clarke, Eds: Genuine Progress in the Asia-Pacific Region, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK

2006 

Judith Shaw:  “After The Tsunami: Women’s Work And The Rebuilding Of Household Livelihoods In Coastal Sri Lanka” in Charlesworth, Sara and Maureen Fastenau, Eds: Women and Work: Current RMIT University Research, RMIT Publishing, Melbourne

Judith Shaw and Matthew Clarke:  Best Practice? Eliminating Microfinance Subsidies in Post-Conflict Environments: The Case of Bougainville, in M. Clarke (Ed.): Aid in Conflict Environments, Nova Science, New York.

Judith Shaw: Overseas Migration in the Household Economies of Microfinance Clients, in  J Shaw, Ed: Building the Links: Remittance, Microfinance and Development, Foundation for Development Cooperation, Brisbane

Judith Shaw and Robyn Eversole: Introduction, in J Shaw, Ed: Building the Links: Remittance, Microfinance and Development, Foundation for Development Cooperation, Brisbane

2005

Judith Shaw: Decent Work or Distress Adaptation? Employment Choice and Job Satisfaction in the Sri Lankan Garment Industry, in Charlesworth, Sara and Maureen Fastenau, Eds: Women and Work: Current RMIT University Research, RMIT Publishing, Melbourne

Refereed conference papers

2008 

Aneela Babar, Judith Shaw and Marika Vicziany:  Mobile Phone Access and Usage among Female Microentrepreneurs in Bombay City, Proceedings of 17th Asian Studies of Association conference, July 1-3 (forthcoming)

Housemaid Remittances in rural Sri Lanka: Development Policy Issues, Proceedings of 17th Asian Studies of Association conference, July 1-3 (forthcoming)

2005

Rebuilding Livelihoods in Hambantota, paper presented at Pan-Asia Forum conference ‘Microfinance in Crisis Situations’, Colombo, June 13-15

Expert Commentary

Transcript of a recent public debate on ABC Radio National:  Remittances - flying money Contributions by Dr Judith Shaw, Monash Asia Instiute and others.

Monash Asia Institute

Research Projects

Postgraduate Studies

MAI Research Centres

MAI Press & Asian Films