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Cross-appointed to the Department of Geography and Planning and the School of Environmental Studies.

Research Interests

My research revolves around debates over public versus private service delivery (with a focus on water, electricity and health care), but encompasses a broad spectrum of related questions on urbanization, environmental justice and uneven development. Much of this research has been conducted through the , which I founded and have been Director of since 2000.  The focus of this project is 'alternatives to privatization', with research partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. We work with academics, social movements, labour unions and community groups to deepen our grassroots engagement and create research products that are relevant and useful to the communities and organizations most affected by these debates.

Theoretically, I am interested in competing conceptions of 'public' and how they have changed and been transformed under neoliberalism. As a (marxian) political economist my focus is on the financial, institutional and ideological structures that tie everyday service delivery to the larger currents of (re)production, but I am also interested in socio-cultural concepts of space and place that make up the connectivities of public engagement.  My research has had a largely urban focus, including the growing networks of 'world cities'.

Finally, I spent a number of years working on cross-border migration in Southern Africa. I am no longer directly involved in this work but remain interested in questions of migration and xenophobia.

Supervision

I supervise graduate students in all three of the departments I am affiliated with (Global Development Studies, Geography, and Environmental Studies). I encourage applications from students focused on topics related to my research interests, and in particular on debates around public/private service provision in the Global South.