Marya Hillesland

I am a political economist with a focus on social inequalities and development currently working on trans-disciplinary research on water insecurity as part of REACH: Improving water security for the poor programme and the GCRF Hub for Water security and sustainable development. My research draws on both quantitative and qualitative methods and has focused on water insecurity, agriculture and livelihoods, intrahousehold dynamics, women’s (and men’s) empowerment and agency, and asset and wealth inequalities.

As research officer at the Oxford Department of International Development, I led the design and development of a large household survey administered in multiple waves in Bangladesh, Kenya, and Ethiopia for WISER as part of REACH. Additionally, I led a mixed methods project in Kilifi County, Kenya. The project included the development and implementation of a large household survey in Kilifi County, Kenya. A recently published study using the data applied a feminist lens to explore the relationship between land tenure security and water rights. Additional studies using the quantitative household survey data underway focus on intrahousehold dynamics and water insecurity issues.