Shakeba Foster

Shakeba is a PhD student in the Department of International Development. She completed an MPhil in Economics at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She also holds a BSc in Banking and Finance and an MSc in Economics, both from the University of the West Indies. Shakeba has worked on a number of research projects assessing issues related to economic development. Her MPhil thesis focused on the potential effects of higher income inequality on recession severity - a theme which her current research continues to explore. Prior to starting her PhD, Shakeba was a Senior Economist at the Bank of Jamaica. She was also a lecturer at the University of the West Indies. 

Research

Thesis title: Inequality, Informality and Recovery from Recessions

Shakeba's PhD thesis focuses on the interrelations between inequality, informality, and recovery from recessions in Jamaica and South Africa. The project aims to assess the mechanisms through which income inequality impacts the severity of recessionary phases in emerging economies. Additionally, the project will tackle the question of whether the degree of informality in these economies can limit the effects of negative shocks and/or induce quicker recoveries from recessionary phases. Shakeba is also interested in exploring the potential economic growth and power trajectories of the dominant countries in the West and the East, and importantly, how these trajectories depend on the economic outcomes of the developing countries ‘in the middle’, specifically their ability to strongly recover from recessions. 

PhD supervisors

Principal supervisor: Dr Paul Segal

Secondary supervisor: Dr Sunil Kumar

Further details

See Shakeba's research profile