Aled Williams

Bio

I focus on the uneven politics of natural resource-driven development, with a particular interest in issues of corruption, access, legitimation and control in the forest and extractive sectors. I have a country focus on Indonesia and experience from assignments in Albania, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Macedonia, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Vietnam, and Zambia.

I am co-editor of two academic books: "Corruption, Grabbing and Development: Real World Challenges" (with Prof. Tina Søreide, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2014) and "Corruption, Natural Resources and Development: From Resource Curse to Political Ecology" (with Prof. Philippe Le Billon, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017).

I was previously Senior Research Coordinator at Transparency International based in Berlin. I hold a BA in the History of Ideas and English Literature from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and an MA in International Relations from the University of Kent. I am engaged in a part-time PhD at SOAS University of London, Department of Development Studies, supervised by Prof. Peter P. Mollinga. The PhD thesis provides a political ecology perspective on REDD+ as it is evolving in Indonesia, with fieldwork in Jakarta and Central Sulawesi (local affiliation with Tadulako University, Palu).

I am member of the SOAS Political Ecology of Environment and Development (SEED) network and the POLLEN Political Ecology Network.