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Person

Shilpi Srivastava

Shilpi Srivastava

Research Fellow

Shilpi Srivastava has over ten years of research experience in the field of water policy processes, access, regulation and rights to water. She is a political sociologist with interdisciplinary training in political science, law and governance, and development studies.

In her research, she uses the lens of water and climate to understand issues of power and patterns of authority to explore spaces of justice, rights and accountability. Shilpi completed her PhD in Development Studies (Sussex) and has an MA in Political Science and MPhil in Law and Governance (JNU, India).

In recent years, Shilpi’s work has increasingly focused on exploring cross-sectoral linkages and impacts across water and climate change. She draws on qualitative and participatory methods to explore the everyday encounters of marginalised communities with the changing climate as they intersect with wider issues in political economy and institutional politics. She is currently involved with projects related to uncertainty, climate change and transformation in India and Bangladesh, and off-grid sanitation in the global South. She leads a project on climate preparedness and decision-making under conditions of climatic uncertainty. Her advisory experience includes work with UNICEF, UNHCR, DFID, IDRC and BMGF.

Shilpi is the series co-editor for the Palgrave Pivot series on Global Challenges in Water Governance (April 2021 onwards). She is the co-Convenor of MA in Development Studies at IDS and is currently supervising two PhD students. She is interested in hearing from prospective doctoral students who wish to work on the cultural politics of water and climate change in South Asia.

Projects

Programme & Centres

Research

Project

Reimagining Preparedness under Climate Extremes (RELIABLE)

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and heat waves. These events, along with limited historical precedent, are creating significant uncertainties for local communities as well as private and public agencies across the...

Project

Climate Justice Scoping Study

This study, commissioned by the International Development Research Centre, identified gaps and future entry points for Southern-led research on climate justice. The study was framed around the concept of transformative climate justice, reflecting the need to bridge gaps between climate justice...

Opinions

Opinion

Can mid-level actors make climate action more reliable?

The pace of climate change is outpacing the scale of our response, uncertainty is on the rise everywhere, and climate action often focuses on global/national policy or strengthening frontline response. But there is an important group in between that is frequently overlooked, and who play an...

10 June 2026

Publications

Shilpi Srivastava’s recent work

News

UK’s international climate finance commitments at risk

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has published a review of UK aid’s international climate finance commitments today. The aid watchdog warns that as resources are stretched, the UK’s £11.6 billion commitment is at risk of not being met. The rapid review finds that the...

29 February 2024

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