M (Muhammad) Badiuzzaman

Biography

The aim of Badiuzzaman's research is to analyze rural household livelihood decisions in a post-conflict setting located in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of Bangladesh with a view to understand vulnerable people’s choices. His principal interest lies in applying the experiences of violence on risky decision making, and whether trauma encourages greater or lesser risk taking. My research includes two specific focus. Firstly, assessing the effects of perceptions about future violence and actual (past) experiences of violence on household decisions regarding consumption expenditure, child school enrollment, investment, and choices between food and more risky cash crop cultivation. Finally, it will focus on the role of social capital in livelihood development. His empirical analysis will be guided by prospect theory which involves the mind framing for a desired outcome, which in turn is influenced by a variety of psycho-social phenomena. Both quantitative and qualitative methods will be exploited and triangulated. Promotors: Prof. Dr. Mansoob Murshed and Prof. Dr. Peter van Bergeijk.