Growth and Development Commons^™

Overcoming Environmental Injustices: An Analysis Of Citizen Assemblies’ Fight Against Open-Pit Mining In Bariloche And Esquel, Sara Kleinkopf

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Worldwide, environmentalism and environmental concern is growing. Additionally, environmental issues like pollution and contamination are no longer considered simply environmental problems; environmental issues are now frequently analyzed from a sociological perspective. Beginning in the 1980s in the United States, the investigation of the relationship between environmental and social issues developed into the theory of environmental justice. This theory postulates that the unequal distribution of environmental harm occurs in correlation with (or is a direct result of) a lack of political recognition and participation.

In this investigation, I utilize the theory of environmental justice to analyze the development of open-pit mining …

Cultivating Change: Women Transforming Holland’S Food System, Meg Vandeusen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Women are influential in the production and reproduction of food systems. Historically, domesticity positioned women as gatekeepers to their family’s food consumption; these food practices have in turn informed cultural codes that construct personal identity. Feminist scholars have investigated how cooking and feeding practices affect a woman’s perception of self and interaction with society. Both practices are viewed as a simultaneous burden and pleasure, as an act of victimization and empowerment. These binaries must be deconstructed in order to create change within the food system. The impact of women taking control of the full cycle – gaining knowledge of where …

The Influences Of Climatic And Socioeconomic Variables On Cholera Incidence In India During The Seventh Pandemic, 1961-2008, Kathleen M. Henschel

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Cholera outbreaks result in significant morbidity worldwide. Transmission of the disease may be influenced by weather fluctuations, such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and excessive rainfall, and socioeconomic status (SES), including income and education. El Niño events may influence many aspects of the climate, including the amount of rainfall occurring in a given year and surface water temperature. This study aimed to assess the influences of extreme weather and SES factors on cholera incidence in India during the seventh cholera pandemic (1961-2008).

Methods: Data for all variables were obtained for 1961-2008. Indian population estimates and cholera incidence (IR) were …

Creating Sustainable Economic And Ecological Growth In The Congo Basin: Bushmeat Consumption And Biodiversity Protection, Richelle Lynn Warnock

Masters Theses

This research examines the economic and ecological sustainability of bushmeat hunting in the Congo Basin, specifically the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. Although bushmeat hunting has provided short term gain for individuals in the region, long term solutions focusing on micro and macro level interventions may provide community wide benefits, while protecting Congo Basin wildlife. Research shows that a focus on the development of key economic sectors such as agriculture, mineral resources and hydroelectricity, as well as the growth of infrastructure may provide viable economic gain for the Congo Basin. Ecotourism and improvements to forest management …

Natural Resources A Curse Or A Blessing: Evidence From Williston, Nd, Alissa Melberg

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2013

The aim of this study was to test the implications of natural resource abundance for regional economic development for Williston, ND. Williston emerged as a natural choice for this study due to the recent crude oil production boom experienced by it post 2007. The implications of natural resource abundance on regional development are rather mixed in literature. While one strand of literature believes that natural resource industries often create forward linkages which supplement regional development, the other strand believes that it impedes regional development by diverting local resources. The prime objective of this study is to test these two strands …

Reviving An Ailing Economy, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Many hearts were broken the night Dr Ishrat Husain’s nomination for the caretaker prime minister failed. With long tenures in the civil service of Pakistan as well as the World Bank, his professional credentials were impeccable to begin with. That he managed to spearhead a series of critical reforms at the State Bank of Pakistan while he was governor was impressive but more so was the fact that his integrity remained free of the taint that came to be associated with military ruler Pervez Musharraf. Finally, Husain has been working on a plan for the economic revival of Pakistan for …

Economic Autonomy Of The Miskitu Women Of The North Atlantic Autonomous Region, Nicaragua: Do Current Development Polices Apply To Matrifocal Societies?, Ariana M. Toth

Masters Theses

This thesis provides an ethnographic investigation into the economic autonomy of Miskitu women in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. The purpose of this study is to determine whether dominant development models created by patriarchal Western powers are suited to alleviating gendered poverty disparity among the matrifocal Miskitu Indians. Surveys of Miskitu women obtained during field research, with support from relevant literature, comprise the main source of information considered. It is concluded that while dominant development models are not best suited to alleviating gendered poverty in this region, it is the overarching indigenous nature of Miskitu culture and not …

Impact Of Food Inflation On Poverty In The Philippines, Tomoki Fujii

Research Collection School Of Economics

We simulate the impact of food inflation between June 2006 and June 2008 on poverty across different areas and between agricultural and non-agricultural households. We explicitly treat the spatial heterogeneity in food inflation and the differences in consumption and production patterns across households by merging household expenditure survey and price datasets at the provincial level or lower. Although some of the poor agricultural households may have escaped poverty, the poorest of the poor, whether they are in an agricultural household or not, are severely and adversely affected by the food inflation.

The Infinite And The Finite: An Analysis Of The United States’ Energy Future, Elise Voorhis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Last year the New York Times published a newsworthy article stating that the United States could become “Energy Independent” from the tumultuous OPEC countries. This groundbreaking revelation, supported by statistics from the International Energy Agency, claimed that newfound energy resources were spread throughout North America in the form of shale oil and gas. Politicians and the public clung to this possibility in the face of strenuous relations with the Middle East as the Arab Spring and the War on Terror waged on. However, the consequences of becoming “energy independent” have not been considered. What are the geopolitical implications of pursuing …

Jordan’S Energy Security: Impact Of Dependency On Unstable Foreign Sources On Social Stability And Policy Alternatives, Allan Martinez Venegas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Jordan is one the world's most dependent countries in foreign sources for energy production in the world. 96% percent of its energy comes from imports from neighboring countries, while exploitation of domestic resources is practically insignificant. Of the primary imports, crude oil and products are by far the most important resource, with natural gas in second place. This dependency is very problematic for both the Jordanian regime and the society it governs in two main ways. Firstly, the source-countries of these resources are highly unstable, especially in the current context of the “Arab spring.” Their outflow of energy sources is …

Lara Ngom Ii Acoli: Identifying Root Causes And The Impact Of Cultural Cataclysm On Land Conflict Resolution In Nwoya District, Northern Uganda, Madison Stevens

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Endemic land insecurity is a critical aspect of the negative peace presently felt by the Acoli sub-region in the wake of two decades of conflict,2 as well over two thousand instances of land disputes have been recorded in the region since the cessation of hostilities in 2006.3 This study examines the dynamics of land conflicts in Nwoya district, Northern Uganda. The research was conducted over four weeks of independent research in Nwoya district, and incorporates the perspectives of various actors involved in land conflicts and the dispute resolution process. Findings incorporate field-based information gathered primarily from interviews with key stakeholders, …

Motivations To Migrate: Migration From Morocco And The “Failure” Of Rural Development During The Eurozone Financial Crisis, Alexander Djaha

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

EU’s closing borders are impeding a fifty-year pattern of Moroccan migration to southern Europe to find work, prosper and provide for their families back home. Moroccan NGOs, as well as the Spanish and Italian governments, have recently invested in rural development initiatives aimed at increasing employment opportunities in Morocco and deterring workers from migrating. Yet Moroccans keep risking their lives and continue to migrate illegally every day as these initiatives are proving to be ineffective. This study examines the current conditions for Moroccan migrant workers amidst tightening European Union borders and a narrowing European frontier for employment. The Eurozone financial …

Can Female Entrepreneurship Programmes Support Social And Solidarity Economy? Insights From China And India, Tonia Warnecke

Faculty Publications

Increases in overall female entrepreneurship do not guarantee improvements in women’s socioeconomic status; much depends on whether the entrepreneurship is based on opportunity or necessity. In countries like China and India, women tend to be necessity entrepreneurs in the informal sector, with lower income and little potential for career advancement. While these countries have devoted significant resources toward programmes aiming to increase female entrepreneurship, not all of these programmes support opportunity entrepreneurship. An even larger question is whether these programmes support or challenge Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). In addition to solidarity microfinance schemes around the world, Self-Employed Women’s Association …

Understanding The Ocean Economy Within Regional And National Contexts, Charles S. Colgan, Judith T. Kildow Dr

Presentations

• Extending discussion of the ocean economy beyond “How Big”

– Changes in the U.S. related to the Great Recession

– Decomposing changes to major types of change

– Finding relative sizes

• Exploring the expanding attention to the ocean economy in other parts of the world

– Likenesses and differences in:

• Definitions
• Measures
• Geographies
• Purposes

Where do we go from here?

2

Review Of Proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendments & Concept Plan For 129 Parker Street, Maynard, Ma, Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center For Public Management, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management Publications

The Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management was hired by the Town of Maynard to analyze the proposed amendment to the Neighborhood Business Overlay District (NBOD) of the Maynard Zoning Bylaw and associated concept plan for the property located at 129 Parker Street in Maynard. The bylaw amendment and concept plan have been proposed by Capital Group Properties, LLC, the developer of the site. Specifically, the Center was tasked with preparing the following materials:

• Task 1 – Economic Development and Impact Study;
• Task 2 – Traffic Peer Review and Analysis; and,
• Task 3 – Recommendations on proposed bylaw …

‘Big Bang’ Opportunity, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

The proponents of “big bang” reforms argue that the latter will bring about a fundamental shift in people’s expectations about the future by altering the existing structure of the economy. Detractors say that the resulting dislocation to the economy and uncertainty will do more harm than good. The capacity of the state to implement so many sectoral and micro-economic reforms simultaneously is limited and therefore the risks of failure are high. They point to the sale of state-owned assets at rock-bottom prices to a group of Russian oligarchs — a direct result of hasty, ill-prepared and opaque privatisation. Faced with …

Nigeria 2002- 2012: High Economic Growth Rate, High Incidence Of Poverty, Why?, Mbutor O. Mbutor, Uba, I. Al-Hassan

Bullion

Contrary to the widely held opinion that it is unthinkable that the Nigerian economy would have grown at the rate it did in the last decade and yet the incidence of poverty persisted, even grew higher, growth could actually occur without increasing employment or reducing poverty. This is possible if the economy were allowed to grow without a conscious effort to direct the direction of growth to the policymakers to make concerted efforts to smoothen the path of growth and introduce policies that will make growth pro-poor programmes is the one being currently pursued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, …

Fuel Subsidy And Other Unproductive Public Expenditures Removal: A Pragmatic Approach To Restructure And Transform The Nigerian Economy, Lawrence O. Akinboyo

Bullion

While the short term measures to reduce recurrent expenditure are necessary conditions for fiscal sustainability, the long term imperative is to increase revenue. Thus, efforts should be made by the fiscal authorities in Nigeria to pursue the policy of balancing of expenditure with revenue improvements. The issues of the underperformance of the capital budget should be reversed before savings from cuts in recurrent expenditure can be diverted to the financing of capital expenditure. From the analysis, we say that removal of fuel subsidy would no doubt have some social and economic hardship on the people in the short run, However, …

Design, Implications And Analysis Of Household Survey: Practical Issues To Note, O. O. Akanji

Bullion

This paper is to enhance the analytic processes of survey data as generated in the established household survey framework for economic policy management and decision making. The paper is divided into four sections. Section 1 is the introduction while Section 2 is the descriptive statistics emphasizing the models that bring out the relationship between the survey variables, Section 4 concludes and proffers recommendations.

Unemployment And Economic Growth In Nigeria: An Empirical Re-Examination, Emmanuel Ating Onwioduokit

Bullion

This paper investigates the relationship between unemployment and economic growth in Nigeria through the implementation of the Okun’s law using the data from 1980 to 2013. The result indicates that the Okun’s law cannot be confirmed for Nigeria as the Okun’s co-efficient though properly signed was not significant at conventional level. As a result economic policies allied to demand management might not have the desired outcome of reducing unemployment in the country. Thus, the implementation of economic policy learning towards structural change and reforms in the labour market would be more appropriate to reduce unemployment in Nigeria.