Tuesday’s class – research paper workshop

I look forward to Tuesday’s class, in which we will be working with each other on research papers.  As mentioned in class on Thursday, please use the comments section here to (a) briefly summarize your research question(s); and (b) identify the big challenges you still face in order to have a top-notch paper.  Then – say by the end of tonight if we can – let’s have you all match up and then share your drafts with each other.  This is probably most easily done in couplets (a shares with b, b shares with a); it could also be done in triplets (a shares with b; b shares with c; c shares with a).  In true Development 3.0 fashion, there is no ’solution’ as to how to do this; let’s see what happens …  In the meantime, come by my office tomorrow afternoon if you want to go over anything.  JTI

14 thoughts on “Tuesday’s class – research paper workshop

  1. Emily May

    The research questions I address are: what is the challenge of climate change, and how does it relate to agriculture and global food security? What is the balance we should strike between preventing/mitigating and adapting to climate change? What regions will be most affected by the changing climate?

    I need some help thinking about these questions: How do we restructure the agricultural system and institutions to ensure continued food security in all regions of the world? What are some examples of regions or localities that already have a good system in place for reacting and adapting to climate change?

  2. Alex Garlick

    My topic is labor mobility, and the major challenge I am facing right now is drafting a section on economic history of labor, and I could definitely use some consultation on the overall structure.

  3. Celine Lim

    My topic is housing solutions in squatter settlements, focusing on Latin American cities. I am finding it hard to piece together a “solution” that would improve the wellbeing of squatter settlers— one that might see rapid and widespread effects but is not taken from a governmental approach.

    I am also not sure how to begin applying successful case studies to a specific location (Mexico City, in this case). How do I make the application critical and insightful?

  4. Claire Kelly

    My topic is primary education—specifically for girls—in southern Sudan. I’m looking into previous examples of bottom-up approaches (of which there are many) and top-down approaches (few of which were successful) to figure out how to increase student enrolment and retention as well as the number of qualified teachers.

    I’m having trouble finding a balance between site-specific, international aid solutions and government-regulated solutions. Aid on a smaller scale has been effective in creating individual schools but not in expanding their programs, and the government seems unable or unmotivated to create a sustainable school system in these rural regions. Is there a way to create a wider program that supports students and teachers without government funding and support? If not, what are some incentives that could make primary education (especially for girls) a governmental priority?

  5. Pier LaFarge

    My topic is community agricultural development in Latin America. I’m looking at the role of agriculture in Latin American communities, using case studies in Bolivia and El Salvador. The case studies highlight the potential for bottom-up, community directed development to radically improve the economic, social and food security aspects of rural communities. The paper looks at the importance of agriculture and its relationship with social structures and models for effective development partnerships with international NGOs.

    I am having trouble isolating the important lessons from the case studies, and feel like I got a bit lost in the descriptive details of the two organizations. The analysis is woven in, but I would like to make it clearer, perhaps developing a clearly structured section at the end that presents the synthesized lessons from the two case studies, especially the extent to which the organizations success could be internationally replicable.

  6. Isabel Peña Alfaro

    My research focuses on sexual and reproductive health education in Mexico. I am using several case studies of public health agencies from different states and communities all over the country. After I go over each case study, I propose a solution for that particular community.

    The problem that I am facing is coming up with an overall solution for Mexico because each community faces very different challenges. There is an overarching cultural and social frame that links all these places, but the socio-economic and educational differences are pretty big, which makes the idea of scaling up more difficult because there is not one solution. Government support varies depending on the community. Socially, in smaller and more remote communities, people place less emphasis on education (especially for girls), which is different from bigger cities, such as Tijuana (one of my case studies). Overall, scaling up seems difficult when each place is so different. Ideas?

    Also, I’d love to get some input on the structure and how to transition from each case study to the next.

  7. Ruby Bolster

    My topic is clean water and sanitation in urban Brazil. I have looked at successful rural sanitation projects done in other countries as well as smaller-scale projects within Brazi, and I’m trying to draw together th elements of those projects to create a large-scale solution for urban Brazil. I am currently struggling with coming up with a specific large-scale solution that doesn’t rely on passive voice (ie, government should do this, NGOs should do that). What should be the role of government in such an infrastructure-heavy/capital-intensive challenge? I could also use some suggestions in terms of general organization.

    Since the real challenge of Brazilian urban sanitation is the favela (squatter communities), I think it might be good for me to work with Celine. I too am working on applying successful case studies to a specific area.

  8. isabel Peña Alfaro

    I think it might be helpful for Claire and I to work together since we’re both facing the problem of scaling from individual schools or communities to creating wider programs and lack of government help.

  9. Ryan Kellett

    My topic, similar to Claire, is education in sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, I’m looking at technology solutions and the power of Internet connectedness in bringing about change.

    My problem at the moment is taking a wide-variety of case studies (both large and small in scale) and crafting an equally impressive and creative framework that extends beyond a better-implemented version of what already exists for solutions. All I really need is to brainstorm with and bounce ideas off someone.

    Pier, maybe we can work together?

  10. Pier LaFarge

    That would work perfectly for me, Ryan. I think brainstorming and bouncing ideas back and forth would be useful to both of us.

  11. Jonathan Isham Post author

    Does everyone have a match?: if not, and if I can help in any way to set up the matches, send me an email tonight : ) JTI

  12. Alex Garlick

    I have a pretty good working knowledge of food issues, so I might be a good partner with Emily? Does that work?

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