Clark IDCE

The collaborative research projects of IDCE graduate students and faculty reflect their interdisciplinary approach to issues of environment and development. Many projects build upon partnerships between IDCE and community or governmental organizations. International Development and Social Change graduate students and faculty work together on a variety of research projects around the globe, from central Massachusetts to Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Somalia, Ghana and Senegal.

Youth Immigrant and Refugee Health Needs

Meg Barritt (IDSC/MA ’08) and Jenna Mosely (IDSC/MA ’09) are working as research assistants with Ellen Foley on a grant she acquired from the Central Mass. Health Foundation for an action research project titled “Bridging Barriers: Meeting Youth Immigrant and Refugee Health Needs in Worcester, MA.” They are studying the health, literacy, and after-school program needs among African and Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant youth in Worcester.

Ben Stephens (IDSC/MA ’08) and Meg Barritt (IDSC/MA ’08) are finishing up a year-long study with Lutheran Refugee and Immigrant Services (LRIS) of Worcester, a research project funded by the Health Foundation of Central Mass. The study consisted of a psycho-social needs assessment of refugee families, with a focus on health concerns. They were the co-primary investigators and co-authored a final report which involved several recommendations for action for resettlement agencies. The report will be made available on the LRIS national affiliate website.

aids2031

IDCE and the George Perkins Marsh Institute, is one of nine partners worldwide collaborating on aids2031. The multi-million dollar initiative is researching the many ways in which people in the development and medical fields think about the next 25 years of HIV and AIDS. “The project,” says aids2031 coordinator and IDCE research professor Heidi Larson, “will take a special look at youth because today’s teens are entering a critical stage in their sexual and social lives. After 25 years of policies, technology, and shifts in attitudes, the responsibility of the global AIDS response is changing hands.”

The Clark involvement as host is coordinated by IDCE Director William Fisher. Research assistants include Sheela Pradhan (IDSC/MA ’08), Nancy Goedhart (IDSC/MA ’09), and Brandon Cohen (IDSC/MA ’09). Larson heads the aids2031 Project Management Unit (PMU) out of New York City, which coordinates the scholarly work of nine working groups—including economists, epidemiologists, biomedical, social and political scientists—to question conventional wisdom, stimulate new research, encourage public debate, and uncover new evidence in the fight against AIDS. Each working group will explore different aspects of the future of AIDS. The Social Drivers Group focuses on the underlying social, political, and cultural injustices that allow AIDS as well as other major diseases to thrive in certain areas of the world. These factors include gender inequity, economic marginalization, stigma and discrimination. The group endeavors to understand the social changes brought about by the impacts of AIDS on societies since it was first reported in 1981. It also examines the potential for positive social change which could redress inequalities driving the spread of the disease, slow the pace of the epidemic, and mitigate its negative impacts.

Resettlement Program in Ethiopia

Tamirat Mulu (IDSC/MA '05) worked as a consultant with Professor Laura Hammond in Ethiopia to assess the Government of Ethiopia's voluntary resettlement program for USAID/Ethiopia. In this role he is using PRA techniques with Ethiopian settlers in resettlement sites in Western Ethiopia. He is also meeting with officials of the Ethiopian government, United Nations and World Bank Ethiopia about his findings and making recommendations in a report to USAID.

In early 2003, the Government of Ethiopia announced its plans to initiate a voluntary resettlement program as a strategy of responding to the problems of highland resource degradation, mounting population pressures, small farm size, and limited off-farm employment opportunities in chronically vulnerable areas. It is estimated that up to 170,000 people participated in the program in Amhara, Oromiya, Southern Nations and Tigray Regions in 2003. Under this program, farmers living in marginal areas of the country are being moved to more fertile land within their home region. The government of Ethiopia, mindful of the sensitivities concerning the program as a result of the forced resettlement carried out during the 1980s, has affirmed its commitment to preserving the voluntary character of the program. Resettlers are to maintain their right to return to their original land within 2-3 years if they are dissatisfied with the conditions in the resettlement area. The initial pilot phase was implemented in 2003 during a crisis in which over 13 million people required emergency food assistance totaling over 1.8 million MT. The GFDRE plans to resettle 2.2 million people over the next three years, with over 1 million people to be resettled in the second phase of resettlement before the rains begin in May 2004.

Partners in Mali

Professors in the Field
William Fisher's current research and teaching focuses on anthropology, social movements and development, global civil society, NGOs, involuntary resettlement, ethnicity, political economy, and South Asia.

As the head of a study commissioned by Cultural Survival (Cambridge, MA) on the proposed construction of the Talo Dam in Mali, IDCE Director William Fisher has worked with such local partners as Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, Djenne Migrants Association, and Djenné Patrimoine. For more than a decade, Fisher has done extensive research on the impact of large dams on downstream communities, particularly on the Narmada Dam in India. He has focused on the ability of local groups to unite and influence the actions of governments and international organizations.

At the request of Cultural Survival, Fisher and his research team of IDCE graduate students Ryan Russell (IDSC/MA'02) and Lisa Meirotto (IDSC/MA '03) reviewed the environmental and social impacts of the Talo Dam, part of the plans of the Mali government to develop the plains of the Lower Bani River. They documented the potential negative downstream impacts of the dam and presented their findings to the African Development Bank (AfDB), the major funding source of project. The Clark report was a compelling red flag and became the catalyst for a construction moratorium by the AfDB, spurred by Dr. Elie Dote, West and Central Africa regional director for agriculture. In a courageous move, the bank decided to delay the project, after the groundbreaking had been already approved, recognizing that more research needed to be done, an unprecedented position in Mali.

In the last three years, in light of the Clark report, the AfDB has forced the Government of Mali to weigh dissenting views. The result has been an openness to true civil society engagement in this multi-lateral bank and government-led project, as well as the recognition that quality studies must be conducted to fully assess the positive and negative impacts of any water management solution.

In early 2004 William Fisher, Larry Childs of Cultural Survival, and members of the AfDB met with the Malian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to discuss technical and process concerns about the Talo Dam Project. As the result of the meeting, there was improved understanding about the technical concerns, plus increased willingness to listen to local groups who oppose the project. The AfDB and the government officials are open to implementing Cultural Survival's recommendations to include downstream impact studies to inform the project. They also agree to appoint a mediator to report directly to the prime minister of Mali on the project's progress.

Engaging civil society in large-scale infrastructure projects directed by the government is rare in Mali. However, the imposed delay in constructing the Talo Dam has resulted in increased input by concerned organizations and an improved project planning process and design. Professor Fisher and IDCE students continue their involvement with researching the impacts of the proposed Talo Dam, as well as other water management projects around the downstream community of Djenne.

Partners in Kenya

The long-standing partnership with Egerton University in Kenya began when IDCE research faculty Barbara Thomas-Slayter and Dick Ford worked with Kenyan colleagues to create the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approach to development. The collaboration resulted in co-publication of the "PRA Handbook." In 1989, Professors Thomas-Slayter and Ford joined Dr. Francis Lelo to offer the first jointly sponsored PRA training course at Egerton University. Policy Analysis for Participatory Poverty Alleviation (PAPPA), which combines tools for participation and economic analysis, grew out of the original methods. PAPPA training courses are currently being offered each fall at Egerton.

Mike Marshall (ES&P/MA '03) received a Fulbright Fellowship to work with University of Nairobi in the Lake Victoria Region to help assess the potential impacts of climate change on malaria and cholera. This is part of a partnership for IDCE student research opportunities initiated by Professor Downs in June 2002. Downs and a group of East African researchers from the Lake Victoria region received a grant for research on "Climate Change Impacts on Malaria and Cholera Risk for Marginalized Communities of the Lake Victoria Region, East Africa." Their research is funded by Assessments of Impacts and Adaptation to Climate Change (AIACC), a United Nations joint program between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Third World Academy of Science.

Partners in Senegal

Students in the Field

IDCE student Laura Miller, as an intern in Senegal, participated in community building projects as part of the Clark-Senegal Partnership.

Institute for Environmental Studies (ISE) in Senegal

IDCE recently initiated a collaborative project with the Institute for Environmental Studies at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal funded by the Fulbright Educational Partnerships Program. With complementary programs and a similar interdisciplinary approach, the two universities will develop short courses and trainings for practitioners from Senegal, as well as internship and research opportunities for IDCE students and faculty.

The U.S. Fulbright Educational Partnership with IDCE has three goals:

to design a new applied MA degree and program of short courses
to adapt and expand the effectiveness of existing field tools
to enrich the curriculum at both institutions.

The creation of a master's degree at ISE is in response to the new Senegalese decentralization policy to transfer control of natural resource management, education, and land tenure from the central government to local communities. Rural community organizations, such as farmers' associations and women's groups, are called upon to create participatory strategies and community plans of action, but find themselves without the necessary training. Development practitioners in the new ISE master's program will use innovative methods to build community involvement and leadership and to improve local governance, poverty alleviation, and mitigation of agricultural land degradation.

The Senegal partnership is also an important source of internships for IDCE graduate students, such as Laura Miller ID/MA '05, who served in the Peace Corps in the Ivory Coast. She will work on a paid summer internship as a member of the IDCE/ISE team in a field trial of a PAPPA training in Senegal. After the field trial, Miller and her Senegalese counterparts will monitor the impact of the Community Action Plan and provide support for NGOs, community organizations, and government officials in the community.

Partners in Ghana

During the last three years, the Compton Foundation has awarded Compton Environment and Sustainable Development Fellowships to staff members of IDCE partners, including Institute of International Cooperation for Development (ICD) in Somaliland, Ghana Organization for Volunteer Assistance (GOVA) in Ghana, and Egerton University in Kenya. Current Compton Fellows from Ghana are Mary Ofori, Ilona Kodjo-Wayo, Sulley Sumani, and Saeed Abubakari.

Since 2000 four PAPPA training courses in Ghana have been headed by local practitioners and IDCE faculty and students. IDCE interns included Kai Chi Leung, Fatima Tannagda, Scott Pavolko, Bill Bradley, Masafumi Nakanishi, and Leah Penniman. The field courses took place in villages in southern Ghana through GOVA, and in northern Ghana with Partners in Rural Empowerment and Development (PARED), University of Development Studies (UDS), and Oxfam. This training of villagers, government officials, extension staff, and some NGOs supports Ghana's decentralization program by providing tools to implement mandated planning and decision making on the local level. IDCE's recently published handbook, Villagers Building Community (2004), is based on field exercises in northern Ghana with PARED.

Partners in Somaliland

IDCE has also sponsored joint programs on community-based planning, conflict mediation, and women's peace building with the Institute of International Cooperation for Development, based in Hargesia, Somaliland. Funded by a grant from the Greenville Foundation, Professor Ford, ICD staff member Shukri Abdillahi ID/MA '04, and Laura Burnham IDSC/MA '03 conducted gender and conflict mediation trainings in central Somaliland.

Torn asunder by civil war from 1980 to 1991, Somaliland exists today as an unrecognized democracy. With 33 warlords and nine major clans, the fighting continues in Somalia, located to the south and east of Somaliland.

"We trained teams of women to go to villages, such as Dararweyne, to train other Somali women to do peace building. Our new Peace and Milk Handbook was based on our collaboration with ICD to organize village women to be active in peace mediation," says Professor Ford. The Greenville Foundation grant funded IDCE's upcoming publication Women in Peace Building.

IDCE graduate student Shukri Abdillah was also awarded a Compton Fellowship to continue research on women's roles in conflict resolution under the Greenville grant. After graduation from IDCE, Laura Burnham returned to Hargeisa, Somaliland, to work in peace building, this time with another Clark partner, The Somaliland Academy for Peace and Development.

"IDCE continues to cultivate partnerships worldwide, not only to broaden student and faculty experiences but also to become more effective agents of social change," says IDCE Director William Fisher.

Blackstone River Conservation Alliance

The Metacomet Land Trust approached IDCE for technical support to create a GIS database of privately owned open space in the Blackstone River watershed for possible acquisition and conservation. Oscar Maroto (IDSC/M.A. '03) and former GISDE Professor Eugenio Marcano produced GIS maps of privately owned open space in the Blackstone Watershed for collaborative protection efforts. Katie Scott (IDSC/M.A. '03) worked with the Metacomet Land Trust to promote the creation of a regional Blackstone Watershed Alliance, a network of 56 environmental organizations, including Mass. Audubon, the Nature Conservancy, and the Narrangansett Bay Estuary.

Environmental Impacts Assessment in Latin America

IDSC graduate students worked with ES&P Professor Downs on different fieldwork projects that took them to Mexico: Jessi Grillo (IDSC/M.A. '04) and Briera Dale (IDSC/B.A./M.A. '04) assessed the impacts on marginalized communities of land-tenure reform under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Saulo Araujo (IDSC/M.A. '04) assessed the successes and failures of watershed management approaches, with emphasis on community participation and capacity-building needs.

Community-based Hazard Management

The Marsh Institute's Community-based Hazard Management Project, headed by ES&P Professor Rob Goble, has attracted IDCE students interested in strengthening community capabilities to address and manage environmental health hazards. A major goal is enhancing community knowledge of environmental health issues.

Rose Heil (ES&P/M.A. '03) and Casey Burns (ES&P B.A./M.A. '03) are creating a summary of epidemiological studies that describe health effects due to exposure to radiation, particularly for use by Native American communities located near nuclear testing sites. Robyn Fink (IDSC/M.A. '03) and Jessica Cook (CDP/M.A. '02) worked with ES&P Professor Rob Goble to conduct GIS training for Native American communities in the Southwest. Kathy Carnerio (ES&P/M.A. '03) is doing research on the challenges Native Americans experience in securing to access to medical care for cancer. For the Laguna and Acoma Pueblos in New Mexico, Ricardo Monteiro (IDSC/M.A. '02) helped to collect information on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) for Native American uranium miners who are potentially eligible for compensation for occupational exposure.

Main South Sustainability Initiative

Annie Gorski (CDP/M.A. '03), Ph.D. student Carlos Marin (ID/M.A. '02), and Sarah Rosenberg (ES&P/M.A. '04) with other IDCE students are involved with expanding the Marsh Institute's Sustainability Initiative to include the adjacent Main South neighborhood. The students will work with residents to build a community profile by identifying current strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. After gathering and assessing data with residents, the students will hold neighborhood meetings to produce a vision statement and Community Action Plan.

Worcester County Food Bank

Robert Oliver (IDSC/M.A. '00) used GIS as a planning tool to maximize food distribution for the Worcester County Food Bank. Susana Crespo (IDSC/M.A. '03) used GIS to correlate high concentrations of the most vulnerable populations with the locations of food distribution centers to identify gaps in delivery.

Worcester Education Partnership

CDP Professor Laurie Ross with Amy Mosher (CDP/M.A. '04) and Jennifer Smith (IDSC/M.A. '04) plus five undergraduates evaluated the Worcester Education Partnership, a multi-year project funded by a Carnegie grant to implement systemic education reform in the City's secondary schools. Using in-depth interviews, surveys, and focus groups, the research team studied how students experience the process of school change and how school change impacts their academic achievement, motivation, sense of themselves as learners, and their future aspirations.

IDSC Student-Faculty Research