Research Paper Assignment
Length: 8 to10 pages (2000 to 2500 words).
In this course, we are interested in efforts to alleviate poverty and inequality, specifically how these efforts have evolved, and what are the results of such efforts. One phenomenon we are interested in is that of the project - a short-to-medium term effort organized by an institution or actor to make a change on a condensed level. The term project has been used to refer to anything from efforts by international development agencies to build community farming collaboratives (Ferguson 1994), from NGOs working on housing the unhoused, to state health bodies vaccinating communities against a specific disease. Projects are comprised of people, require funding, planning, and often, marketing. Finally, while donors and project-organizers often produce flashy websites and reports to show their project's success, the reality is often not so clear cut.
In this paper, your task is to: (1) identify a poverty alleviation and/or development project that has sought to achieve a specific goal; and (2) to analyze the make-up and outcomes of the project.
To do so, you must first choose one of the following three categories of poverty alleviation, identify a project that fits within this category, and have your project approved by your GSI. This first component - identifying the project - may take time, so make sure to start early!
Categories:
(I) Environment
Potential themes:
a. Disaster response
b. Climate change
c. Urban housing
d. Agriculture and food systems
e. Water access
(II) Health
Potential themes:
a. Viral outbreaks and disease
b. Community hospitals
o Medical missions
o Nutrition
(III) Commodities/Trade
Potential themes:
o Global value chains
o Agribusiness
o FinTech
Next, you will spend the semester researching the project to move beyond the headlines of the project. You will write a critical analysis of how the initiative/project actually works in practice by answering - at a minimum - the following questions:
a. Where does the project take place?
b. What are the origins of the project/initiative? Does it respond to an existing need?
c. Who are the donors? Who are the beneficiaries?
d. What are the goals of the project?
e. Did/does it achieve what it set out to do?
f. On which theory of development is the project/initiative based?
g. How did the project contribute to reducing or increasing inequality, including, but not limited to, poverty? (note: in some cases, a project might both contribute to reducing inequality in one area, but increasing it in another)
In order to properly analyze the project, you will need to consult a range of sources. You must do so, to understand better the details about the location (including demographics, population, history, etc.), the donor/organizer, the community where the project is taking place, and the need that the project is responding to. See below for a further discussion about sources.
Format your assignment according to the give formatting requirements:
a. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
b. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
c. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.