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Kemi George, a 6th year graduate student in the department, recently received funding from the National Science Foundation to conduct field research for his dissertation, Epistemic Communities and Environmental Policy in the Developing World, which focuses on the relationship between scientific research organizations and environmental policy in developing countries. He will analyze how scientific communities frame their environmental policy arguments to appeal to the interests of decision makers, and thus influence the creation and implementation of policy. By doing so, George hopes to indicate effective strategies for environmental advocacy in developing nations. The proposed field work will be conducted in Mexico and Egypt, building on previous field work conducted in Jamaica, and will entail a comparative analysis of how all three countries have implemented projects to comply with their obligations as signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Field work will consist of qualitative research into the policy-making process, and involve case study methodologies including open-ended interviews and archival research. The field work is expected to be take 9 months to a year to be completed.
