Matching Items (3)
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- All Subjects: Social Conflict
- Creators: Gutierrez, Veronica
- Creators: Baeza-Castro, Andres
- Creators: Eakin, Hallie C.
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
- Resource Type: Text
Description
Protest has been both a practice of citizenship rights as well as a means of social pressure for change in the context of Mexico City's water system. This paper explores the role that citizen protest plays in the city's response to its water challenges. We use media reports of water protests to examine where protests happen and the causes associated with them. We analyze this information to illuminate socio-political issues associated with the city's water problems, such as political corruption, gentrification, as well as general power dynamics and lack of transparency between citizens, governments, and the private businesses which interact with them. We use text analysis of newspaper reports to analyze protest events in terms of the primary stimuli of water conflict, the areas within the city more prone to conflict, and the ways in which conflict and protest are used to initiate improved water management and to influence decision making to address water inequities. We found that water scarcity is the primary source of conflict, and that water scarcity is tied to new housing and commercial construction. These new constructions often disrupt water supplies and displace of minority or marginalized groups, which we denote as gentrification. The project demonstrates the intimate ties between inequities in housing and water in urban development. Key words: Conflict, protest, Mexico City, scarcity, new construction
ContributorsFlores, Shalae Alena (Author) / Eakin, Hallie C. (Thesis director) / Baeza-Castro, Andres (Committee member) / Lara-Valencia, Francisco (Committee member) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The Centralia Council, representative of a small Pennsylvania borough, arranged for an illegal controlled burn of the Centralia landfill in late May 1962. It happened the same way every year. As Memorial Day drew closer, the Council contracted volunteer firefighters to burn the top layer of refuse in the landfill in preparation for the day’s festivities, but intentionally burning landfills violated state law. A tangle of events over the years saw the “controlled” burn develop into an underground mine fire and then into a coal seam fire. Excavation costs lie far beyond the state’s budget, and Pennsylvania plans to let the fire burn until its natural end--anticipated at another 240 years. The tangled mess of poor decisions over 21 years begs one question: did the people or the fire kill Centralia?
This paper’s field of study falls into the cross section of geology and fire science, history, social conflict, public service ethics, and collaborative failures. I explore how a series of small choices snowballed into a full, government funded relocation effort after attempts at controlling the anthracite coal seam fire failed. Geology and fire science worked in tandem during the mine fire, influencing each other and complicating the firefighting efforts. The fire itself was a unique challenge. The history of Centralia played a large role in the government and community response efforts. I use the borough and regional history to contextualize the social conflict that divided Centralia. Social conflict impaired the community’s ability to unify and form a therapeutic community, and in turn, it damaged community-government relationships. The government agencies involved in the mine fire response did their own damage to community relationships by pursuing their own interests. Agencies worried about their brand image, and politicians worried about re-election. I study how these ethical failures impacted the situation. Finally, I look at a few examples of collaborative failures on behalf of the government and the community. Over the course of my research, it became apparent the people killed Centralia, not the fire.
This paper’s field of study falls into the cross section of geology and fire science, history, social conflict, public service ethics, and collaborative failures. I explore how a series of small choices snowballed into a full, government funded relocation effort after attempts at controlling the anthracite coal seam fire failed. Geology and fire science worked in tandem during the mine fire, influencing each other and complicating the firefighting efforts. The fire itself was a unique challenge. The history of Centralia played a large role in the government and community response efforts. I use the borough and regional history to contextualize the social conflict that divided Centralia. Social conflict impaired the community’s ability to unify and form a therapeutic community, and in turn, it damaged community-government relationships. The government agencies involved in the mine fire response did their own damage to community relationships by pursuing their own interests. Agencies worried about their brand image, and politicians worried about re-election. I study how these ethical failures impacted the situation. Finally, I look at a few examples of collaborative failures on behalf of the government and the community. Over the course of my research, it became apparent the people killed Centralia, not the fire.
ContributorsLandes, Jazmyne (Author) / Bentley, Margaretha (Thesis director) / Gutierrez, Veronica (Committee member) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
The United States has a long-standing history of income and wealth inequality that create barriers for individuals to escape from poverty. When a family is in poverty, children in the household are likely to grow up experiencing educational and skill inequity. This establishes the beginning of the cycle of poverty which is a complex issue that is caused by a combination of factors or events which can affect all aspects of an individual’s life. Research suggests poverty is driven by the following root causes: family breakdown, educational failure, worklessness and dependency, addiction, and personal debt (The Centre for Social Justice). While these factors can be seen as interrelated factors affecting a family’s socioeconomic standing, this paper focuses specifically on addressing the worklessness and dependency aspect of poverty.
Work is recognized as one of the most effective routes out of poverty. I set out to research how side hustles or gigs can impact the financial standing of low-income families and get a better understanding of requirements to engage in these types of work. The research conducted in this project aims to identify potential side hustles that low-income earners can engage in without needing to make a large capital investment. The project findings will help readers get a better understanding of various side hustles available and learn how additional earnings can help individuals build, grow, and maintain capital.
Work is recognized as one of the most effective routes out of poverty. I set out to research how side hustles or gigs can impact the financial standing of low-income families and get a better understanding of requirements to engage in these types of work. The research conducted in this project aims to identify potential side hustles that low-income earners can engage in without needing to make a large capital investment. The project findings will help readers get a better understanding of various side hustles available and learn how additional earnings can help individuals build, grow, and maintain capital.
ContributorsNguyen, Jacklyn (Author) / Radway, Debra (Thesis director) / Gutierrez, Veronica (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05