By Tracey Li and Natalia Zegarra

“I come from a poor family but I’ve had God’s blessing to be able to achieve my dream of becoming a professional. I see these children, teach them all the values that I’ve learnt, and tell them that whatever their dreams are for the future, they can come true.”

Lucia Cuno works for Kaya Children International (formally called ‘The Bolivian Street Children Project’), an organization providing vulnerable children with accommodation, education, and other basic needs, within a loving family environment in their center in La Paz. They are children who have been living on the streets, or have been abused by their families, or come from families that don’t have enough money to raise them. The word ‘kaya’ means ‘tomorrow’ in Quechua and reflects the organization’s goal of providing children with a brighter future. As well as material resources, the center also provides psychologists and teachers, such as Lucia. Read More »

With Professors Eduardo Engel and Roberto Rigobón confirmed as distinguished speakers,  the Fifth Bolivian Conference on Development Economics is gathering momentum. We are now seeking high quality article submissions and invite you and your colleagues to participate. A travel stipend of 700 USD will be offered to some of the successful applicants. Papers from all geographical regions are welcome.

Background

The Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD), the Society of Bolivian Economists (SEBOL), the Private University of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (UPSA), the Chamber of Industry, Commerce, Services and Tourism of Santa Cruz (CAINCO), the Bolivian Academy of Economic Sciences (ABCE) and the School of Economists of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (CESC) are jointly organizing the Fifth Bolivian Conference on Development Economics, to be held at the Faculty of Entrepreneurial Science at UPSA in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on November 14 and 15, 2013.

The conference aims at bringing together local and international scholars for the exchange of ideas and discussion of recent results within theoretical and applied development economics research. We particularly encourage female researchers and young Bolivian researchers to submit papers on all topics within the field of development economics. The Conference features keynote speakers Eduardo Engel (Yale) and Roberto Rigobón (MIT). Read More »

Welcome to the May 2013 issue of Bolivia Climate Change Monthly where you will find the latest research, policy and news related to climate change in Bolivia*.

Carbon stocks and dynamics in grazing highlands from the Andean Plateau by M.A. Munoz, A. Faz, and R. Zornova published in CATENA.

Elevational Distribution and Conservation Biogeography of Phanaeine Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) in Bolivia by S. K. Herzog, A. C. Hamel-Leigue, T. H. Larsen, D. J. Mann, R. W. Soria-Auza, B. D. Gill, W. D. Edmonds, and S. Spector published in open access journal PLoS ONE.

A land cover map of Latin America and the Caribbean in the framework of the SERENA project, by P. D. Banco et al, published in Remote Sensing of Environment.

The development of soil and water conservation policies and practices in five selected countries from 1960 to 2010 by J. de Graaffa, A. Aklilub, M. Ouessarc, S. Asins-Velisd, and A. Kesslera published in Land Use Policy.

Read More »

As part of continuous growth, INESAD and Development Roast are bringing on board a host of new interns. Join us in welcoming our newest addition Carissa Faulkner:

Carissa has always held a deep curiosity for the reasons behind the extreme social and economic imbalances existing throughout the world.  As a way to further understand the past and current events shaping global demographics, as an undergraduate student in the United States, she majored in International Relations while double minoring in History and Philosophy/Religious Studies. During her senior year she spent a semester in Prague and returned with the aspiration to pursue a career with international organizations that tackle development issues. Her internship with an NGO housing and educating orphans in Latin America ultimately convinced her to look for work within the NGO field.

After graduation, Carissa spent three years with a children’s medical NGO, Operation Smile, obtaining and tracking funds. She had the opportunity to travel with the organization to various countries in Africa and the Middle East and to work with many inspiring mentors from around the world. Her experience left her with a longing to further research development issues, particularly the effectiveness of development aid, and to live abroad.    Read More »

As part of continuous growth, INESAD and Development Roast are bringing on board a host of new interns. Join us in welcoming our newest addition Valerie Giesen:

Valerie is currently studying Social Anthropology and Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. Before starting her degree, she facilitated informal education projects with the Instituto Politécnico Tomás Katari for children on the outskirts of Sucre for 15 months. Engaging with her Bolivian colleagues’ perspectives and being an outsider herself led her to question the effectiveness of external development actors. Also, living and participating in the social microcosm of the Mercado Campesino for over a year was a formative experience which sparked her interest in the issues that labor migrants face and the country’s current identity politics. This also led her to study Quechua at the University of Chuquisaca and learn how to spin wool, which opened many doors. During countless weekends on the market discussing the week’s events and listening to tales from the countryside, she decided to study Anthropology – hoping that it would allow her to repeat similar long-term stays abroad.

Back in Germany, Valerie coordinated fundraising activities for Bootschaft, an organization that builds floats from recycled material and hosts film screenings and workshops on the rivers of Berlin. This equipped her with the invaluable lesson that it is possible to build up viable projects even with few resources. Read More »

The Spring 2013 issue of the Tropical Agriculture Association‘s (TAA) Agriculture for Development journal featured a report on food security and livelihoods of the rural populations of Guatemala by INESAD’s Ioulia Fenton. The paper summarizes the results of fieldwork research carried out by Ioulia in the province of Solola that focused on rural-urban linkages approach to development. The report makes practical recommendations for projects and policies that could begin to tackle some of Guatemala’s worst poverty and malnutrition problems. These include focusing on more sustainable farming methods, reverting to agricultural production geared for the local (rather than export) markets, and setting up knowledge transfer initiatives to teach people to conserve fresh produce by drying, salting or pickling it.

The article is available for free exclusively to Development Roast readers and can be downloaded from Ioulia’s Academia.edu site:

Fenton, Ioulia (2013) Rural-urban linkages in development – is strengthening agriculture the best way forward- A case study from Guatemala.

To purchase the full issue of Agriculture for Development, please visit the TAA site here. Read More »

One of INESAD’s specialties is to work together with the Bolivian Government and donors to facilitate the design of effective, efficient, and equitable development policies and projects in Bolivia. We are pleased to announce the latest example of this.

INESAD is currently partnering with the Danish Embassy to help them work with the government to formulate the Program for Integral and Sustainable Management of Forests and Energy in Bolivia for the period 2014-2018. This Program supports the Joint Mechanism of Mitigation and Adaptation for the Integral and Sustainable Management of Forests and Mother Earth with about US $26 million. It will also support the development of renewable energy sources in order to reduce the use of highly subsidized and contaminating diesel for the generation of energy in northern Bolivia. Read More »

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was today ordered to leave Bolivia. According to the British Broadcasting Association (BBC), President Evo Morales accused the agency of ‘seeking to “conspire against” the Bolivian people and his government.’

USAID has been working in the country for over fifty years and has a current spending budget of around US$50 million. Here is some of the media features of the story and its analysis:

En Español:

El Universo: Bolivia Expulsa a la USAID

AVN: Presidente de Bolivia expulsa a la USAID de su país Read More »

Welcome to the April 2013 edition of Bolivia Climate Change Monthly where you will find the latest research, policy and news related to climate change in Bolivia*.

Accessing adaptation: Multiple stressors on livelihoods in the Bolivian highlands under a changing climate by Julia McDowell and Jeremy Hess, published in Global Environmental Change.

Current state of knowledge regarding South America wetlands and their future under global climate change by Wolfgang Junk, published in Aquatic Sciences.

An International Network on Climate Change Impacts on Small Farmers in the Tropical Andes – Global Conventions from a Local Perspective by Andre Linder, published in Sustainable Agriculture Research. Read More »

Dr. Lykke Andersen gave a keynote speech entitled “A Theoretical Background to Land Use Change and Social-Ecological System Modeling in SimPachamama” during a two-day workshop on “Using Agent-Based Models to Project Possibilities for REDD+ Policies” held at the University of Florida on April 24-25, 2013.

One of the goals of the workshop was to discuss in which directions to expand and improve INESAD’s Simpachamama – a didactic game that is used as a tool for the participatory design of effective, efficient and equitable policies to reduce deforestation and rural poverty in Bolivia. Click HERE for a description of the game.

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