Tag Archives: INESAD News

Today, Real Food Empire—a radio podcast on environmentally and socially sustainable farming and eating—featured an interview with INESAD’s Ioulia Fenton.

The program discusses the institute’s work on climate change and human wellbeing, reviews Ioulia’s own research interests in food and agriculture, and highlights what Bolivia has to offer to those seeking inspiration for sustainable living. It touches on two specific articles: one on the merits of agroecological farming versus industrial agriculture and another on the need for smart agricultural planning in the Andes in response to and preparation for changes in climate.

With viewers all around the world, the program’s maker Stephanie Georgieff—who is involved with Slow Food U.S.A—shares her enthusiasm for INESAD and its work. In the program, she particularly praises INESAD’s Development Roast as a ‘living library’ of accessible articles related to sustainability and development. And expresses her hope that U.S.-based policy makers would make use of initiatives such as INESAD’s SimPachamama climate change policy game—which will be officially launched in September 2013—that teaches the player the effects of different policies on an Amazonian town.

You can listen to the entire podcast for free here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/real-food-empire/2013/07/29/inesad-sustainability-research-in-bolivia Read More »

A newly-released INESAD Working Paper reveals how bamboo forests in Bolivia have a significant role to play in the global fight against climate change. The multi-author paper, entitled “A Measurement of the Carbon Sequestration Potential of Guadua Angustifolia in the Carrasco National Park“, is based on a study of an unmanaged and previously unstudied bamboo forest. INESAD researchers found that this forest has the ability to store around 100 tons of carbon per hectare, in the stems, branches, and leaves of the bamboo, which is more than some species of tree such as Chinese Fir.

The carbon stored in a forest comes from the carbon dioxide (CO₂) that it absorbs. CO₂ is a harmful greenhouse gas produced by the burning of fossil fuels, which accumulates in the atmosphere and traps heat. This artificial change in the composition of the atmosphere is what causes climate change. Hence forests play a vital role in mitigating climate change, because they absorb CO₂ which would otherwise end up in the atmosphere.  See Exactly How Do Trees Fight Climate Change? for more details about this process. Read More »

As part of its continuous growth, INESAD and Development Roast are bringing on board a host of new interns. Join us in welcoming one of our newest additions, Angelina Gherardelli:

Since her teenage years Angelina has actively participated in programs such as Un Techo para Chile, a youth-led non-profit organization that works with poor families of Chile’s slums to build communities and secure dignified places to live. Angelina was able to witness first-hand the humble conditions that thousands live in. This work, and her travel experience, led her to observe the persistent and growing socio-economic inequalities in her home country and abroad, motivating her to study development.

In December 2012, Angelina completed her Master’s in Development Studies, specializing in Environment and Sustainable Development, at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), in The Hague, The Netherlands, which allowed her to connect her love for nature with her concerns for social justice. Studying at the ISS gave her the opportunity to be immersed in a multicultural environment and to gain an analytical view of the most pressing environmental issues and their intimate connection to social grievances and struggles. Read More »

As part of its continuous growth, INESAD and Development Roast are bringing on board a host of new interns. Join us in welcoming one of our newest additions, George Marshall:

Bertand Russell once wrote: “The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible and let your reactions to the things and persons who interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile.” George Marshall has aspired to realize this as an educator in East Asia for the past seven years, first teaching English in South Korean universities and more recently teaching advanced placement economics to gifted Chinese high school students. He completed his MSc in Finance (Economic Policy) at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and his BA in Economics at McGill University in Canada.

He has recently been studying the connections between subjective well-being and objective welfare measures, improving efficiency in fair trade markets and the role of education—especially standardized education—in the development process. Outside of formal education, he enjoys traveling to new places by bicycle, playing classical guitar, and learning languages. 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,  Adanna Chukwuma:

Adanna Chukwuma joins the INESAD team from a year long health policy fellowship with Global Health Corps.  During her fellowship, she was placed within the City of Newark where she assisted senior staff members in the Mayor’s Office and Department of Child and Family Well-Being in analyzing health-related policy options and developing strategies for reducing health disparities. She was also involved in advocacy for global health equity through various platforms such as the Social Innovation Summit 2012 where she was a featured speaker.

Prior to this, Adanna had practiced as a medical doctor in Nigeria for several years. She spent one of those years as a member of the National Youth Service Corps providing medical services and leading health promotion campaigns in rural North-eastern Nigeria. Her services were recognized with distinguished community service awards from the State Governor and the President of Nigeria. Her experience on the field, caring for women and children whose ill-health was shaped by factors such as poverty and gender dynamics prompted an interest in the wider determinants of health and well-being. 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 Surabhi Karambelkar:

Surabhi is a currently pursuing a Master’s in Environment and Sustainable Development at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit (DPU) at the University College London (UCL). She started her work in the environmental sector by focussing on wildlife conservation where she worked as a freelance volunteer and wildlife expert with the local organizations National Education Foundation and Naturewalk. Through engaging with forest communities on wildlife conservation projects she realized that they were increasingly dependent on the forest to meet their needs. This indicated that social development and environmental issues are intrinsically linked and convinced to her broaden her focus to encompass the two areas.

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Léelo en español aquí 

July is a month of celebration at INESAD. It has been seven years since the institute began its life and it has come incredibly far. It has earned a sterling reputation for rigorous research and policy impact, a fact that was reflected in the 2012 international think tank survey of more 6,500 institutions by the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). UPenn’s Think Tanks and Civil Society Program (TTCSP) named INESAD the best think tank in Bolivia and placed it in the top percentile of think tanks in the World that focus on environmental issues.

The energy and commitment to their work make INESAD staff stand out. It was their ability to achieve a lot with very little that made INESAD a prime candidate for the International Development Research Centre’s (IDRC) Think Tank Initiative (TTI) that first provided a significant grant for INESAD’s institutional development in 2010.

Since the TTI boost, INESAD has grown from a handful of employees to a lively and bright office of more than 20 people. And, through internships and visiting research posts, it has provided dozens of young researchers with the opportunity to get involved with hands on, important work in areas of climate change and economic development, both on the ground and remotely. Read More »

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

Jillian going into her last year of undergraduate studies at Northwestern University in Illinois, United States. She is studying Economics and Global Health and enjoys the different perspectives the two fields bring. Jillian has done a lot of international travel but it was her trip to Haiti a few years ago that really sparked her interest in international development and health inequalities.

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 »

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 »