Sustainability and Social Justice
The Sustainability and Social Justice department (formerly International Development, Community, and Environment or IDCE) is home to scholar-practitioners pursuing solutions to pressing challenges in the 21st century. Our mission is to strive for a more just and sustainable world. We embrace the complexity of urgent social, political, and ecological problems and seek to approach these challenges through multidisciplinary teaching and learning, collaborative scholarship, and innovation.
Complex challenges require novel solutions built on a deep, multifaceted understanding of the task at hand. For example, how can we support marginal communities as they adapt to the impacts of climate change? When do market forces succeed in increasing wealth and well-being, and when do they fail? What gives rise to health disparities across communities and countries, and how can we address them? The Sustainability and Social Justice community engages in translational, hands-on research that defies disciplinary categorization, and is uniquely effective.
Faculty Works from 2019
“The Prostitution Problem”: Insights from Senegal, Ellen Foley
Climate Services Can Support African Farmers' Context-Specific Adaptation Needs at Scale, James Hansen, Catherine Vaughan, Desire Kagabo, Tufa Dinku, Edward Carr, Jana Körner, and Robert Zougmoré
The Rohingya Crisis and the Practices of Erasure, Ken MacLean
Spatial Analysis of Drug Poisoning Deaths and Access to Substance-Use Disorder Treatment in the United States, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger
Analyzing the Relationship Between Perception of Safety and Reported Crime in n Urban Neighborhood Using GIS and Sketch Maps, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Laurie Ross, Thomas Caywood, Marina Khananayev, and Casey Starr
Politically Effective or Just Good at Campaigns?, Margaret Post
Why Some Politically Active 501(c)(4) Organizations Are More Effective Than Others (SSN Key Findings Brief), Margaret Post
Performance Assessment in Grassroots Nonprofit Advocacy: The promise of Qualitative and Participatory Approaches from a Critical Perspective, Margaret Post and Jennifer Dodge
Inter- and Intraspecific Diversity of Food Legumes Among Households and Communities in Ethiopia, Morgan Ruelle, Zemede Asfaw, Asmare Dejen, Sarah Tewolde-Berhan, Amsalu Nebiyu, Tamado Tana, and Alison G. Power
Biocultural Diversity and Food Sovereignty: A Case Study of Human-Plant Relations in Northwestern Ethiopia, Morgan Ruelle, Karim Aly Kassam, Stephen Morreale, Zemede Asfaw, Alison Power, and Timothy Fahey
Advancing Sustainable Consumption and Production in Cities - A Transdisciplinary Research and Stakeholder Engagement Framework to Address Consumption-Based Emissions and Impacts, Patrick Schröder, Philip Vergragt, Halina Szejnwald Brown, Leonie Dendler, Neal Gorenflo, Kira Matus, Jaco Quist, Christoph D.D. Rupprecht, Arnold Tukker, and Ronald Wennersten
Research Frontiers at the Nexus of Gender, Environment, and Development: Linking Household, Community, and Ecosystem, Barbara Thomas-Slayter and Dianne Rocheleau
Evaluating Agricultural Weather and Climate Services in Africa: Evidence, Methods, and A Learning Agenda, Catherine Vaughan, James Hansen, Philippe Roudier, Paul Watkiss, and Edward Carr
Faculty Works from 2018
Why Achieving the Paris Agreement Requires Reduced Overall Consumption and Production, Eva Alfredsson, Magnus Bengtsson, Halina Szejnwald Brown, Cindy Isenhour, Sylvia Lorek, Dimitris Stevis, and Philip Vergragt
Governing Extractive Industries: Politics, Histories, Ideas, Anthony Bebbington, Abdul Gafaru Abdulai, Denise Humphreys Bebbington, Marja Hinfelaar, and Cynthia Sanborn
Resource Extraction and Infrastructure Threaten Forest Cover and Community Rights, Anthony Bebbington, Denise Humphreys Bebbington, Laura Sauls, John Rogan, Sumali Agrawal, César Gamboa, Aviva Imhof, Kimberly Johnson, Herman Rosa, Antoinette Royo, Tessa Toumbourou, and Ricardo Verdum
Mining, Movements and Sustainable Development: Concepts For a Framework, Anthony Bebbington and Denise Humphreys Bebbington
Conflicts Over Extractivist Policy and the Forest Frontier in Central America, Anthony Bebbington, Laura Sauls, Herman Rosa, Benjamin Fash, and Denise Humphreys Bebbington
The Infrastructure-Extractives-Resource Governance Complex in the Pan-Amazon: Roll backs and Contestations, Denise Humphreys Bebbington, Ricardo Verdum, Cesar Gamboa, and Anthony Bebbington
Education for Social Transformation (EST) in the Caribbean: A Postcolonial Perspective, Nigel O.M. Brissett
Creating the ‘Girl Effect’: Including Boys and Men to Promote Girls’ Land and Asset Ownership, Cynthia Caron
Pursuing Gender-Transformative Change in Customary Tenure Systems: Civil Society Work in Zambia, Cynthia Caron
Really effective (for 15% of the men): Lessons in understanding and addressing user needs in climate services from Mali, Edward Carr and Sheila Onzere
Themes for the Celebration of Global Community, Joseph de Rivera
Promoting a Sense of Global Community, Joseph de Rivera and Caitlin O. Mahoney
Beyond the Ballot: Immigrant Integration Through Civic Engagement and Advocacy, Zita Dixon, Melissa L. Bessaha, and Margaret Post
Predictors of Mortality for Juvenile Trees in a Residential Urban-to-Rural Cohort in Worcester, MA, Arthur Elmes, John Rogan, Lara A. Roman, Christopher A. Williams, Samuel J. Ratick, David J. Nowak, and Deborah G. Martin
The Rise of Social Enterprises in Low-Trust Situations: Nonprofit Organizations’ Survival Strategies in Post-civil War and Disaster-affected Villages in Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka, Jude Fernando, Camilla Orjuela, and Sarah Khasalamwa-Mwandha
Two Types of Vigilance Are Essential to Effective Hazard Management: Maintaining Both Together Is Difficult, Robert Goble, Vicki Bier, and Ortwin Renn
Family Impact Seminar 2018: The Kids are NOT All Right: Policy Options to Address Youth Trauma in Massachusetts, Denise Hines, Laurie Ross Ph.D, and Marianne Sarkis Ph.D
Anticipating Climatic Variability: The Potential of Ecological Calendars, Karim Aly Kassam, Morgan Ruelle, Cyrus Samimi, Antonio Trabucco, and Jianchu Xu
Decision Support Capabilities in Excel, Ronald Klimberg and Samuel Ratick
Implications of Indicator Aggregation Methods for Global Change Vulnerability Reduction Efforts, Elia A. Machado and Samuel Ratick
Alinsky Style Organizing, Margaret Post
Problem Analysis in Community Violence Assessment: Revealing Early Childhood Trauma as a Driver of Youth and Gang Violence, Laurie Ross and Samantha Arsenault
Human Ecology of Sacred Space: Church Forests in the Highlands of Northwestern Ethiopia, Morgan Ruelle, Karim Aly Kassam, and Zemede Asfaw
Faculty Works from 2017
Understanding the Connections Between Climate Change and Conflict: Contributions From Geography and Political Ecology, Daniel Abrahams and Edward Carr
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Caribbean: Unrealizable Promises?, Nigel O.M. Brissett
Introduction, Halina Szejnwald Brown, Philip J. Vergragt, and Maurie J. Cohen
Preface, Halina Szejnwald Brown, Philip J. Vergragt, and Maurie J. Cohen
Social Change and The Coming of Post-Consumer Society: Theoretical Advances and Policy Implications, Halina Szejnwald Brown, Philip J. Vergragt, and Maurie J. Cohen
Do Markets and Trade Help or Hurt the Global Food System Adapt to Climate Change?, Molly Brown, Edward R. Carr, Kathryn Grace, Keith Wiebe, Christopher Funk, Witsanu Attavanich, Peter Backlund, and Lawrence Buja
Mobilizing Home for Long-Term Displacement: A Critical Reflection on the Durable Solutions, Cathrine Brun and Anita Fábos
Displaced Citizens and Abject Living: The Categorical Discomfort with Subjects Out of Place, Cathrine Brun, Anita Fàbos, and Oroub El-Abed
Hosting the Displaced – and Being Hosted, Cynthia Caron
Women’s Leadership, Agency and Voice: Promoting Gender Justice within Community-Based Tenure Systems in Bolivia and Zambia: Synthesis Report, Cynthia Caron and Denise Bebbington
Forest Access and Polycentric Governance in Zambia's Eastern Province: Insights for REDD+1, Cynthia Caron and Stephanie Fenner
Tamara Dembo’s Socio-emotional Relationships, Joseph de Rivera
Use of Industrial Diatomite Wastes from Beer Production to Improve Soil Fertility and Cereal Yields, Gashaw Dessalew, Abebe Beyene, Amsalu Nebiyu, and Morgan Ruelle
Re-Imagining Environmental Science and Policy Graduate Education for the Twenty-First Century Using an Integrative Frame, Timothy Downs, Edward Carr, and Rob Goble
Addressing Risk Conundrums in Sustainable Development, Timothy Downs, Edward Carr, and Robert Goble
Integrative Education for Climate Change Resilience x Sustainable Development Transformations, Timothy Downs and Nikita Golovko
Effects of Urban Tree Canopy Loss on Land Surface Temperature Magnitude and Timing, Arthur Elmes, John Rogan, Christopher Williams, Samuel Ratick, David Nowak, and Deborah Martin
Peace Has to Built: What Feminist Activists Have Taught Me About Peace, Cynthia Enloe
Regulating Sex Work: Subjectivity and Stigma in Senegal, Ellen Foley
Integrated Assessment of Shallow-Aquifer Vulnerability to Multiple Contaminants and Drinking-Water Exposure Pathways in Holliston, Massachusetts, Birgit Claus Henn, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Allegra Denehy, Marcie Randall, Nichole Cordon, Bilin Basu, Brian Caccavale, Stefanie Covino, Ravi Hanumantha, Kevin Longo, Ariel Maiorano, Spring Pillsbury, Gabrielle Rigutto, Kelsey Shields, Marianne Sarkis, and Timothy Downs
Witnessing and Disrupting: The Ethics of Working with Testimony for Refugee Advocacy, Leora Kahn and Anita Fábos
The cognitive relevance of Indigenous and rural: Why is it critical to survival?, Karim Aly Kassam, Leanne Avery, and Morgan Ruelle
Development of a Practical and Effective Forecasting Performance Measure, Ronald K. Klimberg and Samuel Ratick
A Novel Approach to Forecasting Regression and Cluster Analysis, Ronald K. Klimberg, Samuel Ratick, and Harvey Smith
For Function or Transformation? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Education Under the Sustainable Development Goals, Radhika Mitter and Nigel O.M. Brissett
Participatory research strategies in nuclear risk management for native communities, Dianne Quigley, Virginia Sanchez, Dan Handy, Robert Goble, and Patricia George
Analysis of Worcester's Youth Employment Sector, Laurie Ross PhD, Ramon Borges-Mendez PhD, and Alex Rothfelder
Ecological Relations and Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Standing Rock, Morgan Ruelle
A Multi-Criteria Geographic Information Systems Approach for the Measurement of Vulnerability to Climate Change, Daniel Miller Runfola, Samuel Ratick, Julie Blue, Elia Axinia Machado, Nupur Hiremath, Nick Giner, Kathleen White, and Jeffrey Arnold
Conclusion and Outlook, Philip J. Vergragt, Maurie J. Cohen, and Halina Szejnwald Brown
Toward a Socio-Territorial Approach to Health: Health Equity in West Africa, Lucie Vialard, Clara Squiban, Florence Fournet, Gérard Salem, and Ellen Foley
Introduction: Health Governance in Africa: Taking Stock, Blé Marcel Yoro and Ellen Foley
Faculty Works from 2016
From Consumerism to Wellbeing: Toward a Cultural Transition?, Halina Szejnwald Brown and Philip J. Vergragt
The Subject of Return: Land and Livelihood Struggles for Place and Citizenship, Cynthia Caron
Understanding Women's Needs for Weather and Climate Information in Agrarian Settings: The Case of Ngetou Maleck, Senegal, Edward Carr, Grant Fleming, and Tshibangu Kalala
The Shifting Epistemologies of Vulnerability in Climate Services for Development: The Case of Mali’s Agrometeorological Advisory Programme, Edward Carr and Kwame Owusu-Daaku
An Integrative Framework for Re-Thinking 2nd Generation Sustainable Development (SD2.0) Projects, Education and the University as Catalyst, Timothy Downs and Nikita Golovko
Flick of the Skirt: A Feminist Challenge to IR's Coherent Narrative, Cynthia Enloe
Preface, Cynthia Enloe
Ticonderoga, Gettysburg, and Hiroshima: Feminist Reflections on Becoming a Militarized Tourist, Cynthia Enloe
Twenty-Five Years of Bananas, Beaches and Bases: A Conversation with Cynthia Enloe, Cynthia Enloe, Anita Lacey, and Thomas Gregory
The Social Amplification of Risk: A Conceptual Framework, Roger Kasperson, Ortwin Renn, Paul Slovic, Halina Brown, Jacque Emel, Robert Goble, Jeanne Kasperson, and Samuel Ratick
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge as the Basis for Adaptive Environmental Management: Evidence from Pastoralist Communities in the Horn of Africa, Chuan Liao, Morgan Ruelle, and Karim Aly Kassam
History Reformatted: Vietnam’s Great Famine (1944–45) in Archival Form, Ken Maclean
Humanitarian Mine Action in Myanmar and the Reterritorialization of Risk, Ken MacLean
Multilevel Provider-Based Sampling for Recruitment of Pregnant Women and Mother-Newborn Dyads, Thomas McLaughlin, Onesky Aupont, Claudia Kozinetz, David Hubble, Tiffany Moore-Simas, Deborah Davis, Christina Park, Ruth Brenner, Deidre Sepavich, Marianne Felice, Chantal Caviness, Tim Downs, Beatrice Selwyn, and Michele Forman
Publicly Engaged Scholars: Next-Generation Engagement and the Future of Higher Education, Margaret Post, Elaine Ward, Nicholas Longo, and John Saltmarsh
The Maximal Cover Location Model with Hedging: Siting Facilities under Uncertainty, a Lead Poisoning Screening Network for the Dominican Republic, Sam Ratick, Jeffrey Osleeb, and Kangping Si
Forest Fragmentation in Massachusetts, USA: A Town-Level Assessment Using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and Affinity Propagation, John Rogan, Timothy Wright, Jeffrey Cardille, Hamil Pearsall, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Rachel Riemann, Kurt Riitters, and K. Partington
Problem Analysis in Community Violence Assessments: Reavealing Early Childhood Trauma as a Driver of Youth and Gang Violence, Laurie Ross PhD, Samantha Arsenault, and Sergeant Miguel Lopez
Bono, Band Aid, and Before: Celebrity Humanitarianism, Music, and the Objects of its Action, Ami Shah, Bruce Hall, and Edward Carr
Enhancing and Expanding Intersectional Research for Climate Change Adaptation in Agrarian Settings, Mary Thompson-Hall, Edward Carr, and Unai Pascual
Participatory Modeling and Community Dialog About Vulnerability of Lobster Fishing to Climate Change, Thomas Webler, Esperanza Stancioff, Robert Goble, and Jessica Whitehead
Diversity in the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector, Judith Weisinger, Ramón Borges-Méndez, and Carl Milofsky
Faculty Works from 2015
Cancer Risk: Role of Environment, Nicholas A. Ashford, Patricia Bauman, Halina S. Brown, Richard W. Clapp, Adam M. Finkel, David Gee, Dale B. Hattis, Marco Martuzzi, Annie J. Sasco, and Jennifer B. Sass
Asset-based development and the wealth profile of stateside Puerto Rican households, Ramón Borges-Méndez
Making Homes in Limbo? A Conceptual Framework, Cathrine Brun and Anita Fábos
Rescuing Girls, Investing in Girls: A Critique of Development Fantasies, Cynthia Caron and Shelby Margolin
Political Ecology and Livelihoods, Edward Carr
Vulnerability Assessments, Identity and Spatial Scale Challenges in Disaster-Risk Reduction, Edward Carr, Daniel Abrahams, Arielle T. de la Poterie, Pablo Suarez, and Bettina Koelle
Rural Areas, Purnamita Dasgupta, John Morton, David Dodman, Barış Karapinar, Francisco Meza, Marta Rivera-Ferre, Aissa Toure Sarr, Katharine E. Vincent, Edward Carr, Nirivololona Raholijao, and Hauke Broecker
Cultivating a Global Identity, Joseph de Rivera and Harry A. Carson
Mission Critical: Reforming Foster Care and Child Protective Services in Massachusetts, Emily M. Douglas Ph.D, Melinda Gushwa Ph.D, Martha J. Henry Ph.D, Denise A. Hines Ph.D, Mickayla Aboujaoude, and Annie E. Casey Foundation
