Author Archives: ipg4max

Reflecting on Trust and Social Justice in the thought of David Hume and John Rawls

Trust is a bond, among others, that helps to tie society together. Citizens trust every day; when we choose to put our money in a bank, or when we provide personal information to guarantee a service, for example. We routinely … Continue reading

Posted in Nada Berrada | Leave a comment

The Political Economy of Trade Agreements

Introduction On Monday August 27, 2018, President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Mexico had reached an understanding on the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). During the summer months, Mexico and the United States … Continue reading

Posted in Simone Franzi | Leave a comment

Images, Structures and Individual’s Choices: The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Paradox

To begin to probe how individual choices may shape women’s educational experience, one can start by examining the gender ratio in higher education. According to Charles (2017b), one meaningful method of ranking countries on their degree of sex segregation in … Continue reading

Posted in Neda Moayerian | Leave a comment

Relationships: Antidote for Shifts in Funding Towards Proof of Public Value for Public Services?

Introduction Neoliberalism is often referred to as an economic theory. Nonetheless, it is more appropriately recognized as an ideology comprised of values and practices that work as a “cultural field” (Giroux, 2004). Biebricher (2015) has argued that neoliberalism’s influence on … Continue reading

Posted in Jeremy Elliott-Engel | Leave a comment

Conflict, Communication and Collaboration: Is There Really a Middle Ground?

Introduction Development as a process to secure positive change in humans’ lives through combating inequality and poverty is deeply indebted to individuals’ democratic participation in decision-making processes (UNDP, 2016). Many community and international development scholars and practitioners have argued that … Continue reading

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Reflections on a Greenhouse Project with which I Worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica

Introduction The Peace Corps, an agency of the United States government founded in 1961, has a mission to promote world peace and friendship by addressing three overarching goals: To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for … Continue reading

Posted in Beth Olberding | Leave a comment

Planning: A Profession with An Identity Crisis in The Absence of a Core Paradigm

Introduction When compared to other long-standing disciplines such as history or political science, planning is a relatively new field. This article examines some of the enduring forces that today challenge planning as its professionals struggle to define its guiding paradigm … Continue reading

Posted in Efon Epanty | Leave a comment

Prefabricating Poverty: The Political Implications of Prefabrication

Prefabrication’s promises are tempting: “lower and more predictable production costs, better and more standardized product quality, and faster and more punctual construction” (Noguchi, 2012, pp. 555–557) But, the real question is, tempting for whom? Let me pose this question in … Continue reading

Posted in Reza Fateminasab | Leave a comment

Contemplating the Tensions Between Technical and Adaptive Approaches in International Development

I spent a week in the highlands of Guatemala on a mission trip with my church in the summer of 2015. This was my first experience working in the field with a local organization and directly with those it sought … Continue reading

Posted in Ben Grove | Leave a comment

Everything old is new again: The Emergence of the European Coal and Steel Community as an Imperial Project

The recent electoral successes of exclusionary nationalist and xenophobic politicians and parties in the European Union (EU) have been characterized in part by the re-emergence of a discourse in which the “West,” “Europe,” and/or “Christianity” must be protected or defended … Continue reading

Posted in Johannes Grow | Leave a comment