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A Comparison of Entrepreneurship: Uganda and the United States of America
Get PDFIn this preliminary research assignment I compared and contrasted entrepreneurship and what it means to be an entrepreneur or small business owner in the United States and Uganda as well as offer suggestions that could potentially strengthen the Ugandan economy using American business practices and solutions. I utilized both secondary sources and my own experiences and knowledge about small businesses and entrepreneurs in Uganda. This data is compared to both my own experiences in the United States as well as information provided by scholarly articles to provide a more complete and well-rounded comparison of the two countries. Uganda, being a country whose economy is estimated to be roughly 80% informal, is inherently a country full of entrepreneurs and small business owners alike. Therefore I found that studying these micro-businesses is a key element to the further development of Uganda on its path to becoming a fully developed country.
While many Ugandans do not identify themselves as entrepreneurs, the mindset and business practices of nearly every Ugandan are entrepreneurial in nature. From small mobile ice cream carts to businesses with multiple branches Ugandan business people are everywhere and are ever-increasing with the rapidly expanding labor force.
This study focused mainly on my encounters with business people within Uganda and therefore many of the subjects were informally interviewed within Kampala and Busia. The many people highlighted throughout this essay are all local business owners and farmers that I experienced during my stay in both Nabweru as well as Busia.
These first-hand accounts are compared to my own experiences as both an entrepreneurship major at the University of Vermont as well as a small informal business owner myself. In the United States I have been running an informal furniture moving and odd-job business for the last six years and many of the themes discussed throughout this report will directly relate to the experiences I have encountered during this time as an informal business owner
Climate Change and Migration in Madagascar: Investigating the impacts on people, ecosystems, and natural resources
Get PDFThe principle objective of this study was to determine the impacts of migration caused or influenced by climate change on people and ecosystems in Madagascar. The specific objectives were 1.) to investigate the impacts of internal migration in Madagascar, particularly movements of people which are related to climate change, on migrants, established communities and ecosystems in regions they relocate to, and natural resources and 2.) to investigate possible solutions to social and environmental challenges resulting from migration in the country. While researching, I came to more fully appreciate the complexities of the relationships between climate, migration, and environmental and social conditions, and the necessity of acknowledging the lack of consistent bilateral cause and effect relationships between these areas. Therefore, I feel it is important to clarify at the beginning that not all of the migrations discussed in this paper can clearly be defined as being “caused by” climate change, however climate change does have an influence on and a relationship with the conditions (environmental, economic, social, governmental) that influence an individual’s or family’s decision about whether or not to relocate and over what spatial and time scales
Analyzing the Social Impact of Gacaca Courts in the Reconciliation Process in Rwanda
Get PDFRestorative justice is often misunderstood by Western academia in the context of community-based justice systems in African nations. The Gacaca courts used in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi are frequently criticized for their procedures and outcomes. However, a majority of these criticisms come from Western authors without having engaged in conversations with Rwandans and observing the effects of the trials within the nation. The only people who know and understand the impact of the Gacaca courts are Rwandans. I have been researching how the Gacaca trials contributed to homegrown solutions and their impact within communities in Rwanda and allowing for reconciliation. There is little research beyond the planning period and start of the Gacaca trials to follow-up and see whether they were successful or lessons to learn from them.
Discussions with Rwandan citizens expanded beyond research capable within literature, showing the emotions and feelings of those who participated in the Gacaca courts. Only through conversations with real participants can one begin to understand its impacts within the community and the nation, without real conversations it is hard to prove the viability of a critique without these perspectives. Through a variety of data collection techniques, I have discovered more about reconciliation, at both a personal and national level, about the Rwandans faith in the fairness and justice dispensed by the Gacaca courts, and the positive impacts in healing made within communities and the nation as a result of the courts
NGOs, Religious Diversity, and Displacement in Morocco: How NGOs in Morocco navigate religious diversity when working with displaced populations from other countries
Get PDFThis research delves into how Christian organizations serving displaced populations and migrants from other countries in Morocco navigate religious diversity. The research explores how Christian NGOs navigate their religious identity in a predominantly Muslim society as well as how they aid migrants in being able to practice their faith. The paper examines what displacement looks like in Morocco, the complexity of how Islam is incorporated into the Moroccan constitution, and the breakdown of organizations providing services to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Morocco. A hybrid case study-literature review approach is taken to highlight the ways in which two Christian organizations, CARITAS and Comite d’Entraide (CEI) play out their religious identity in working with migrants. By utilizing existing public literature about these organizations as well as conducting interviews with individuals associated with them, this project surveys the nature of the religious element in the operations, programming, and structures of the organizations
The Public Secret and Private Pain of Wartime Sexual Violence: Comparing the Heroinat Memorial and the 2020 Newborn Monument from the Perspective of NGOs in Kosovo
Get PDFIn a rare year where there are two monuments dedicated to survivors of wartime sexual violence in Kosovo, the permanent Heroinat Memorial and the year-long Newborn Monument have different approaches and effects in their processes of commemorating wartime sexual violence. This paper approaches a comparison of these two monuments through four interviews with representatives of women-centered civil society organizations in Pristina, Kosovo. This paper finds that the Heroinat Memorial and the 2020 theme of the Newborn Monument are sites of contested meanings, because of the different approaches of each respective monument, each of the monuments’ gendered implications, and the implications of the nation-building process found in both. Ultimately, the contested meanings and understandings enumerated by the participants about the monuments speak to a broader trend of contested memories of wartime sexual violence in Kosovo
Geopolitics and the Digital Domain: How Cyberspace is Impacting International Security
Get PDFThe digital domain is the emerging environment for which the internet and data connectivity exists. This new domain is challenging the traditional place for geopolitics to exist, and creating new challenges to international relations. The use of cyberweapons through direct cyberattacks, such as the possibility of an attack on the U.S. power grid, or misinformation campaigns, such as the one launched by Russia against the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, can expand the international threat landscape. While these new threats increase, states are widely not prepared to address the new challenges in the digital domain. This paper will use three primary sources and a variety of secondary sources to analyze the aspects of cyberwarfare, how to effectively secure nations against threats from the digital domain, and how developing versus developed countries react differently to advances in technology
Linguistic Differences in Swiss cantons and its role on the national identity
Get PDFSwitzerland is home to four national languages followed with a positive image on the international stage as a linguistically diverse country. In Swiss history, there has never been a record of a civil war or tensions between linguistic groups raising the question of what accounts for the national identity. The Swiss do not follow the typical definition in nationalism leading to an investigation on establishing the factors that comprise of the Swiss national identity and its effect on the political system. The results indicated linguistic diversity and the political institutions are the factors that compose the national identity creating a wave effect on laws passed and the attitudes of Swiss individuals. Case studies of Brexit and Belgium were also utilized in reference to the differences between the Swiss and many other nations’ approach in addressing hostile tensions caused by individual differences between citizens. Overall, the project has indicated the Swiss national identity plays a relatively large part in maintaining the harmony between the differing linguistic groups and the political institutions in place
La minería del litio en Salinas Grandes: Un análisis de diferentes narrativas en torno a la extracción de litio desde 2010 hasta el presente / Lithium mining in the Salinas Grandes: An analysis of different narratives surrounding the extraction of lithium from 2010 until the present
No full textEl litio ha ocupado una posición muy interesante y controvertida dentro del movimiento ambiental desde su descubrimiento en 2010. Entre los muchos usos de este metal precioso está la fabricación de baterías, que es un componente esencial para la transición hacia una economía verde . Los vehículos eléctricos y las unidades de almacenamiento de energía que funcionan con baterías de litio son dos tecnologías importantes para este movimiento, y como resultado, la demanda de litio está aumentando en el mercado global. En las Salinas Grandes, la cuestión de la extracción de litio involucra a una variedad de actores que tienen diferentes posiciones sobre su búsqueda. Con el estudio, espero articular cuáles son exactamente esas narraciones y cómo se relacionan entre sí en base a los siguientes ejes de comparación: concepción de la naturaleza, “visión de desarrollo”, visión respecto a la minería, métodos de acción / fuentes de poder para obtener su “visión de desarrollo” y formas en que los actores manifiestan sus puntos de vista. Además de esto, quiero ver cómo han evolucionado, o no, estas narrativas desde el momento de su descubrimiento.
Lithium has held a very interesting and controversial position within the environmental movement since its discovery in 2010. Among the many uses of this precious metal is for manufacturing of batteries, which is an essential component of the transition to a green economy . Electric vehicles and energy storage units powered by lithium batteries are two important technologies for this movement, and as a result, demand for lithium is increasing in the global market. In the Salinas Grandes, the issue of lithium extraction involves a variety of stakeholders who hold different positions surrounding its pursuit. With the study, I hope to successfully articulate exactly these narratives and how they relate to each other based on the following axes of comparison: conception of nature, vision of development , vision regarding mining, methods of action / sources of power to obtain their “development vision” and ways in which actors express their points of view. As well as this, I want to look at how these narratives have evolved or not evolved since the time of their discovery
“En defensa por la salud”: Los actores sociales en la construcción del movimiento social en Chile
No full textThis investigation aimed to describe the construction of the social movement for health demands in the frame of the social outbreak in Chile in October 2019. In addition to identifying the main health demands of this movement, it also had a focus on understanding the role of social organizations in the construction of the movement and placing it within the broader socio-political movement that arises from the social outbreak. The research design was qualitative and descriptive. Having been a remote investigation, it was largely based on literature review with the support of information from a semi-structured interview. Regarding the results, four main health demands were identified. In addition, it was concluded that the different social organizations were essential in terms of unifying different prominent social actors throughout the country, such as users of the health system and health workers, which allowed for the organization of an oppositional front to the privatization of health and for the strengthening of public health, as well as for organizing mass mobilizations that gave visibility to the movement for health.
Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo describir la construcción del movimiento social por las demandas en salud en el marco del estallido social en Chile en octubre de 2019. Además de identificar las principales demandas en la salud de este movimiento, también tuvo un enfoque en conocer el rol de las organizaciones sociales en la construcción del movimiento y situar este dentro del movimiento sociopolítico más amplio que nace del estallido social. El diseño de la investigación fue cualitativo y descriptivo. Se basó en la revisión de literatura a ser realizada a distancia con el apoyo de información de una entrevista semiestructurada. En cuanto a los resultados, se identificaron cuatro demandas en salud principales. Además, se concluyó que las distintas organizaciones sociales fueron elementales en cuanto la unificación de distintos actores sociales prominentes a lo largo del país, tal como los usuarios del sistema de salud y los trabajadores de la salud, que permitió organizar un frente de oposición a la privatización de la salud y por el fortalecimiento de la salud pública, así como convocar movilizaciones masivas que le dio visibilidad al movimiento por la salud
La Discapacidad en Valparaíso: La existencia de un (¿nuevo?) movimiento social
No full textThis study examines disability in Chile as a possible new social movement, seeking to answer the question of whether a movement for disability rights exists and if so, what form it takes. Disability has historically been seen as an imperfection, an impairment, and something to cure if at all possible, but beginning in the mid-twentieth century, groups of disabled people have advocated for a changing perception of their own abilities, their place in society, and how society itself contributes to the disabling of people. Alongside this burgeoning movement, scholarship emerged that reconceptualized disability and proposed new models for understanding the relationship between disability, people, and society.
In Chile, like the rest of the world, disabilities, whether mental or physical, are common. In the context of social uprising in many sectors of Chilean society, it is no surprise that people with disabilities are also advocating for rights and recognition. Despite this participation in the “estallido social,” the current literature about disability in Chile focuses on the effects of disability on quality of life with regard to socioeconomic institutions such as employment and the healthcare system rather than the political implications. Although this work is vital for contextualizing disability and understanding its effect on people’s lives, this study seeks to understand the interaction between disability and Chilean social movements in the context of students with disabilities in Valparaíso, Chile. The focus of the study is on the system of “special schools” for students with intellectual disabilities and a non-governmental organization, “la Incidencia Colectiva” that runs an inclusive journalism workshop for students with disabilities. Gathering qualitative data through interviews with a school psychologist and a coordinator of the workshop, alongside videos produced by the workshop members and published documents about disability, this study presents an analysis in three specific areas: the context of the school system and its model of disability, the NGO’s project and the model of disability that emerges from its example, and finally the demands that form the movement for disability rights.
The study finds that both the school and the NGO showcase a relational model of disability, firmly rejecting the medical model supported by much of society. The special school system and the NGO have important ties to labor, communication, and legal rights. The study finds that although the disability movement does in fact exist in Chile, it does not have as much recognition in the midst of other movements that form the “estallido social,” although there are still opportunities for social change led by this movement