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Research topics in:
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Political science |
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Alley, Melissa, "Government institutions dedicated to Indian Reservations; the processes of change within the Talamancan Indian Reservation." Adv. Lara E. Putnam. Colorado. 2003. This study will look into the political process followed by the inhabitants of the Talamancan Indian Reservation in order to bring about change within the community. The project seeks to describe the reservation's own governmental structure as well as the role played by the Costa Rican government and government affiliations that have been formed to aid this indigenous community in its struggle to survive and to preserve its culture. Frantz, Laura, "Local-National Co-management of Cahuita National Park." Adv. Lara E. Putnam. Grinnell. 2003. This study intends to describe the work of Cahuita's Management Committee in the context of the recent national movement towards the decentralization and the restructuring of natural resource management. The government-community hybrid that is being implemented to manage the Cahuita National Park is seen as an important pilot experiment that requires a critical and descriptive study to determine its viability and transferability. Mufuka, Rumbi, "Privatization of Public Services in Latin America. The Case of Juan Santamaría International Airport, Costa Rica." Advisor: Roxana Salazar. Emory University. 2005. 20pp. The airport concession contract between Alterra Partners and the government of Costa Rica has been riddled with problems and doubts since it was signed four years ago. The privatization of Juan Santamaría International Airport is the largest endeavor of its kind in Costa Rica and the proceedings and its outcome will set a precedent for future negotiations. Two years ago the Comptroller General's Office found several financial irregularities in the contract. Alterra Partners halted construction and the two parties have been in negotiations ever since. Transparency International of Costa Rica (TICR) has attempted to participate in these negotiations, as a representative of the citizens, but neither the government nor Alterra Partners is interested in facilitating the flow of information. In an interview published in La Nación on February 12, 2005, Minister of Public Works and Transportation Randall Quirós said, "A negotiation cannot enter public view… until we [Alterra Partners and the Government] are in total agreement on each of the points we discuss." Despite this statement, TICR is working hard to fulfill its mission: to increase levels of accountability and transparency, to monitor the performance of key institutions, to press for necessary reforms in a non-party political manner, and combat corruption through prevention and reform. In the light of recent investigations that resulted in two former presidents under house arrest, one would think the level of citizen participation would be high in this case. Unfortunately, it is not, which makes the job of TICR harder as there are few voices concerned with the fate of the airport. In this paper, I question the strategy used for popular cases with strong citizen participation and unpopular, but important, cases with low participation. How should their methodology differ with the different types of cases? I propose that TICR focus on raising public awareness in all the cases they investigate. I also suggest they build a strategy to harness collective action and use it effectively in their fight against corruption. Mayo, Ann, "Considering People in Conservation Policies: The Political Voice of Campesinos in the Arenal Forest Reserve." Adv. David Kauck. Colorado College. 1990. 37pp. The Costa Rican Forest Service (DGF) established the Arenal Forest Reserve in 1977 to protect the watershed and remaining forest south of Lake Arenal. Thirteen years after its declaration, there are approximately 130 landowners within its boundaries and deforestation continues. The DGF will eventually expropriate all the farms in the reserve, but currently is lacking the funds. With the declaration of the Reserve, a strict set of land use regulations was implemented. Without Forest Service permission, farmers cannot legally cut trees, build or extend roads, hunt, or burn fields. Farmers of the Reserve have joined together and are demanding that the government either buy their lands or loosen land use restrictions. They have organized themselves in a struggle against the policies of the national government in an effort to protect their rights. Local organizations from Santa Elena are involved as mediators between the farmers and the government, attempting to help them reach an agreement. This study focuses on the political dispute between the farmers and the government, the effects of government policy on the farmers, and possible solutions for the future which would more successfully protect the forest. Strimple, Todd, "The Attitudes of Political Party Members in Costa Rica Towards the Effects of the Structural Adjustment Process." Adv. Daniel Masís. Grinnell. 1994. This paper examines the attitudes of Costa Rican political party members towards the effects of the structural adjustment process. The paper is based on personal interviews obtained during the months of March and April in San José, Costa Rica. The main focus of this project was the collection of information on attitudes of deputies towards the effects of the structural adjustment on the social sectors of society. Besides information gathered through interviews, background information on the 1980's Debt Crisis and the resulting structural adjustment process was obtained through a bibliographic review. The paper first examines the nature of the debt crisis, the nature of international lending institutions, the Structural Adjustment Loans made to Costa Rica, and the political parties in Costa Rica, before examining attitudes. This paper provides preliminary research on political party members attitudes towards the problem of poverty and its possible solution. Umnov, Nikita, "Life and Death of the Two-Party System in Costa Rica." Adv. Msc. Ronald Alfaro Redondo, Estado de la Nación. Grinnell College. 2006. This project investigates the two-party system on the presidential and legislative level in Costa Rica. The investigation site for the project was San José, Costa Rica. This project analyzes electoral periods from 1953 to 2006. The project questions if and when bipartisan or multipartisan systems existed with respect to the "laws" of Maurice Duverger and Giovanni Sartori. Also, this paper uses the analysis of various contemporary Costa Rican political scientists. This project concludes that 1986 between 1994 there did exist a bipartisan system. Furthermore, this paper concludes that after 1998 Costa Rica's bipartisan system and the country went into a transition phase. Weems, Helen, "The History and Implications of Soil Degradation for the Small Agriculturalist: Lanas de Puriscal." Adv. David Kauck. Oberlin. 1990. 47pp. This study investigates the relationship between soil degradation, agriculture and poverty in Lanas de Puriscal. After a brief description of the sustainable niche that the indigenous people of Costa Rica filled in the ancient tropical environment, the study begins by discussing some of the ecological and historical factors influencing the environmental degradation of the Cantón de Puriscal. It continues with a description and analysis of Lanas today. As one of the most notoriously degraded areas in Costa Rica, Lanas is exemplary of a small agricultural community with a dubious economic future. The deforestation of steep slopes has resulted in soil loss and water source contamination. A growing population coupled with limited land availability further constrains production and income. These factors are aggravated by the fact that the agricultural practices of Lanas are inefficient, unprofitable, and extremely destructive of soils. Abstract continues. |
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