I am proposing to research the debates on sustainable development because I want to find out how external forces limit or expand sustainable development practices in order to help my readers understand why countries are unable to achieve environmentally conscious goals. I want to first recognize my understanding that this is still a broad topic. I hope that as I further examine that type of method I want to use in the research, I will be able to decide if I want to focus on a trend or examine specific cases. I would also like to acknowledge that when generalizing a group of countries, there are many debates on what terms should be used. My research on this topic alone has been basic to this point and for the purpose of this post, I will use the terms “developing” and “developed” countries to describe countries with different economic statuses.

With overlapping and equal interests in environmental sustainability, international aid, and the concept of development, I decided that the umbrella of my broad research topic should examine the debates on the ideology of “sustainable development.” The idea of sustainable development initially appeals to a self-proclaimed environmentalist as me. What better way to encourage development than in a sustainable fashion? We are encouraged to learn from history and our past mistakes. The United States is a “developed” country and has generally understood that the method of development that they participated in has depleted natural resources and harmed ecosystems. As the United States encourages developing nations to “catch-up” to their standards, the hope to encourage this process sustainably is to make up for past mistakes by already developed nations. Whereas the developed nations are now encouraged to shift to environmentally conscious lifestyles, developing nations have, for a lack of a better word, the opportunity to start environmentally conscious at the beginning. The United Nations considers sustainable development as one of their top priorities and have even released a platform of these 17 carefully chosen goals. In 2016, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway convinces us that sustainable development is a gateway to economic equality.¹ On the other side, as this term began to rise in the 1990s, critics worried that the concept failed to understand the depth of poverty and environmental degradation, dismiss economic growth have incomplete perceptions on sustainability and participation.² This debate is important to resolve to the best of our ability because the time to save our planet from utter environmental catastrophe is running out. Drastic changes need to be made immediately and we must consider each country’s role in the process.

This massive umbrella topic is essential for understanding how countries see their role in the development of other countries. Many questions arise. How influential is their role? How important is their role? Do they limit or expand sustainable development? Should they influence or encourage “development”? Development itself is a difficult term to wrestle with but my understanding how external forces view and promote this concept will be useful in this research. To examine this further, I have already examined a few theories of development. W.W. Rostow proposes “stage theory” and that there are five stages of development.³ This theory focuses on an individual country’s internal process. Andre Gunder Frank has a different perception because he believes in “dependency theory.” It is a theory based on historical experiences of both developed and developing countries.⁴ This theory allows for examination of external factors, especially foreign actors. These are just two theories that consider when examining development and this preliminary research has allowed me to realize that for this research topic I would use the lens of dependency theory.

This topic is important now more than ever because of the climatic tipping point. ⁵ This research is motivated by keeping climate change in this discussion because it is vital to understand the importance and the time-sensitivity of this issue. The concepts of sustainability and development, both individually and as a phrase, have been at the forefront of debates, policy, and actions internationally. We must analyze and be open to criticism of the role of foreign actors in the development process. The idea of sustainability to this topic has increased the delay in concrete international decisions when it should be exactly the opposite. Conducting this research will allow for appropriate international action.

• What explains the success and failures of imposing sustainable development practices?
• What explains the success and failures of the United States’ role in implementing sustainable development practices in Haiti?

 

*Note: Considering comparing the United States’ role in multiple countries or how another developed country has influenced another developing country.

 

1. Erna Solberg. “Key-note speech.” Speech, High Level Forum on Sustainable Development, New York City, NY, July 18, 2016.
2. Sharachchandram Lele. “Sustainable Development: A Critical Review,” World Development 19, no. 6 (1991), 607.
3. W. Rostow. “The Five Stages of Growth” in Development and Under Development eds. Mitchell Seligson & John Passe-Smith (London: Lynne Reinner, 1998), 10-16.
4. Andre Gunder Frank. “The Development of Underdevelopment” in From Modernization to Globalization: Perspectives on Development and Social Change J. Timmons Roberts & Amy Hite. (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000) 159.
5. Summer K. Praetorius & Alan C. Mix. “Synchronization of North Pacific and Greenland Climates Precede Abrupt Deglacial Warming,” Science 345 no. 6195 (2014). 4444.

 

Bibliography:

Frank, Andre Gunder. “The Development of Underdevelopment” in From Modernization to Globalization: Perspectives on Development and Social Change eds. J. Timmons Roberts & Amy Hite. (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000) 159-168.

Lele, Sharachchandram. “Sustainable Development: A Critical Review,” World Development 19, no. 6 (1991), 607-621

Praetorius, Summer K.  & Alan C. Mix. “Synchronization of North Pacific and Greenland Climates Precede Abrupt Deglacial Warming,” Science 345 no. 6195 (2014). 4444-4448

Rostow, W.W. “The Five Stages of Growth” in Development and Under Development eds. Mitchell Seligson & John Passe-Smith (London: Lynne Reinner, 1998), 10-16.

Solberg, Erna. “Key-note Speech.” Speech, High Level Forum on Sustainable Development, New York City, NY, July 18, 2016.

 

In her research, Marie Redon seeks to understand how the European Union’s urbanization projects in Haiti have failed. She explores how Haiti has been the center of the “sustainable city” project since prior to the 2010 Earthquake. She follows this until three years after the Earthquake, in 2013. Redon begins to focus on how Haiti has attempted to urbanize in a sustainable fashion and how the European Union has led it to continuously fail. The question lies, what does sustainability mean to Haitians, both in longevity and in a “greener” future? She claims that international humanitarian effort is strengthening “urban fragmentation” 1. She uses the events of Port-au-Prince as a case study to draw conclusions on aid and development in general. Redon combines interviews, basic statistics, and joins the conversations of peer research to conclude the sustainable cities are unlikely to emerge due to the disunity of land management. She uses a brief bit about Haitian history to explain how the country has depended on other model countries to organize themselves but fail to merge their culture within the system. Redon adds that reconstruction projects prompted by NGOs and various outside organizations and governments promote the loop of unsustainable development through their lack of knowledge and their intrusion on communities.

1.

Redon, Marie. “The model’s limitations what ‘urban sustainability’ for Port-au-Prince? European urban projects put to the test by the Haitian city,” European Spatial Research and Policy 20, no. 2 (January 2014), 43.

Redon, Marie. “The model’s limitations what ‘urban sustainability’ for Port-au-Prince? European urban projects put to the test by the Haitian city,” European Spatial Research and Policy 20, no. 2 (January 2014), 41-56.

Ontology and methodology are two concepts that stand at the basis of understanding research. As defined, ontology is the belief about the nature of reality. It is a philosophical study that allows researchers to understand the logic of reality and being. Ontology can be used in social research to understand why and how beings and individuals exist (and thrive or fail to co-exist). Methodology is the actual reasoning about various methods. It provides researchers an opportunity to balance the tradeoffs when selecting a particular research method for their study. It allows for careful consideration by researchers in hopes to find the best method for their future inquiry.

I have noticed my immediate concerns in regards to a researcher’s ability to fulfill the role of “objective observer.” The question stands, can anyone ever be objective? In Zeev Maoz and Bruce Russett’s “Normative and Structural Causes of Democratic Peace, 1946-1986” I found that because of their vast dataset and hopes of finding general patterns, they had to quantify data that was previously qualitative. The statistics provided allowed for Maoz and Russett to conduct a test and explain why the numbers were the way they are. Comparing it with John Owen’s “How Liberalism Produces Democratic Peace” Owen was able to state historical facts and deeply analyze them. Both cases allow for equal biases, however, I think to be an “objective observer” one must take the role of researcher and truth-seeker as a priority. I noticed within these pieces that the choice to use target cases versus representative cases was much larger than just what is on their research. They both respectfully play into different biases. Was there sample bias? Was there bias in reporting the findings? How much of a researcher’s initial thoughts are present in the concluding discoveries? In recognizing opposing arguments both research reports were able to help combat this. Wayne Booth encourages in “The Craft of Research,” researchers should engage with their sources and focus on entering a conversation with previous researchers. This method and mindset will assist in me so that I can take a step back and view the social world as objectively as possible.

In order to make valid knowledge claims about my own research, I think using the interpretivism mindset by pushing myself to understand the complexities of practices and symbols will allow me to delve into the most culturally understanding perspective of any topic in relation to environmental sustainability.  To engage with primary sources is an obvious top priority, however, past this, I must be open and willing to accept and trust the research done by my predecessors. I physically will not be able to write solely on interactions that I see with my own eyes for this specific research project. Cultural and social norms will be vital to understanding the way people act and further, the way people think.

On a large scale, my primary research interest is environmental sustainability. Initially, my proposed research topic focused on plastic pollution and the economic and political implications that would result if the world made a dramatic shift to an environmentally friendly alternative. The main factors that would be affected is the job market and oil industry (considering oil is a major component in plastic production).

When choosing this topic I originally began by thinking that I needed to find an aspect of environmental concerns that I was passionate about (pollution) and make it appeal to those who do not prioritize the environmental, but rather, economic and political implications of this industry. I may consider why environmental concerns are less valuable than economic and political issues, however, after class today I realized that I am not sure if this is a puzzle that has a strong foundation for continued research.

I believe I need to take a step back and find other puzzles of environmental concern. Prince Ea´s video ¨Dear Future Generations: Sorry¨ sparks my inner passion for environmental issues, but there are MANY to consider. This topic is extremely significant because if immediate actions are not taken on a global scale, there will be little value in worrying about other national and international problems because there will be no safe and healthy environment for people to live. Today´s class discussion is motivating me to re-think my research and find the ¨puzzles.¨

 

¨Dear Future Generations: Sorry” (YouTube, 2015), accessed September 1, 2017, web, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRLJscAlk1M