July 7, 2008
By Ke Wu, Arizona State University, Barrett Honors College
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72 million children around the world still do not have access to education. This number does not even include the children with access, but unable to attend due to informal costs. Many countries that profess to provide free education neglect to include the cost of uniforms and school supplies. Even when these costs are covered, the most impoverished children continue to drop out. This worldwide phenomenon suggests that the price of going to school is not the only factor affecting student attendance.
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American Literature's Global Circulation: How is originally American literature translated, republished, marketed and interpreted across the world? What do these processes reveal about America's image today abroad?
July 7, 2008
By Harris Sockel, Northwestern University
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This paper examines American literature's global circulation through tracking Jack Kerouac's On the Road and similar novels of the "Beat" generation as they are published internationally. As Penguin Books largely dominates the worldwide circulation of On the Road, I draw heavily on my interviews with Penguin executives and associates in depicting the state of American literary translation and reception.
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The Myth of the Urban Advantage and the Crisis of Urban Slums: An exploration of land tenure reform programs and the relationship between NGOs and government
July 7, 2008
By Katherine F. Fallon, Princeton University
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Urbanization is occurring at an unprecedented rate, such that by 2030, 2 billion additional people will be living in cities. A majority of this growth is occurring in the cities of the developing world, where economic, social, and political systems are often too fragile to effectively handle dramatic surges in population. While urbanization has led to many positive and negative changes, perhaps the most noted outcome is the proliferation of slum settlements. Currently, more than 1 billion people live in slum settlements in developing cities, and this number is expected to increase to 2 billion by 2020.
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Small Scale Wind Energy Production: Toward the Sustainable Development of Island Nations
June 27, 2008
By Grayson Badgley, Georgetown University
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The electrification of small island developing states remains one of the most difficult tasks of international development. Electrification is difficult even outside of insular settings. Over 1.6 billion people around the world live without access to electricity. This reality, in turn, limits social and economic development, as electricity has positive impacts on everything from income generation to education. Electricity not only provides new opportunities for communities, it also allows individuals to carry out previous activities with greater effectiveness. With the hope of contributing to global electrification efforts, my research set out to assess how newly developed wind energy technologies might be used to electrify small island communities around the globe.
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