Student: Dylan Stacy
Graduation date: May 2018
Type: Concentration (single major)
Date approved:
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Summary
Sanitation Infrastructure is an integral part of the development of periphery countries as they transition to production and service based economies and the urbanization that commonly coincides with these steps of industrialization. Sanitation Infrastructure is more than just the disposal of feces, according to the UN and the WHO, it also encompasses much more. They give some examples such as the management of solid waste, and the disposal and recycling of sewage waste. My concentration is a very anthropocentric focus on the human environment and the people affected by environmental injustice, as well as those not directly or purposefully disenfranchised but still drowning in their own filth.
Some of the major hurdles in Infrastructure improvement aren’t just resource limitations but also social limitations, in some countries such as Bangladesh, it’s perfectly normal for children under the age of 5 to defecate on the ground within the house (Sultana et al., 2013). Diarrheal diseases contribute to a large majority of childhood fatalities in the world and many of those diseases are contracted through the accidental consumption of fecal bacteria (Majorin et al. 2014). These articles also touch on diseases contracted by adults through contaminated drinking water. Another cultural factor that leads to increased disease and degradation of the lower classes of peripheral countries is the increased urbanization and demand for homes which can not be met so people are forced to reside in slums and shanty towns that have very little or no running water or baseline infrastructure so waste simply runs down hill or settles in between houses creating a breeding ground for pathogens and bacteria that poison the urban populations of these informal urban housing developments. This waste is washed into the nearest water supply during the rainy or monsoon season very common in many peripheral countries such as in some south American and african countries.
Some examples of current strategies and attempts at improving sanitation infrastructure are Micro Loans distributed by NGO’s such as WaterPartners International. Davis et al. explored the effectiveness and expandability of these NGO micro-loans. They found that it’s much more effective on the large scale to treat humanitarian aid as a business, specifically from the perspective of a bank. WaterPartners International is one of these humanitarian businesses, to help create a safe loan they require the possible debtors to form a “joint liability group” where 5 households all in the same neighbor hood take on individual loans of about US$75-250 designated to improving home water and sanitation infrastructure and would “vouch” for each other and assume other families debts if they fail to meet payments.
Some places where I would like to situate my research are Dhaka, Bangladesh, Rocinha Brazil, and Dharavi, India. These are relevant places through their many similarities as well as the many differences culturally and economically between them to help maintain a more globally relevant situated context. Rocinha in Brazil is one of brazils largest Favelas but has made significant improvements now that almost all homes are made of concrete and have basic sanitation needs allowing for the study of an improved slum. Dharavi in India is a slum that developed because of the mass migration towards Mumbai and because of its large factories, this slum is a good example of the working residents who have a semi stable income, possibly capable of affording NGO micro loans for sanitation improvement. I find Dhaka very relevent because it’s the capital of Bangladesh and has faced alot of friction from the state and the people are forced to constantly relocate and rebound after eviction creating a need for a mobile source of sanitation or a more permanent development that would please the state.
Kaminsky studied the cultural side of sanitation infrastructure with a focus on uncertainty and concluded, ” While certain nations or communities may be more or less comfortable with uncertainty, I would propose that in almost every setting more reliable sanitation services are preferred to less reliable services” (Kaminsky, 2015). This Study leads me to believe that sanitation infrastructure is as equally a cultural problem as well as economic. The economic side of infrastructure is, in my opinion the most complex and intriguing as the allocation of foreign aid and the impact of it are very rarely examined (Black, 2010). Through his research, he found that the actual capital allocated to sanitation improvements rarely get spent on said improvements.
I seek through my concentration and future situated project to combine both the cultural and economic hurdles that peripheral countries and their citizens face in the pursuit to improve their sanitation infrastructure. I do this as an attempt to understand and possibly shed light on future attempts to improve urban and rural sanitation alike.
Key Literature
Questions
- Descriptive: What are the main components of a core countries sanitation infrastructure? Those of a periphery country? Is Sanitation improvement a high priority?
- Explanatory: Who is impacted by the lack of sanitation in rural and urban periphery countries? Why isn’t there better existing infrastructure? How do cultural beliefs effect local perspectives on sanitation?
- Evaluative: how can successful attempts be used in other contexts? Are Micro Loans the best way for the international community to help?
- Instrumental: What can the State do to improve the infrastructure? what can NGO’s and other states do to improve infrastructure? Can a mutually beneficial agreement bring the core and periphery together on this issue?
Concentration courses
- IA 257 (Global Resource Dilemmas, 4 credits), Spring 2016. Related because it covers the topics of "Limits to growth" and "lifeboat ethics" which help understand the creation of slums and favelas around the world and the coverage of problems related to water, population, and development.
- ECON 260 (Environmental and Natural Resource Economics), Fall 2016. This covers not only resource economics but also Hazardous-waste disposal and property rights which relate to the infrastructure development needed in Peripheral countries for sanitation.
- IA 318 (Multinational Corporations), Fall 2016. This class could help comprehend and explore how the Introduction of multinational corporations can affect the local economies and infrastructure of urban areas in peripheral countries.
- SOAN 305 (Environmental Sociology), Fall 2016. This course covers the topic of environmental injustice through the "harmful effects of pollution disproportionately impact disadvantaged groups." as well as industrial production and urbanization.
- IA 238 (Political Economy of Development) Spring 2017. Learning about the role of the state in economic development, and why some countries are poor and can't afford infrastructure development.
- SOAN 350 (Global Inequality) Spring 2017. This class explores the "Issues in the relationships between First World and Third World societies, including colonialism and transnational corporations," helping understand what ways the core can help the periphery develop a mutually beneficial relationship.
Arts and humanities courses
- HIST 261 (Global Environmental History, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.