Focus Area: Catastrophes, Conservation, and Conflict
Country of Origin: USA
Degree Program: PhD
Entered Program: Fall 2021
Expected Graduation: Spring 2026
Dissertation Topic: Authority, Institutions, and Governance: Understanding Community-based Natural Resource Management Performance in Southern Africa
Research Statement: Success in community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) is often attributed to institutional design and governance processes. Scholars, practitioners, and support organizations broadly favor inclusive, collaborative governance that promotes greater participation of indigenous people and local communities. However, the authority and responsibilities to manage common resources have rarely been fully devolved to rural communities. My research seeks to clarify how institutions, social factors, and scale correspond with the effective governance of CBNRM in Southern Africa and why institutional reform has so often stalled. Much of my work focuses on social and geographic variations in governance participation within conservation communities using original survey data and spatial statistics. My other theoretical interests center on collective action in rural communities, the economics of wildlife and common-pool resources, and the political ecology.
Adviser: Dr. Brian Child
Educational Background
- M.A. in Political Science, Villanova University, 2012
- B.A. in Journalism, Ithaca College, 2009