Dissertationsprojekte
Yan Li
Relational and Dynamic Perspectives on Regional Development During China's Transformation: A comparative study of Yangtze River Delta and the Northeast in China, 1978-2009
This project examines the interrelation between regional development, regional capability, and regional governance, and argues that regional capability plays a crucial role in the process of regional development. The project is based on a comparative case study (Yangtze River Delta and the Northeast) to identify factors able to enforce regional capability, and to give suggestions on the improvement of regional governance in China.
Marcela López
Water Distribution as an Indicator of Social Inequality: The case of Medellín, Colombia
The research explores the transformation of water supply systems in both urban and rural areas of Medellín in the process of incorporation into the global economy from a “political ecology” perspective. In the last few years, the city’s public utility company has initiated a process of modernization and geographical expansion supported by multilateral organizations in order to increase its competitiveness in the international market. As a result, a rapid growth of desconectados (people disconnected from water supply) has been reported in the poorest neighborhoods due to the exorbitant increase in the water tariffs. Additionally, the recent involvement of the private sector in distribution of water services in rural areas poses a threat to traditional forms of water supply managed by acueductos comunitarios (water-user associations). Focusing on desconectados and acueductos comunitarios as the unit of analysis, this study illustrates how processes of privatization and modernization contribute to inequalities of access to water resources. Furthermore, it also analyses how different social groups have adapted and/or responded to changes in ownership and access to this vital good.
Severin Halder
Socio-ecological Subsistence Movements Between Favelas and Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods: A transregional analysis of urban gardens in Rio de Janeiro and Berlin focusing on their transformative potential toward a 'good life' in times of worldwide urban socio-ecological marginalization
Christina Koss
The Liberalization of the Global Textile Trade and its Impacts on Textile Production in Ghana with Focus on Female Workers
Claudia König
The Forest as Service Provider: A political ecology of payments for ecosystem services in Pará, Brazil