Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Media and Communication

The World Bank classifies the Lebanese economic crisis as one of the 10 worst such crises globally since the 19th century—and possibly one of the top three. Azma fawq ‘azma [crisis upon crisis] includes financial collapse, inability to care for 1.5 million refugees, the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic on an already fragile healthcare system, and the catastrophic explosion in Beirut, one of the worst non-nuclear explosions in human history, that killed 218 people, injured 7,000, and left 300,000 unhoused. Due to unprecedented levels of inflation, the Lebanese pound has lost 90% of its value, food prices have risen 500%, and 80% of the population lives in poverty. These crises have transformed Lebanon from a beacon of success to a failed state. Given the severe lack of organizational communication research in the Mashreq (Middle East), this dissertation is of particular importance as it fills a critical gap in research. The dissertation takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine how NGOs mobilize support, provide services, and engage in interorganizational collaboration to support citizens, residents, and asylum seekers struggling to survive in Lebanon. The triangulated methodological approach includes policy analysis, two phases of field research in Lebanon, and in-depth interviews with leaders, administrators, employees, and volunteers representing 52 NGOs. Interview respondents (n = 64) provided first-hand experiences, insights, and assessments of NGOs' efforts to combat intersecting crises, reflected on the complexity of these crises, and highlighted the need for economic and political reform to assuage the feelings of being trapped in the azma fawq ‘azma. Emergent themes include the importance of collective identity through interorganizational collaboration, the benefits of group cohesion in providing support and services, a sense of purpose that has expanded alongside the crises, a continuing (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of City and Regional Planning, The Ohio State University, 2023, City and Regional Planning

The rapid expansion of the cannabis industry in the United States, in line with the recent wave of legalization, has not yielded consistent growth across all societal segments. Particularly, marginalized communities historically subjected to disparate cannabis-related law enforcement and legal penalties often find themselves excluded from this emergent economic sector. This thesis critically focuses on the role of Cannabis Social Equity Programs (CSEPs) in mitigating this historical imbalance and promoting inclusivity and diversity within the cannabis industry. The thesis delves into the historical context of cannabis prohibition, its disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities, predominantly ethnic and racial minorities, and how this context informs modern CSEPs. A comprehensive comparative analysis of three distinct CSEPs from Arizona, and Connecticut, and Ohio is undertaken. The analysis scrutinizes the diverse demographic profiles and unique approaches these states take toward cannabis legalization and regulation. Ohio's approach, which lacks a comprehensive CSEP, is used as a control. In contrast, both Arizona and Connecticut have adopted more substantial CSEPs that are explicitly aimed at aiding disproportionately impacted communities, embodying a strong sense of restorative justice. The focus of this thesis is to underline the efforts of these programs in rectifying historical injustices and creating a more inclusive cannabis industry, noting the variation in success. The thesis sheds light on the potential benefits and limitations of state-level initiatives, offering insights into factors contributing to their effectiveness or ineffectiveness. The thesis argues that appropriately designed and efficiently managed CSEPs have the potential to contribute significantly towards a more equitable cannabis industry. It promotes leveraging CSEPs for economic empowerment and targeted reinvestment in disadvantaged communities impacted by the War on Drugs. (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, City and Regional Planning

The development of planning strategies and application of theory to meet the needs of neurodiverse population, such as autistic adults, is limited and emergent. My dissertation assesses the process of public participation in planning and its inclusion of neurodiverse population in it. First, I will review the limitations of existing planning theory and discuss how planning theory should evolve to adequately reflect and address the needs of those with disabilities. Then, I examine what aspects of existing theory are beneficial in furthering our understanding and planning with acceptance of autistic and other neurodiverse communities. This study, using mixed methods, including a survey of autistic adults and semi-structured interviews of practicing planners, will explore the premise that special accommodation during planning public participation engagements would develop more active participation and involvement of autistic adults. These accommodations could also serve and increase the engagement of other neurodiverse populations, compared to traditional public engagement practices. The goal of this work is the exploration of possible procedural tools that can accommodate public participation of people with different cognitive abilities during public meetings and engagement in the planning and design process. I conclude discussing the policy implications of this research. The findings indicate that engagement of autistic adults into decision-making process is possible when planners provide accommodations tailored to neurodivergent participants. I suggest that changes in how planners conduct community participation meetings can start from the evaluation of participation process through Six Feelings Framework which focuses on inclusion of feelings and emotions into decision-making process. Results of survey suggest that feelings of “clear” and “free” are the most important for autistic adults' engagement, meaning that when materials and rules of participation are c (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2022, Art History (Fine Arts)

The Sea Ranch is an architecturally significant resort community on the north coast in California's Bay Area, with a master plan and aesthetic that is renowned for its treatment of the local site conditions and rural built environment. This study seeks to demonstrate that the Sea Ranch can be understood through the lens of settler colonialism in the United States not in spite of its ecological and site-specific credo, but indeed precisely because of it. In untangling the relationship between architecture, landscape, and vernacularity at the Sea Ranch, so too does the relationship between its visual and cultural antecedents begin to unravel the myth of the place. In reading the Sea Ranch's environmental and aesthetic citations through the experiences, histories, and means of survival of the land's original stewards, the Kashaya Pomo, the settler colonial framework undergirding the project complicates the ways in which the Sea Ranch's utopian beginnings were conceived of and are recounted in architectural history.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

This dissertation in practice examines the absence of an advocacy framework for Black placemakers in southwest Springfield neighborhoods seeking to transform vacant spaces into vibrant pocket parks, green spaces, and community gardens. This critical community-based participatory research addresses inadequate public policies, resources, and technical assistance to create and sustain neighborhood sites for endurance, belonging, and resistance. Thematic findings indicated that systemic issues, street-level organizing, and sustainability are primary barriers and opportunities. An action intervention and change process was developed to establish the Springfield Park and Green Space Ecosystem (SPGE). The action plan focuses on a community coalition of power building, a community benefits agreement, zoning revisions, and public-private partnerships with results-based accountability.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Rural Sociology

This research focuses on Amish and Plain farmers for several reasons. First, Amish, and Plain people are a substantial portion of the farmers in the Wayne County area. They represent 20.4% of the farmers in Wayne County and 53.7% of the farmers in neighboring Holmes County. Second, Amish and Plain farmers are likely to be a growing portion of the farming population in this multi-county area with the Amish population doubling every 21.25 years (Donnermeyer 2015), they are more likely to be younger. They are more likely to say they would encourage their children to become farmers, and less likely to say that their children cannot afford to take over their farm. Third, Amish and Plain farmers represent a large portion of the mid-sized farms in the Wayne County area. Fourth, Amish and Plain farmers have been underrepresented in government decision-making and policy creation historically (Brock, Ulrich-Schad, and Prokopy 2018). Fifth, Amish and Plain farmers are more likely to be certified organic and use specialty labels or certifications. For these reasons, Amish and Plain farmers are especially important to economic and community development in the Wayne County area. The first objective of this research is to enhance the inclusivity and effectiveness of county food and agricultural planning in Amish and Plain communities. The second objective is to provide perspective for planners, Extension workers, practitioners, and researchers for understanding the Amish and Plain farming community. Select literature about value-added agriculture, Amish and Plain studies, and rural community and economic development are used to provide background and context for this study. This research does four things: 1) Highlights the importance of Amish and Plain farmers to Wayne and Holmes Counties, Ohio. 2) Delineates the differences in production and marketing practices between Amish and non-Amish farmers in Wayne and Holmes County using the 2020 Ohio Farm Poll data. 3) Identifies the wa (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Geography (Arts and Sciences)

Dayton is the sixth-largest city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. In 2019, the total population of Dayton was recorded as 140,407(US Census Bureau,2020). Like other post-industrial US cities, Dayton has struggled with the loss of population and economic decline which resulted from the loss of the city's industrial prowess. This phenomenon is what Martinez-Fernandez et al. (2012) have termed city shrinkage. Despite being a common phenomenon, findings from works of literature revealed that the causes of this shrinkage vary from place to place. Some of the determinants identified include deindustrialization, uneven investment, and suburbanization. Several US shrinking cities have adopted strategies to combat this phenomenon including Dayton. Just like several rust belt cities, Dayton adopted the immigrant-friendly revitalization approach. However, this approach has been frustrated by unfriendly immigration policies at the federal government level. This study investigates the role of immigration in urban revitalization focusing on how the policies work, how the immigrants have helped reshape the city, and the residents' attitude to this revitalization strategy. To achieve the purpose of this research, the study adopted qualitative analysis in the form of seven in-depth semi-structured interviews and analysis of relevant documents. This study then used a grounded theory approach to analyze both interviews and documents obtained. From the analysis, it was revealed that the Welcome Dayton plan relies on various partnerships to achieve its goal. Also, this plan has to a large extent helped rebuild Dayton by attracting immigrants from different ethnic backgrounds who have helped revive the declining city. However, urban issues like the gradual migration of Dayton's immigrants to other cities and uneven development were identified as some of the negative impacts of these immigrants' investment in the city. Another discourse that appeared in this study is th (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of City and Regional Planning, The Ohio State University, 2021, City and Regional Planning

Planned relocation, a managed retreat technique, is frequently discussed as an approach useful for improving the livelihoods of communities living in hazardous environments. However, in environments with highly vulnerable areas, such as informal communities, the relocation process may inadvertently uncover new risks, such as exposure to new types of hazards and disruption of community networks. Key issues surrounding the vulnerability of informal communities center on their exposure to environmental hazards, such as flooding, hurricanes, and other extreme weather conditions. To deal with these issues, relocation and resettlement activities have been carried out to minimize the risks associated with living in hazardous areas. However, despite the potential benefits of planned relocation, the movement of these communities opens up questions surrounding the larger decision-making and resettlement process and broader hazard exposure of informal communities. This research addresses these issues through an in-depth qualitative study of relocation and resettlement initiatives in informal communities in Puerto Rico. Additionally, flooding hazard risk maps of two communities that went through a planned relocation process are discussed. This thesis shows that informal communities' previous experiences with relocation and resettlement have harmed their trust towards retreat projects. Furthermore, based on hazard risk assessments and in-depth discussions with planners and Puerto Rico-based relevant experts knowledgeable of these processes, the results reveal that selecting safe locations for resettlement does not necessarily place communities out of natural hazards risk exposure.

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2021, Geography

This report describes the internship experience in Kona, Hawai'i working with Monarch Coffee. This involved the collection of 81 soil samples, and geospatial data on the locations of natural and human made features. This data collection and analysis was for the purpose of building a Map Book. The 122 acres of land were sectioned into 27 individual rectangular segments to make the gathering of data more uniform. Soil samples and other spatial information was taken throughout each section. Due to the size of the property, it was important to divide it into more manageable focus areas that would allow for a high level of detail in the analysis. Ultimately, the resulting maps will help in sustainable and efficient land development while conserving the natural landmarks and ecosystem. This project took place in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This limited the data collection team to one person and has caused various delays in the economy and industry in Hawai'i. Additionally, the spread of Coffee Leaf Rust to the state of Hawai'i and the Big Island in 2020 raises new concerns about the coffee industry and the plans for the development of this property.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Public Policy and Management

Increasingly, the practice of governance depends on multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration. Such collaborative governance arrangements are not only increasingly necessary for public sector institutions to create effective policy, but can also facilitate democratic engagement by involving a wider range of participants in the policy making process. These motivations are equally true in rural places, which face significant social, economic, and environmental challenges. Despite the growing importance of collaborative governance overall and its applicability in rural places, no research has rigorously investigated the practice of collaborative governance as it is applied in rural communities. This dissertation focuses on answering a foundational question; how do rural communities enact collaborative governance? I explore the question in the context of food and agriculture system policy through a study of two examples of collaborative governance; the Local Foods Coalition in the San Luis Valley of Colorado and the Ag Success Team in Wayne County, Ohio. Employing an interpretive methodology guided by methodological localism, I explore the social ecosystem context of these two cases of collaboration, how members came to participate in each group, and the nature of their collaborative work. Findings from these cases suggest that, while extant frameworks of collaborative governance are applicable to collaborative governance in rural settings, four key observations require further investigation and consideration, not only for our understanding of rural collaborative governance, but potentially collaborative governance in other settings as well. First, people in these rural communities wore “multiple hats” (i.e. had many different roles), which complicated engagement. Second, stakeholder engagement for collaboration depended on largely informal personal relationships rather than institutional partnerships. Regardless of intention, resulting engagement efforts t (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, City and Regional Planning

Food waste is a wicked problem. It is the result of agricultural economic policies, income inequality, deficient distribution networks, and food edibility enculturation among other factors. Food waste is generated at every level of the food system, with each level having numerous activities with enough uniqueness and reasons for wasting food. Equally, there are numerous ways to prevent, reduce and recycle food waste at each level of the food system, but solutions also depend on the same factors that causes it and are additionally influenced by sustainability policies, existing waste management infrastructure, land use priorities, and social and personal psychological norms. Hence it can feel that finding a solution for food waste is a never-ending battle. Solutions must be implemented at all levels of the food system and in order to do this food waste and solid waste management planners must look for causes and solutions at the macro and micro scales. The research presented here is concerned with implementing solutions and understanding how these solutions could be successfully implemented. In the first essay, I report the case study of a planning process undertaken in the Mississippi Gulf Coast to develop a food system plan that integrated strategies commonly included in regional solid waste management plans, in order to manage food waste more sustainably with strategies designed to accommodate local needs and unique circumstances. While most food system plans acknowledge the importance of managing food waste, this study was the first food system planning effort that included a committee composed of local solid waste management professionals and local stakeholders interested in food waste prevention, reduction, and recycling. The planning process was a three-step process that engaged stakeholders in the food supply chain from production, distribution, retail, and consumption through to post-consumption. The essay describes the specific steps taken to assess the g (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Earth Sciences

A comprehensive analysis was carried out on the Old Woman Creek (OWC) watershed to determine the impact of the projected land use and climate change on the flow and water quality variables of the OWC watershed. The analysis was done in different stages using remote sensing, machine learning, and hydrological modeling. The hydrological model was set up in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), using PRISM climate data and 20 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) data. The model was calibrated using a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm and Pareto Optimization and was validated using the streamflow data from the USGS gage station, at Berlin Road in the OWC watershed, and water quality data from the water quality laboratory, Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio. Machine learning (ML), Cellular automata (CA) Markov modeling, and overlay analysis were used to analyze the historical land use/land cover (LULC) of OWC watershed for 2001, 2011, and 2016, to predict the same at intervals across the 21st century, and to locate the zones that are susceptible to flood and drought. Simulations were made for the years 2030, 2060, 2088, and 2100. A significant increase in flood risk was observed to be associated with the projected urban growth, while an insignificant increase was observed for the drought risk zones by the end of the century. The impact of agricultural practices in the watershed on flow and nine water quality variables in the watershed was evaluated using the calibrated model, by conducting land use Scenarios simulations with varying percentages of agricultural land from 20% to 40%, 53.5%, 65%, and 80%. Analysis consisting of 105 simulations with both PRISM and 20 CMIP5 models was run for the period 2015-2017. The average of the 20 CMIP5 simulation results shows good agreement with the PRISM simulation results. A weak negative correlation was observed between each of streamflow and sediment, and agriculture land, while a strong positive corr (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Environment and Natural Resources

The ongoing shale energy revolution has transformed global energy markets and positioned the United States as a leader in oil and natural gas production and exports for the first time in generations. However, little scholarly attention has been directed toward the downstream impacts of these developments on the people and places which experience energy export activity or host related infrastructure, particularly those in rail export corridors. This research presents a first-of-its kind, cross-regional comparative analysis of community risks, risk perceptions, energy and environmental attitudes, and related discourses in oil train export corridor communities. The mixed-methods design uses household-level survey data (N=571), interview data (N=58), and news media content analysis data (N=149), to address three key knowledge gaps regarding impacts of and attitudes toward crude oil by rail in examining: 1) the influences and distributions of support, opposition, and increased concern to oil by rail; 2) views toward hydrocarbon exports as well as broader energy preferences; and 3) dominant news media and stakeholder discourses and discursive channels concerning oil train activity. Results and related recommendations include the identification of community risk perceptions, vulnerabilities, and broader energy and export attitudes as well as predictors of their variation; discussion of implications for related community energy siting and planning, news media reporting, and communications; and the contribution of novel baseline data vis-a-vis predictors of risk perception and opposition concerning oil train activity and infrastructure to the risk perception and energy impacts fields.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

Standing by my bedroom window, looking out at the ocean, a huge wave comes and swallows up my building. Everything around me is gone, including me. I wake up. I am 13 years old and living in the Coney Island Houses on Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. With ongoing anthropogenic changes to the natural environment such as sea level rise and intensifying storms, coastal communities, especially ones segregated by class and culture, are particularly vulnerable in this context that challenges a way of life, and in some instances, threatens that life's survival. This dissertation focuses specifically on what one massive storm - Hurricane Sandy (Superstorm Sandy) - left behind. This research explored how these experiences impacted the design/ planning professionals (architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers) approaches to future climate-related events, as well as the impacts upon them personally, professionally, and societally. A single, embedded case study with narrative inquiry was used to gather first-person accounts and insights into the work, thoughts, and feelings of professionals whom society relies on increasingly as climate-induced crises proliferate. Data were classified into three pillars: Personal (impacts on the self/individual, psycho-social challenges, empathy/stress), Professional (impact to professional practice, reflection on strategies post-Sandy, impact on future events), and Societal (local and global impacts, leadership). Prominent themes under the personal pillar were impermanence, emotional resilience, and dignity. Professionally, Sandy left the study participants looking toward a more reflective design practice. The societal pillar described the broader social issues that emerged from the interviews. Two significant findings were lack of equal attention to marginalized communities and lack of diversity and inclusion within the design/planning profession. As more populations are being impacted by Hurricane Sandy-like events, designers/plan (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

The former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (2014), repeated the core promise in the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development, in which the General Assembly called for an approach guaranteeing meaningful participation of everyone in development and the fair distribution of the benefits of that development. To this end, partnerships are central and can lead to the dignity of the citizens involved as they participate in the development of their own communities. This dissertation research conducted in Manyatta A and B in the Port City of Kisumu, Kenya sought to do just that. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the role of participatory development planning and collaborative technology platforms of geographic information systems (GIS) and GeoDesign in strengthening sustainable development and enhancing of human dignity. The study used a multimethod design comprised of participatory action research, situational analysis, problem tree analysis, and stakeholder analysis approaches in partnership with the government, academia, business, civil society, and other stakeholders. The study shows how the newly formed government structure, post devolution, provides a functional framework to assist county and city governments to better determine and envision the future they want. This vision can be realized more rapidly through integrated planning to achieve poverty eradication and social, economic, and environmental sustainability, which are the three pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The citizens of informal settlements represent those who are farthest behind and who should be given priority. This study demonstrated the potential of inclusive and participatory development planning in restoring the dignity of those groups. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

This research is a case study examining the relevance of three holistic city frameworks—Compassionate Cities, Healthy Cities, and UN Sustainable Development Goals—to the intentional or tacit thinking of city leaders, community leaders, and activists of Marina, California. Beginning with a discussion of the origin and development of the three frameworks, the study occurred in three phases: Phase I involved interviewing the five elected leaders, city manager, community development leaders, and two planners; Phase II consisted of a survey of appointed city leaders and community organizers and activists; and Phase III was an analysis of relevant public discourse, drawing from local newspapers, social media, and city council and other public agencies' agendas and public records. In the background is a discussion on the challenges of a city that is transitioning from a former U.S. military base support city to one that embraces a new generation of urban dwellers, becoming an economically and socially sustainable municipality. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/

BA, Kent State University, 2019, College of Architecture and Environmental Design

Biophilia, sustainability, and urban planning have long been aspects of the design industry that have provided much focus and direction. However, they often fail to consider the qualities of the natural setting of a project and the physical and mental health of the end user. As humans have an inherent connection with the natural world, as described and studied through the concept of biophilia, the gap in this idea exists in the consideration and juxtaposition of natural elements by region and human-dominated urban environments. The following thesis will explore this gap and attempt to discover if there is a connection between biomes and the public health of residents in urban environments.

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Cleveland State University, 2018, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs

The land bank is a government entity that focuses on the conversion of vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties into productive use. The object of the land bank is to gain control over the city's problem properties to make possible their timely and productive reuse. The land bank has become a popular policy measure to control the distressed properties in the neighborhood following the foreclosure crisis across in the United States. The objective of this study is to evaluate the spillover effect of the land bank on nearby properties. The primary research question is as follows: has the land bank public intervention created a positive spillover effect on nearby home sales in the respective neighborhood in the City of Cleveland, Ohio? This is a case study for one city. This study utilized the spatial hedonic model to measure the impact of a two-year land bank acquisition period on nearby property values within two buffers: 500 feet and 1,000 feet. This study also utilized the Geographically Weighted Regression to evaluate the local variation of the effect over the space. The study period is 24 months from September 2012 to August 2014. This study identifies that two years of land bank acquisitions have had a positive effect within the 500 feet buffer from the sale location. The pure effect of two years of land bank acquisitions results in a positive 1.82% impact by OLS estimation and a positive 1.81% impact by ML, 2SLS, and 2SLS-robust estimations. The mean value of the implicit marginal price is $897 over 24 months of sale data from September 2012 to August 2014. This estimated benefit may not have existed if the land bank did not acquire the abandoned properties. The result of this study will support policymakers and practitioners in their decision to expand land bank programs.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Since 2006 electricity generation from coal-fired power plants has been on the decline, while in the same time-frame electricity generation from natural gas and renewables has been steadily increasing. In fact, in 2016 natural gas surpassed coal as the leading fuel for electricity generation at the utility scale, per the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This shift in the energy sector has had significant implications for Central Appalachian counties which have been dependent on the coal industry as a staple of their local economies. This shift represents the bust in a typical boom-and-bust cycle that accompanies natural resource extraction industries, albeit more likely to be lasting. Given these trends in US energy markets, there is a need to understand foundational elements that may support coal-impacted counties to transition their local economies to ones that are more resilient to such volatility and sustainable in the long-run. The researcher tested the following supposition: from 2006 to 2016 the following may have been positively associated with change in economic performance over time: higher levels of economic diversification, higher levels of educational attainment, higher levels of social capital (measured by community engagement), and the use of public policy approaches that support post-coal economic development. Using ordinal logistic regression, the researcher examined the effects of these county-level variables on the net change in Appalachian Regional Commission-reported economic status levels during the coal industry's most recent downturn from 2006 to 2016. Additionally, the researcher collected survey responses from county commissioners in coal-impacted counties of Central and North Central Appalachia to examine policy processes used to address economic redevelopment given recent energy market trends. This study found that both economic diversification and the concentration of non-profit organizations (a measure of social capital) were st (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

There are 310 internationally shared water basins in the world (McCracken & Wolf, Forthcoming). The fluid and dynamic properties of water know no human designated borders and make sustainable management difficult given the management, economic demand and capacity disparities between states (Wolf, 2010). Political incentives, limited or abundant resources, differing infrastructure, and knowledge of transboundary water can vary drastically and lead to conflict or poor management. These challenges are exacerbated in developing countries dealing with additional economic, institutional and infrastructure pressures, in addition to unstable foreign relations and policy processes. Given the wide array of challenges to sustainably managing transboundary waters, the international environmental community has in recent decades pushed for accords or agreements between states to collaboratively manage shared water resources. This thesis focused on the Global Environment Facility's effort to integrate management of a shared water basin in the Balkans region of Southeastern Europe. Lake Skadar/Shkoder is situated on the Balkan Peninsula with Montenegro along the north border and Albania to the south. Considered one of the last biodiversity hotspots in Europe and a proposed transboundary Biosphere Reserve given its importance as an ecosystem and refuge for migratory birds, Lake Skadar/Shkoder has been the focus of international conservation efforts in recent years. Human pressures on the lake from industrial activities and unsustainable tourism infrastructure development are drawing concerns. After nearly seven decades of communist rule and a series of violent conflicts in the 1990s associated with the breakup of Yugoslavia, both Albania and Montenegro have fledgling democracies facing extensive challenges with high unemployment, widespread corruption and low institutional capacity. In this context, the Global Environment Facility provided $4.55 million to the federal gover (open full item for complete abstract)