AOC - Evaluating the effects of dams on social dynamics.

这个探索性研究项目是通过综合应用社会科学和生态科学来调查大坝建设或拆除的社会动态。从人类中心的观点出发，我们正在评估水坝作为一个社区的生态、经济和社会文化决定因素的变革推动者的作用。通过这个探索性项目，我们寻求1)促进一个国际和跨学科的研究社区，2)开发一个平台，同等地比较描述生态、经济和社会文化决定因素的指标，3)在不同组织规模的社区中产生大坝建设（和拆除）的净效应指标，4)通过未来的合作扩大项目，在新大坝建设地区测试该净效应指标。知识价值：该项目的主要创新特征在于对水坝作为社会动态变化推动者的国际和跨学科研究。两个国际专题讨论会和科学综合状态提供了基础，研究人员正在定义一个框架，以整合生态，经济和社会文化科学。该框架是建立在对大坝风险和收益的现有认识的基础上，以制定一个新的大坝对人的净影响指标。只有通过这样的工具，才有可能进行多学科成本效益分析，将生态和社会文化决定因素纳入传统的经济分析。这项合作研究的更大目标是研究大坝对中国云南省一个建坝前和一个建坝后社区的影响，在那里，大坝建设正在推动快速的生态、经济和社会变化。这将使决策者和科学家能够解决重要的管理和科学问题，例如在文化和地理上定义的社区之间的成本和收益分配是否存在差异。更广泛的影响-我们相信，我们项目的结果可能会导致制定更公平的战略，以管理和减轻世界各地水坝的风险和收益。拟议的净影响指标将与那些寻求通过大坝建设来满足日益增长的淡水和电力需求的国家以及那些计划拆除大坝的国家具有全球相关性。由于这项研究汇集了来自研究型大学、本科学院和政府研究机构的不经常合作的学科和教师，因此将在初级和高级教师之间以及具有不同经验、研究重点和观点的研究人员之间形成持久的关系。此外，这项探索性研究将通过为两名代表性不足的本科生提供综合的国际研究和教育经验，产生更广泛的影响。

This exploratory research project is investigating the social dynamics of dam construction, or removal, through the integrated application of social and ecological sciences. Working from an anthropocentric viewpoint, we are evaluating the role of dams as agents of change on the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural determinants of a community. Through this exploratory project, we seek to 1) promote an international and interdisciplinary research community, 2) develop a platform for equivalently comparing metrics describing ecological, economic, and socio-cultural determinants, 3) produce a net-effect indicator of dam construction (and removal) on communities of various organizational scales, 4) expand the project through future collaborations to test this net-effect indicator in areas of new dam construction.INTELLECTUAL MERIT: The key innovative features of this project are in the international and interdisciplinary study of dams as agents of change on social dynamics. Two international symposia and a state of the science synthesis provide the foundation from which investigators are defining a framework to integrate the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural sciences. This framework is built upon existing knowledge of the risks and benefits associated with dams to develop a new net-effects indicator of dams on people. Only through such a tool will it be possible to conduct a multi-disciplinary cost-benefit analysis that incorporates ecological and socio-cultural determinants into traditional economic analyses. The larger objectives of this collaborative research are to study the effect of dams on one pre-dam and one post-dam community in the Yunnan province of China, where dam construction is driving rapid ecological, economic and social change. This will allow policymakers and scientists to address important management and science questions, such as whether a difference exists in the distribution of costs and benefits between culturally and geographically defined communities.BROADER IMPACTS - We believe that the results of our project may lead to the formulation of more equitable strategies for managing and mitigating the risks and benefits of dams around the world. The proposed net-effects indicator will be globally relevant to those seeking to meet increasing demands of freshwater and electricity through dam construction, as well as to those planning dam removals. Because this study brings together infrequently partnered disciplines and faculty from a research university, an undergraduate college, and government research institutions, lasting relationships will be formed between junior and senior faculty and between researchers with diverse experiences, research focuses, and perspectives. In addition, this exploratory study will create broader impacts by providing for an integrated, international research and education experience for two underrepresented undergraduate students.