Doctoral Dissertation Research: Developing Climate Resilience in At-Risk Societies

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There is a new but growing international effort to help vulnerable populations adapt to the effects of climate change. In the United States and abroad, policy increasingly has emphasized the promotion of "resilience." But uncertainty remains over what climate resilience actually entails and how its success can be measured. Large pledges have been made by developed countries to promote climate adaptation in developing ones. As a result, multilateral agencies are seeking to foster the institutions and expertise needed to make climate resilience a reality. These efforts signal a shift in development priorities which may prove consequential in the decades to come. As one of several developing nations currently being targeted by climate-driven interventions, Tajikistan offers the opportunity for a valuable case study to explore the efficacy of development policies that target climate effects directly. Lessons learned can have wide applicability. Therefore, Princeton University doctoral student, Igor Rubinov, advised by Dr. Joao G. Biehl, will undertake research in Tajikistan to assess the impact of climate-focused development policies on vulnerable populations. Supporting this project is part of the NSF Cultural Anthropology Program's portfolio of projects that contribute to the national well-being through research on the resilience and robustness of climate-stressed socio-ecological systems. By focusing on a single World Bank-funded water-resources development project being enacted on the largest river in Central Asia, the researcher will explore how international development practices, state-level resource management, and local adaptation capacities come together. He will employ a mixed-methods strategy, gathering data from implementers, stakeholders, and end users through interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and the collection of GIS data and social mapping. He will compare the practices of development experts in the capital, state planners in the regional center, and rural villagers who must incorporate the international imperatives into their livelihood strategies. The aim is to gauge the effectiveness of institutions working to enhance socioeconomic well-being by raising the adaptive capacity of local people. Ultimately, the goal is to understand the impact of global policy objectives on the local populations who are being asked to adapt. The research will also contribute to building more general understanding of what resilience entails and how it relates to other processes such as globalization.