Doctoral Dissertation Research: Impacts of Transnational Volunteerism on Economic Development and Labor Dynamics

这个博士论文研究改进项目将研究志愿者旅游（与志愿服务的假期）的兴起如何改变与发展非政府组织（NGO）有关的人的工作。这种多样性包括工人的社会地位和他们所做的工作类型。这项研究将审查不同的工作人员如何与志愿人员互动，努力减少贫穷。这项研究将研究这种互动影响非政府组织改变其项目目标的程度，并将研究这些互动产生的新工作类型。志愿者旅游是一个迅速扩大的跨国现象，这项研究将提供深入了解它如何改变出国旅行的志愿者，非政府组织的运作和发展项目的成果。作为博士论文研究改进奖，本项目还将为有前途的学生提供支持，使其能够建立独立的研究事业。本项目将通过将发展研究的规模从典型的政策或贸易的宏观层面分析转移到微观层面，重点关注人，家庭和办公室，对跨国旅游进行地理分析。该研究将使用人种学方法来研究非政府组织的不同工作人员的日常工作如何塑造这些组织在多个尺度上的功能，包括机构，人际和项目规模。本研究将回答以下问题：（1）劳动力动态、非政府组织实践和资金之间的关系是什么？(2)非政府组织的志愿者、工作人员和受益人有哪些经历？;以及（3）劳动力动态和经验如何影响生计和减贫项目的发展成果？学生将通过多方面的方法收集数据，包括参与者观察，半结构化和非正式访谈;年度报告的内容分析;以及旅行后志愿者的电子邮件调查。虽然这项研究的重点是在危地马拉的发展项目，它将提供有关美国志愿者旅游对人民和发展非政府组织的影响的新见解，与改善志愿者旅游和发展的做法在美国和其他地方的影响。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

This doctoral dissertation research improvement project will examine how the rise of volunteer tourism (a vacation with volunteering) alters the work of people connected to development nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Such diversity includes both the social position of the worker and type of work they do. The research will examine how diverse workers interact with volunteers in their efforts to reduce poverty. The research will examine the extent to which such interactions influence NGOs to change their project goals, and will examine the new kinds of work these interactions produce. Volunteer tourism is a rapidly expanding transnational phenomenon, and this study will provide insights into how it transforms volunteers who travel abroad, NGO operations, and development project outcomes. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this project will also provide support to enable a promising student to establish an independent research career.This project will apply a geographic analysis of transnational voluntourism by shifting the scale of development research from the typical macro level analysis of policies or trade to the micro level, with a focus on people, homes, and offices. The study will use an ethnographic approach to examine how daily work by diverse workers at an NGO shape how such organizations function at multiple scales including institutional, interpersonal, and at the project scale. The research will seek answers to the following questions: (1) what is the relationship between labor dynamics, NGO practices, and funding?; (2) what are the experiences of volunteers, workers, and beneficiaries of NGOs?; and (3) how do the labor dynamics and experiences impact both livelihoods and development outcomes of poverty reduction projects?. The student will collect data through a multi-faceted approach including participant observation, semi-structured and informal interviews; content analysis of annual reports; and post-trip email surveys of volunteers. While this research focuses on development projects in Guatemala, it will provide new insights regarding the impacts of American volunteer tourism on people and development NGOs, with implications for improving volunteer tourism and development practices both in the US and elsewhere.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.