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（一种有志愿者的假期）的兴起如何改变与发展非政府组织（ngo）有关的人们的工作。这种多样性既包括工人的社会地位，也包括他们从事的工作类型。这项研究将考察不同的工作人员如何在减少贫困的努力中与志愿者互动。该研究将考察这种互动在多大程度上影响非政府组织改变其项目目标，并将考察这些互动产生的新类型的工作。志愿旅游是一种迅速发展的跨国现象，本研究将提供关于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成果的见解。作为博士论文研究进步奖，该项目也将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个独立的研究生涯。该项目将通过将发展研究的规模从典型的宏观层面的政策或贸易分析转移到微观层面，重点关注人、家庭和办公室，对跨国公益旅游进行地理分析。该研究将使用人种学方法来研究非政府组织中不同工作人员的日常工作如何影响这些组织在包括机构、人际关系和项目规模在内的多个尺度上的运作。本研究将寻求以下问题的答案：(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、工作者和受益者的经历是什么？(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？学生将通过参与式观察、半结构化和非正式访谈等多方面的方法收集数据；年度报告内容分析；以及对志愿者的旅行后电子邮件调查。虽然这项研究的重点是危地马拉的发展项目，但它将为美国志愿者旅游对人民和发展非政府组织的影响提供新的见解，对改善美国和其他地方的志愿者旅游和发展实践具有启示意义。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.