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

这一博士论文研究改进项目将研究志愿者旅游(带志愿服务的度假)的兴起如何改变与发展非政府组织(NGO)相关的人的工作。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人如何与志愿者互动，以努力减少贫困。这项研究将审查这种互动对非政府组织改变其项目目标的影响程度，并将审查这些互动产生的新类型的工作。志愿者旅游是一种迅速发展的跨国现象，这项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。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该项目还将为有前途的学生建立独立的研究生涯提供支持。该项目将应用跨国志愿旅游的地理分析，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，重点放在人、家和办公室。这项研究将使用民族志方法来考察非政府组织不同工作人员的日常工作如何影响这些组织在多个层面上的运作，包括机构层面、人际层面和项目层面。这项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；(2)志愿者、工人和非政府组织受益者的经历？以及(3)劳动力动态和体验如何影响扶贫项目的生计和发展成果？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；以及行程后对志愿者的电子邮件调查。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和发展非政府组织的影响提供新的见解，并对改善美国和其他地方的志愿者旅游和发展实践产生影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.