IBS Associations
Environment and Society Program
Center for the Governance of Natural Resources
Research Interests
Public policy, environmental governance, rural development, public administration
Brief Biography
I am an Assistant Professor in the Paul O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. Social scientist, Ph.D. Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder. I am interested in studying the relationship between human communities and natural resources governance, particularly the management of forests in developing South American countries where many marginalized communities depend on the resources from forests. I am interested in advancing the knowledge of policymaking as a network of involved actors where non-governmental organizations play a significant role in influencing both governments’ actions and communities’ attitudes towards governments.
I focus my attention on investigating the role that nonprofit organizations play in the governance process, especially at the subnational level, contributing to the design and implementation of policies that affect the forests and the communities living in them. I concentrate on the case of the Amazon region and the efforts being implemented to execute forest governance interventions there.
My research seeks to answer remaining questions regarding the governance dynamic between these different actors, such as how effective the interventions executed by local NGOs are, what role NGO’s governance assistance plays in the eyes of local communities and if/how has that influence affected their likelihood of compliance with regulatory policies. Answering these questions and recognizing that interventions happen as the result of the collective efforts of several actors at the local level, is of high relevance to the governance of forests across the globe today.
I am passionate about the development of policy solutions to protect our world’s natural resources while caring for the livelihood of vulnerable people in rural areas. When I am not working hard and thinking about solutions for deforestation, I dedicate my time to oil painting.
