Short-Term Travel Grants Program

Grant Recipients 2003-2004

Research reports are organized by the authors' last name and are available for download in Adobe PDF.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M
N | O | P | Q| R | S| T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

B

Name: Sohrab Behdad
Title: Professor
Institution: Denison University
City, State: Granville, OH
Academic Field: Economics
Countries to Visit: Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Kulob, Tajikistan; Khujand, Tajikistan; Isfara, Tajikistan
Travel Dates: 7/15/2003 - 8/15/2003
Project Title: Political Economy of Transition in Tajikistan: A Narrative Approach
Project Abstract: Dr. Behdad will conduct extensive, open-ended interviews with a selected number of individuals from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, in order to capture the human experiences resulting from economic transformations and policy actions. He will collect personal experiences, aspirations and expectations, views about economic institutions and economic policies, and Tajiks' global perspective about the Tajik economy.

Name: Douglas Blum
Title: Professor
Institution: Providence College
City, State: Providence, RI
Academic Field: Political Science
Countries to Visit: Baku, Azerbaijan; Astana, Kazakhstan; Almaty, Kazakhstan
Travel Dates: 6/1/2003 - 6/18/2003
Project Title: Globalization, Youth Culture, and National Identity Construction in the Transcaspian Region
Project Abstract: Dr. Blum will study the mediation of youth culture and national identity under conditions of globalization in Almaty, Astrakhan, and Baku, seeking to understand which actors become involved in this process at the state, sub-state, and non-state levels, and how they pursue their mediation efforts independently as well as collaboratively. He will conduct interviews in order to investigate the development of official national youth doctrines in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Azerbaijan, and explore the influence of such doctrines on the networks of agencies involved in mediating youth culture more broadly.

Name: Andrew Brown
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor
Institution: Colby College
City, State: Waterville, ME
Academic Field: Anthropology, Cultural
Countries to Visit: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Astana, Kazakhstan; Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Travel Dates: 6/24/2003 - 7/23/2003
Project Title: Exodus and Integration: German Migration and Its Implications for Development in Kazakhstan
Project Abstract: Dr. Brown’s project will research the significant connections between more than 700,000 ethnic Germans who migrated in the 1990s and their former homes, families, and social networks in Kazakhstan. Through interviews with scholars, Kazakhstan-based German cultural activists, and people who are actively maintaining economic and social relationships across this border, he will shed light upon the nature and implications of these connections.

D

Name: Stephen Deets
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor
Institution: Marquette University
City, State: Milwaukee, WI
Academic Field: Political Science
Countries to Visit: Budapest, Hungary; Bratislava, Slovakia; Kosice, Slovakia; Cluj, Romania; Bucharest, Romania; Miercurea Ciuc, Romania
Travel Dates: 6/15/2003 - 7/15/2003
Project Title: Straddling Nation and Europe: Identity in Hungarian Foreign Policy
Project Abstract: Dr. Deets will travel to Budapest, Bratislava, Kosice, Cluj, Bucharest, and Miercurea Civc to study Hungarian foreign policy. His project will focus on the Hungarian Status Law, and include research on the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Dam conflict.

Name: Elizabeth Defeis
Title: Professor of Law
Institution: Seton Hall University
City, State: Newark, NJ
Academic Field: Law
Countries to Visit: Yerevan, Armenia
Travel Dates: 10/4/2003 - 10/14/2003
Project Title: Legal Education Reform in the Republic of Armenia
Project Abstract: Ms. Defeis will study legal education reform in the former Soviet Region through on-site observation, discussions with colleagues, and interviews with faculty and students. The goal of her project is to monitor and evaluate any changes that have been made in legal education in Armenia and to identify any problems encountered as a result of curriculum reform.

E

Name: Daina Eglitis
Title: Assistant Professor
Institution: The George Washington University
City, State: Washington, DC
Academic Field: Sociology
Countries to Visit: Riga, Latvia; Plavinas, Latvia; Liepaja, Latvia; Daugavpils, Latvia
Travel Dates: 6/20/2003 - 8/1/2003
Project Title: A Post-Communist Epidemic?: Gender, Inequlity, and HIV/AIDS
Project Abstract: Dr. Eglitis will interview experts, young people, and activists to research gender inequality in Latvia, and if gender equality fosters a climate in which women are at greater risk of contracting a disease like HIV/AIDS. She hopes to understand more clearly any relationship between gender, inequality in transition states, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

F

Name: Payam Foroughi
Title: Teaching Assistant
Institution: University of Utah
City, State: Salt Lake City, UT
Academic Field: International Relations
Countries to Visit: Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Samarkand, Uzbekistan;Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Travel Dates: 5/1/2003 - 7/15/2003
Project Title: Transboundary Water Use, International Security, and Conflict Management in Central Asia
Project Abstract: Mr. Foroughi will travel to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to study water use and availability in Central Asia. His project will determine if there are significant differences amount attitudes of officials, institutional managers, and farmers and local users of water in the upstream country of Tajikistan, as compared to the downstream country of Uzbekistan.

Name: Dragica Fridl
Title: Dissertation Researcher
Institution: Johns Hopkins University
City, State: Washington, DC
Academic Field: International Relations
Countries to Visit: Ljubljana, Slovenia; Zagreb, Croatia; Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina; Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina; Banja Luka, Bosnia Herzegovina
Travel Dates: 4/25/2003 - 6/25/2003
Project Title: Between International Law and Power Politics: Establishing Criteria for Statehood and Recognition
Project Abstract: Ms. Fridl’s project will investigate definitions of statehood and recognition of new states from both legal and political perspectives and provide comprehensive criteria that will be the capstone of future decision-making. She will analyze the actions taken by the international community with respect to the recognition of Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia Herzegovina by interviewing professors, scholars, and politicians that participated in the negotiations which took place over the last decade.

G

Name: Valere Gagnon
Title: Assistant Professor
Institution: Ithaca College
City, State: Ithaca, NY
Academic Field: International Relations
Countries to Visit: Belgrade, Serbia; Kragujevac, Serbia
Travel Dates: 6/15/2003 - 7/15/2003
Project Title: Innovative Strategies of Democracy Assistance: The Case of CRS in Serbia
Project Abstract: Dr. Gagnon will travel to Serbia to continue researching strategies of US NGOs providing humanitarian assistance in the field. Specifically, he will look at the efforts of Catholic Relief Services. Through interviews with CRS workers, both local and international, with CRS partner organization, and with beneficiaries of CRS-funded projects, he will gain an understanding of successful democratization efforts and “best practices” of international NGOs in this region.

Name: Kristen Ghodsee
Title: Assistant Professor
Institution: Bowdoin College
City, State: Brunswick, ME
Academic Field: Women's Studies, Sociology
Countries to Visit: Sophia, Bulgaria
Travel Dates: 7/1/2003 - 8/20/2003
Project Title: It Takes A King?: Simeon Saxecoburgotski and Women's Political Participation in Post-Communist Bulgaria
Project Abstract: Dr. Ghodsee will examine the sudden rise of women’s political participation in Bulgaria as measured by the number of female members of parliament. After the 2001 election of the National Movement of Simeon the Second government, the number of women in the Bulgarian parliament increased by a drastic 142 percent. Her research will be a qualitative study of this phenomenon and will include interviews with 25 female and 10 male members of parliament in Bulgaria.

Name: Daniel Glaser-Segura
Title: Assistant Professor
Institution: Our Lady of the Lake University
City, State: San Antonio, TX
Academic Field: Economics
Countries to Visit: Bucharest, Romania
Travel Dates: 7/14/2003 - 8/8/2003
Project Title: A Study of Institutions and Superordinate Goals on Interorganizational Cooperation in Romanian Industrial Organizations
Project Abstract: Dr. Glaser-Segura will observe the influence of inter-organizational trust, individualism and collectivism, and the superordinate goal effect of just-in-time and total quality management on inter-organizational cooperation. He will interview a sample of 30 managers.

Name: Anna Grzymala-Busse
Title: Assistant Professor
Institution: Yale University
City, State: New Haven, CT
Academic Field: Political Science
Countries to Visit: Prague, Czech Republic; Warsaw, Poland
Travel Dates: 6/20/2003 - 7/10/2003
Project Title: State Reform and Informal Practices in Post-Communist East Central Europe
Project Abstract: Dr. Grzymala-Busse will travel to Czech Republic and Poland to research the informal practices that underlie formal post-communist states, and the ways in which party competition constrains the opportunities for informal rent-seeking from the state. She will study early democraric parliamentary debates over the ends and means of state reform and conduct a pilot public opinion survey in both the Czech Republic and Poland.

H

Name: Peter Howard
Title: Post Doctoral Fellow
Institution: American University
City, State: Washington, DC
Academic Field: International Relations
Countries to Visit: Tallinn, Estonia
Travel Dates: 6/1/2003 - 6/30/2003
Project Title: Socializing the Estonian Military into Rules of the US-Led European Security Structure
Project Abstract: Dr. Howard will study how a linguistic model of the socialization process has allowed US- led military engagement with the Estonian military to assist in Estonia’s democraric transition and entry into NATO. He will observe the conduct of a Maryland National Guard engagement program in Estonia, as well as interview Estonian military officials to test his hypothesis of the socialization process.

L

Name: Darrell Lewis
Title: Professor
Institution: University of Minnesota
City, State: Minneapolis, MN
Academic Field: Education
Countries to Visit: Kiev, Ukraine
Travel Dates: 8/23/2003 - 9/21/2003
Project Title: Attributes of Successful Private Universities in Transition Countries
Project Abstract: Dr. Lewis will do a three-country study of six institutional case studies adddressing attributes of successful (i.e. accredited) private universities in transitional countries. The research project will investigate the fundamental question: to what extent do certain factors (such as university leadership, curriculum, recruitment, and partnerships with Western universities) and their synergy exist within surviving private institutions?

Name: Morgan Liu
Title: Jr. Fellow
Institution: Harvard University
City, State: Cambridge, MA
Academic Field: Religion
Countries to Visit: Osh, Kyrgyzstan; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Namangan, Uzbekistan; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Andijan, Uzbekistan
Travel Dates: 6/4/2003 - 7/29/2003
Project Title: Is an Islamic Civil Society Possible in Post-Soviet Central Asia?
Project Abstract: Dr. Liu will examine how Uzbeks in two Central Asian republics view the role of Islam in post-Soviet civil society. His research will consist of observing weekly Islamic study groups in which religion and social issues are discussed, and of personal interviews with Uzbeks about specific connections between Islam, society, and democracy.

M

Name: Eric McGlinchey
Title: Postdoctoral Scholar
Institution: Stanford University
City, State: Stanford, CA
Academic Field: Political Science
Countries to Visit: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Karakol, Kyrgyzstan; Osh, Kyryzstan; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Shymkent, Kazakhstan; Astana, Kazakhstan; Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Travel Dates: 6/25/2003 - 8/15/2003
Project Title: Foreign Investment and Domestic Accountability: Aiding Political Liberalization in Central Asia
Project Abstract: Dr. McGlinchey will conduct interviews with political elites, academics, and social activists in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to further clarify mechanisms through which the Kazakh and Kygyz states have sought to maintain illiberal control. By quantifying and clarifying these mechanisms, he plans to provide recommendations to such organizations as the World Bank and USAID.

Name: Daniel Moses
Title: Lecturer
Institution: Harvard University
City, State: Cambridge, MA
Academic Field: History
Countries to Visit: Yerevan; Armenia; Gumri, Armenia; Vanadzor, Armenia; Tblisi, Georgia; Baku, Armenia
Travel Dates: 8/7/2003 - 9/6/2003
Project Title: Making History: How Shaping the Past Will Determine the Future in the Former Soviet Union
Project Abstract: Dr. Moses will focus his project on the production and dissemination of history in the schools and universities in the former Soviet Region, and the role that “history” – as opposed to simply the past – plays in both the inflammation and reduction of ethnic and national conflict. He will examine the role that history, social studies, and civic education plays in the current conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

O

Name: Krzysztof Ostaszewski
Title: Professor and Director
Institution: Illinois State University
City, State: Normal, IL
Academic Field: Economics
Countries to Visit: Warsaw, Poland
Travel Dates: 7/31/2003 - 8/14/2003
Project Title: Actuarial and Monetary Aspects of Free Market Reforms
Project Abstract: Dr. Ostaszewski will research and analyze the process of accrual of pension and health care liabilities in post-commuist Poland and their effect on overall economic performance. He will also study the history of monetary policy, with emphasis on alternative measurements of monetary aggregates, and their relationship to the explicit and implicit public debt.

R

Name: Melanie Ram
Title: Researcher
Institution: George Washington University
City, State: Washington, DC
Academic Field: Political Science
Countries to Visit: Bucharest, Romania; Cluj, Romania
Travel Dates: 9/4/2003 - 9/29/2003
Project Title: From the Sidelines to the Headlines: How the Roma Gained a "Voice" in European Politics
Project Abstract: Dr. Ram will travel to Romania to assess the advocacy methods and influence of Roma NGOs on minority policies at the national and international level. Through interviews with community-level and international organizations and government officials addressing Roman concerns, her research will help explain the source of both domestic and international policy change on the Roma in the last five years and opportunities for improving the situation of this minority group.

S

Name: Steven Sabol
Title: Assistant Professor
Institution: The University of North Carolina - Charlotte
City, State: Charlotte, NC
Academic Field: History
Countries to Visit: Almaty, Kazakhstan
Travel Dates: 5/15/2003 - 7/15/2003
Project Title: Identity Through History: The Kenesary Kasymov Revolt and the Shaping of Kazak National Identity
Project Abstract: Dr. Sabol will link an important historical episode to the ongoing political crucible of a newly independent state. Focusing on the Kenesary Kasymov rebellion that saw a sudden flourishing of new commemorations, memorials, and renaming of streets and places, he will strive to understand how institutional memory influences the collective national consciousness and shapes the politics and policies of today’s Kazakhstan.

Name: Matthew Spence
Title: Visiting Fellow
Institution: Stanford University
City, State: Stanford, CA
Academic Field: Political Science
Countries to Visit: Moscow, Russia; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Osh, Kyrgyzstan; Kiev, Ukraine
Travel Dates: 4/19/2003 - 7/5/2003
Project Title: The Impact of US Democracy Promotion in Post-Communist Russia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan, 1991-2000
Project Abstract: Mr. Spence will investigate the impact of US democracy promotion, focusing on the intersection between technical assistance and “high politics” tools of US diplomacy on six domestic policy outcomes in Russia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan since 1991. Interviewing over 40 officials, he will focus on conditions for democracy promotion and draw conclusions about state influence, the nature of hegemonic power, and the international influences upon democratization.

W

Name: Samuel Whitt
Title: Predoctoral Candidate
Institution: Vanderbilt University
City, State: Nashville, TN
Academic Field: Political Science
Countries to Visit: Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Travel Dates: 7/1/2003 - 7/31/2003
Project Title: Keeping the Peace: Institutions and Inter-Ethnic Relations in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Project Abstract: Mr. Whitt’s project will focus on the question, “How can inter-ethnic relations be improved once severe conflict has already occurred?” His research in Bosnia will seek to find the combination of institutional mechanisms that are best capable of maintaining cooperative inter-ethnic relations, coordinating his field research with public opinion research institutes and academic scholars.

Name: Larry Wolff
Title: Professor
Institution: Boston College
City, State: Chestnut Hill, MA
Academic Field: History
Countries to Visit: Krakow, Poland
Travel Dates: 10/8/2003 - 10/30/2003
Project Title: The Geopolitical History of Galicia and the Remapping of Central and Eastern Europe
Project Abstract: Dr. Wolff will be studying the political legacy of “Galicia,” which was the Habsburg province in the 19th century that included a mixed population of Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews, whose territory today lies divided between Poland and Ukraine. He will study how the memory of Gaicia has served to complicate borders and boundaries in Central Europe, and how today this issue aquires new significance for policy and the geopolitical mappings of Europe and its borders, with Poland’s entry into NATO and upcoming admission into the EU.