My research focuses on the politics of service delivery and public goods provision in developing countries.
Civil society, NGOs and governments
My interests engage an extensive and contradictory literature as to whether NGOs are promoting more representative, accountable governments. To investigate the impact of NGOs, I explore how interactions with NGOs shape citizens’ attitudes toward government and their behavior in seeking support from government. I also investigate interactions between governments and NGOs to understand the political and contextual factors that can lead to NGO-government collaboration and conflict. Related publications:
Services to address poverty: water, sanitation, and energy provision
In addition to my research on actors in public goods provision, I also study service provision in sectors that are critical in addressing poverty, such as water, sanitation and energy. These services are easiest to provide in cities and in contexts of stability and a moderate level of development or wealth. I look at service provision in contexts where progress lags: rural areas, where there are few economies of scale and often weak political incentives for ongoing services; informal peri-urban communities where formal incorporation into city zoning is politically contentious; and conflict-affected areas where both governments and markets are weakened by threats to stability. Related publications:
Romano, Sarah, Jami Nelson-Nuñez and G. Thomas LaVanchy. “Rural Water Provision and the State-Society Interface in Latin America” Forthcoming at Water International.
Poverty, inequality and overlapping vulnerabilities
Through my teaching, working with students, and research collaborations, I have become deeply interested in how different aspects of vulnerability and poverty interact. My earlier work on inequality focused on gender disparities and challenges women face around the world. I expanded this work on poverty and inequality by exploring overlapping vulnerabilities in rural areas of Latin America, and most recently, to look at the uneven impact (due to these overlapping vulnerabilities) of the COVID-19 pandemic across Bolivia.
Hummel, Calla, Ximena Velasco Guachalla, Jami Nelson-Nuñez, and Carew Boulding. “Bolivia: Lessons from the first six months of the new coronavirus pandemic.” Forthcoming at Perspectives on Politics.