This page highlights the senior projects completed by CEAS students.
Sadichchha Adhikari. 2016. Honors Thesis. David Amongst Goliaths: The Far-Reaching Effects of Regime Change in Nepal on Aid and International Politics.
In 2008 Maoists rebels succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy in Nepal, giving rise to a Federal Republic in its place. The civil war caused over 16,000 deaths and disagreements within the parliament regarding a new constitution caused long political gridlocks. In the context of this violent and bloody conflict and overall chaos ensuing the nation immediately following its aftermath, foreign aid coming from China, Japan, and United States dramatically and mysteriously increased in 2008. This mystery is further shrouded by the fact that all three donor countries were deeply affected by the global recession of 2008 and the fact that the Maoist Party, who led this civil war and won a majority of the seats in the Constituent Assembly, were deemed a terrorist organization by the United States. This puzzling increase in aid to Nepal despite the fact that a “terrorist” organization coming to power caused widespread chaos in the country is exactly what this thesis explains. Why did aid to Nepal increase in 2008? After evaluating the utility of the donor interest and recipient need models, the thesis argues that while donor interest has been a factor in this aid increase, recipient political conditions, rather than recipient need is a more explicit factor contributing to this increased aid.
This paper investigates changes in the transportation sector in Shanghai—as a case study of Chinese cities—with specific interest in examining how spatial changes in the form of urban sprawl impacts energy consumption on the city-region level. The study will review the burgeoning literature on the relationship between urban form, private transportation use, and energy efficiency. I present evidence that Shanghai is experiencing sprawling growth that is resulting in greater private car use and correspondingly, greater energy consumption. This leads to a typology that shows Chinese cities have adopted an unsustainable form of urbanization. The paper ends with some specific policy recommendations to address the situation.
An interactive web presentation of the project can be found here.
Abigail Gruppuso. 2016. Buddhist Flesh: Exploring the Ching Role of Meat in Monastic Life
A reflection on Buddhism and vegetarianism.