MiddLab

A MiddLab Project

Poverty Alleviation North and South of the Himalayas: Why has China Alleviated More Poverty than India?

Learn more about Political Science and South Asian Studies at Middlebury College.

Despite unbelievable economic growth rates averaging between 8-10% in 2009 and bright economic prospects, China and India have become two of the largest contributors to world poverty. However, China has been able to alleviate more poverty than India. I believe that there are lessons to be learnt from China’s success. Thus, I will compare both nations and examine the impact of provincial politics (decentralization) on poverty alleviation to determine why China has been able to alleviate more poverty than India. Since China and India are populous, large countries, there is a strong presence of state-level political institutions, which guide policy implementation. I will, thus, examine the cases of Sichuan and Anhui in China and Kerala andBihar in India. The contrast between the success of Sichuan and Kerala and failures of Anhui and Bihar will provide insight on the impact of decentralization and effectiveness of policy implementation towards poverty alleviation.

People

Ruchi Singh
Researcher

Jessica Teets
Sponsor & Assistant Professor of Political Science

Downloads

Symposium Presentation Slides

A MiddLab Project

Monitoring Carbon Uptake on College Lands

Learn more about Biology and Environmental Studies at Middlebury College.

Middlebury College has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2016. As the largest private landowner in Addison County, there is tremendous potential for land management practices to contribute to the goal of carbon neutrality. As part of an effort to understand how carbon sequestration varies among the different forest types on College-owned lands, we monitored carbon uptake in the Battell Research Forest, an old-growth hemlock forest in East Middleury, VT. As expected for an old-growth forest, the Battell Research Forest contains substantial pools of carbon in live and dead biomass. The size of the woody debris pool was substantially larger at the Battell Research Forest than in secondary forests at Breadloaf. We conclude our presentation with a proposal for how to implement an ongoing carbon monitoring protocol on College-owned forest lands.

People

Sama Winder
Meghan Blumstein
Elizabeth Davis
Max Odland
Lauren Sanchez
Oliver Weisser
Researchers

Andrea Lloyd
Sponsor & Professor of Biology

Downloads

Symposium Presentation Slides

Carbon Monitoring Proposal

A MiddLab Project

The Changing Landscape of Migrant Labor Markets in China: Differences in Compensation Across Space

Learn more about Geography and Undergraduate Research at Middlebury College.

Chinese household registration policy classifies each citizen as either an urban or rural dweller. As China’s coastal urban economies began to rapidly develop in the late 19070s and 1980s, many rural dwellers migrated to cities in search of higher wages. These migrant laborers were not able to receive the services provided to urban dwellers by local city governments. Preliminary results show that employers are more likely to offer these types of increased compensation when they are located in more mature job markets where the supply of jobs exceeds demand.

People

Doug Shultz
Researcher

Anne Knowles
Associate Professor of Geography and Advisor

Downloads

Watch the Presentation with the Slides (RealMedia)

Presentation Slides

A MiddLab Project

CCSRE Life Stories Project: Miguel Fernández

Learn more about theComparative Study of Race and Ethnicity at Middlebury College.

“Life Stories of Middlebury College” is a multi-phase initiative intended to gather people’s experiences while at the college, particularly reflections that highlight issues of diversity. In his interview, discusses growing up while living abroad, studying Russian, French, Spanish, and Japanese, differences between rural and urban settings, performing a wedding at Middlebury, diversity, raising a family in Middlebury, and being ‘the other’.