Environment and Society Program

February 11, 2012

Spring 2006

Monday, Feb 27, 12:00-1:00, IBS 3 Conference Room

Edna Loehman, Professor, Department of Economics, Purdue University

Sustaining Groundwater: Investment, Economic Organization, and Public Participation

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Wednesday, Mar 8, 12:00-1:30, IBS 3 Conference Room

Howard Kunreuther

The Problem of Interdependent Security Risks

Howard Kunreuther is Cecelia Yen Koo Professor of Decision Science and Public Policy, Co-Director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, & Senior Fellow, Wharton Financial Institutions Center, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research Visiting Research Scientist, Earth Institute, Columbia University

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Monday, Mar 13, 12:00-1:00, IBS 3 Conference Room

Charles Howe

A Reconsideration of the World Commission on Dams Report: the Likely Future of Large Dams

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Monday, Apr 17, 12:00-1:00, IBS 3 Conference Room

Lee Alston

Tenure Mobility of Individuals: Evidence from the 1920 Census of Agriculture

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Monday, May 1, 12:00-1:00, IBS 3 Conference Room

Lori Hunter

Adult Mortality, Household Use of Natural Resources and Maintenance of Food Security: An Ongoing Research Agenda at the Agincourt Health and Population Unit

There is a significant lack of research as to how demographic dynamics interact to shape household use of natural resources in less developed regions. This information is, however, key to understanding the complex interactions between humans and the environment, particularly given the centrality of the natural environment within rural livelihoods. Within the rural African context, natural resources also act as a buffer against household shocks, offering for example, a potential means of generating income and/or meeting dietary needs. In this study, we focus on adult mortality as a particular household shock, examining natural resource use, specifically fuel wood strategies, as shaped by households' mortality experience. We also offer early exploration of mortality -impacted households' reliance on local resources for food security. As for results, quantitative analyses of survey data suggest the importance of socioeconomic status and local resource availability in shaping household resource use after adult mortality, while interviews provide more nuanced stories of coping strategies following the loss of an adult household member, including issues related to time allocation and food security. In general, the study's results begin to shed light more generally on the environmental dimensions of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, while also providing an important foundation for future analyses.

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