Janeane Harwell

I am currently ABD in Political Science at Colorado State University. My dissertation research is a comparative study of the impacts of national security on sustainable development in two ecosystems. These ecosystems are at the US-Mexico border and the Argentinean-Chilean border. My practical sustainable development experience includes working an with the municipality and an artisan community in La Plata, Argentina to improve their economic opportunity. Each case is a vivid example of the interaction of complex systems in political and economic contexts. Arizona is a changing social and natural landscape as the Department of Homeland Security escalates security with a wall through the Cabeza Prieta protected area in the Sonoran Desert and increased troop levels at the local training center. In Argentina and Chile park managers struggle to protect the ecosystem in the face of growing adrenaline sports and tourism. In La Plata, Argentina, two political systems simultaneously support and constrain a group of local artisans.

My background is in Public Policy from Claremont Graduate University, PhD coursework at Colorado State University and a previous career in feature film animation. I also bring a healthy skepticism.