PROJECTS
EOTM works on projects around the world to advance economic development. EOTM projects are mostly carried out by our Research Fellows. The EOTM Fellowships provide supports for undergraduates and graduate students on development projects in their areas of special interest. Working closely with EOTM mentors, our Research Fellows’ interdisciplinary approach combines economic principles with engineering, entrepreneurship, industrial design, business and social sciences to create development interventions that boosts productivity, enhance human capital development and shape the future. EOTM projects stand distinct that they not only promote economic development they help prepare students for graduate study and advanced research.
Panteka Industrial Cluster: Turning Waste into Wealth, Nigeria
The Panteka Industrial Cluster in Yola, Nigeria, comprises artisans, welders, and blacksmiths who use discarded metal, rubber, and wood to produce a vast array of products ranging from kitchen cookware to deep freezers to automobile spare parts. While Panteka is a model of sustainable development, the lack of modern tools, electric-powered machines, or safety equipment prevent it from evolving into a modern industrial complex that could employ more people. Working with EOTM Director Dr. Daniel Barkley, EOTM Research Fellow Nuruddeen Nyako has spearheaded numerous development projects at Panteka over the last ten years. Panteka offers abundant opportunities for team-oriented experiential learning, capstone projects, building engineering prototypes, case studies, and industrial partnerships.
For additional information on how to work with Panteka, contact: EOTM Fellow Nuruddeen Nyako; at Nuruddeen@EconomicsOnTheMove.org
Capesinos Voice the Discourse of Fair Trade, Bolivia
Nicholas Calderon's project Capesinos Voice the Discourse of Fair Trade got accepted into the cohort of the Haas Scholars at the University of California, Berkeley (see the message below). Nicholas' project took place in the Altiplano region of Bolivia, where he examined the extent of grower knowledge regarding fair trade entitlements, and their use of fair trade social premium. His methods combined an examination of discourses about the benefits of fair trade; participant observation with photographic documentation; and interviews conducted with small-scale growers.
From: Nicholas Calderon <n.cal@berkeley.edu>
To: "Dr. Caspa" <Humberto@Economicsonthemove.org>
Subject: Acceptance to Haas Scholars cohort
Dr. Caspa,
I am delighted to announce to Economics On The Move that I have been accepted into the cohort of Scholars! My proposal, "Capesinos Voice the Discourse of Fair Trade," was chosen from among a pool of proposals from all over UC Berkeley campus.
I owe a great deal to EOTM. Without your sponsorship, and regional support offered in Bolivia, I do not believe the feasibility of my proposal would have been up-to-par with the Haas review committee's standards. thanks to Dr. Daniel Barkley for the review and approval of my proposal, and to Dr. Humberto Caspa, who worked closely with me during the process of drafting my proposal.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Calderon
"If what we think is right and wrong further divides us, then there must be something wrong with what we think is right."
Capital Exchange Network: Closing China’s Regional Productivity Gap
Over the past three years, EOTM Research Fellows Mao Yikun and Chen Sining have done extensive fieldwork documenting the productivity gap between enterprises and industries in China's western and coastal provinces. These Fellows attribute the regional differences to the absence of effective communication platforms, capital constraints, and informational asymmetries. They believe these deficiencies inhibit small and medium-sized enterprises in the western regions from evolving into large-scale industrial complexes that could employ more people.
To address these issues, Yikun and Sining are developing a B2B digital platform called the "Capital Exchange Network" (CEN) to help micro-factories, small enterprises, and industrial clusters in the western regions gain access to capital by leasing (or buying) idle or obsolete industrial capital equipment from large and medium-sized enterprises concentrated in the southeast coastal provinces.
They have already designed an app based on the capital availability of enterprises in the southeast coastal regions. They are now using the data collected from enterprises in the western provinces to build the CEN app’s demand side. The Capital Exchange Network app presents opportunities for students to apply their academic training and management skills to the following areas of concern:
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Evaluate risks and incorporate risks into the pricing
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Minimize transactions that might otherwise discourage potential buyers and sellers
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Building an effective marketing strategy that overcomes information asymmetries
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Microfinance
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Use empirical evidence to evaluate progress and propose feasible remedies critically.
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Design a B2B blueprint that can be used to start the CEN platform in other developing countries.
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Experience working in groups on cross-cultural communication and teamwork
For additional information on collaborating on the CEN, contact: EOTM Fellow Chen Sining; at Chen@EOTM.org.
Community Resource Centre, IT Training, Nigeria
The Prof. Iya Abubakar Community Resource Centre (CRC) came into existence in 2003 through a United States Government funded initiative known as Education for Development and Democracy Initiative. The Bauchi State Government provided the location and building, while the U.S. Agency for International Development provided all technical equipment and furnishing. Last summer, the CRC partnered with the EOTM Support Foundation and EOTM Fellow Nuruddeen Nyako to give 35 local youth three weeks of free IT training at the CRC facility.
While the CRC provides high-quality IT skill development, it also seeks ways to improve revenue generation, training, and building capacity. The EOTM Support Foundation is working with CRC on upgrading and restructuring the CRC’s operations to make its business operation sustainable and its information technology services more affordable and accessible. The CRC upgrades present opportunities for students to apply their academic training and management skills to provide the CRC with recommendations for practical business solutions in the following areas:
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Improved Revenue Generation
CRC believes it can increase cash flow, reduce costs, expand its customer base, and improve customer service and community engagement.
2. Business Process Re-Engineering
CRC believes that it can improve the productivity of its operation and lower costs by eliminating
iterative business processes & responsibilities & establishing departmental chains of command.
3. Test Center, Training, and Capacity Building
Improve the standard of training by reviewing and updating the training curriculum (cost, duration
and relevance) and introducing new courses.
4. Community Development: Universal Access, Skill Development, Digital Jobs Creation, Innovation & Startups
Increase universal access to information and skills development that create digital jobs. Encourage and
host startups and innovation programs at the community level.
For additional information on collaborating with the EOTM Support Foundation and the CRC, contact: EOTM Fellow Nuruddeen Nyako; Nuruddeen@EOTM.org.