Master's Award in Development Studies 2016 to Marinka Räsänen from JyU
UniPID and the Finnish Society for Development Research awarded Marinka Räsänen the 2016 Master's Award in Development Studies. The winner receives a prize sum of 1000 euros for his environmental sciences thesis " Marinka Räsänen: Political economy and ecology of water control - dynamics of water policy reform and water justice in Taita Hills, South-Eastern Kenya", completed at the University of Jyväskylä.
UniPID and the Finnish Society for Development Research award Marinka Räsänen the 2016 Master's Award in Development Studies. The winner receives a prize sum of 1000 euros for their environmental sciences thesis: "Political economy and ecology of water control - dynamics of water policy reform and water justice in Taita Hills, South-Eastern Kenya", completed at the University of Jyväskylä.
In her thesis, Räsänen combines interdisciplinary methods from both natural and social sciences to analyze a large dataset that concerns a topic that is both scientifically relevant and closely linked to today's global environmental discussion. The deep theoretical framework draws from political ecology and economic sociology. The analysis is strictly scientific, yet able to lift onto the agenda factors that deal with human well-being. According to the selection committee, the results of her thesis have direct applications in the ongoing water policy reform of Kenya.
This was the fifth time the Master's Award was handed out. A total of 30 students participated in the competition this year. All works were initially evaluated by a team of representatives of UniPID and the Finnish Society for Development Research and after careful consideration, six theses went through to the final stage, to be ranked by the award selection committee. The selection committee was comprised of emeritus professor Olavi Luukkanen, who acted as the chair of the board, and emeritus professors Reijo E. Heinonen and Ullamaija Kivikuru. In their assessment, the selection committee gave specific weight to the timeliness and innovativeness of the topic and the societal applicability and potential impact of the results.
Two other outstanding theses were also awarded, receiving 250 euros each. The second prize was given to Yen Mai from the University of Helsinki, for her sociology thesis "Constructing the Vietnamese Queer Identities: A Hierarchy of Class, Gender, and Sexuality" and the third prize was given to Jenni Puroila from the University of Tampere for her thesis in Responsible Business, titled "What really matters? Materiality disclosures in sustainability reporting practices".
The award ceremony will be organized in conjunction with the FSDR Development Day Conference 16-17 February 2017 at House of Science and Letters, Helsinki, Finland. The winner and honorary mentionees will receive diplomas from the selection committee, which detail the merits of their theses that made them stand out.
The award is given annually to an accomplished Master's thesis related to global development or development studies.
Read more from the selected works:
