For over a decade, I have been studying civic engagement in environmental governance, both in the United States and in countries around the world.

Within this broader context, my research examines factors shaping the mobilization of communities and environmental organizations. I also investigate why environmental organizations use particular strategies and tactics and the extent to which they take action that is aligned with their goals and values.

Prague, site of much of my research, Photo: Tina Rosan

At present, I am working on three sets of research projects. In the first, I am studying the how environmental organizations in Central and Eastern Europe have responded to domestic change and transnational pressures since the fall of state-socialism. In the second, I am investigating local perspectives on global inequities. This includes examining the views that NGOs and communities have of the social and environmental impacts of the activities of multi-national corporations and the actions they take to alter corporate practices. The third set of projects focus on climate change and adaptation. This includes an assessment of the climate campaigns of transnational environmental NGOs as well as studies of climate vulnerability and adaptation planning in cities.

The intent of my research is to understand how civil society actors can best achieve voice in public decision processes, the means through which they can be most effective in realizing their goals, and the extent to which they are able to achieve outcomes that ensure equity for the individuals, communities, and organizations that are directly affected by these decisions.

I received my B.S. and M.S. from Cornell University in management and organizational theory and my Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in environmental policy and planning. I received additional training at the School of Business at the University of British Columbia and in the Program on Nonprofit Organizations at Yale University. Before joining the faculty at MIT, I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech and a Visiting Research Scholar at the Center for Environmental Solutions at Duke University.