Research

CLAS operates a research program focused around the themes of democratic governability, economic integration, inter-American relations, and culture and society. Related research projects are supported through the generosity of foundations, organizations and U.S. Government agencies such as the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Organization of American States, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Agency for International Development. In addition to the established research projects and developing initiatives listed below, CLAS sponsors a program of Visiting Scholars and Researchers, and occasionally hosts a Teacher Seminar. The Center also disseminates research findings through a Working Paper Series .

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES INITIATIVE

A new CLAS initiative was launched in the Fall 2004 semester under the leadership of CLAS Senior Fellow Sandy Davis. The goal of this initiative is to significantly increase the amount of events and research devoted to the issue of Latin American indigenous peoples from a multidisciplinary perspective. The first event associated with this project was a conference titled "The Challenge of Poverty Reduction, Land Rights and Natural Resource Control." The conference brought panelists from throughout the hemisphere, including well-known scholars and indigenous leaders well-recognized for their work in the political and the economic lives of their countries. To get more information on this initiatve, e-mail any of the current members of the Student Committee:
Monica Hernandez: mh282@georgetown.edu
Prof. Shelton Davis: davissh@georgetown.edu

BRAZILIAN STUDIES PROGRAM

Brazil, an emerging leader in South America, has increasingly played a preeminent international role within the Latin American and global contexts. The country also boasts complex interrelationships in its social and cultural life, and is famous for its rich forms of syncretic culture and its ethnic multiplicity. As such, Brazil offers valuable examples and insights for American academic theorizations of the multi-cultural nation with international responsibilities.

Established in the fall of 2000, with financial support from Motorola, Alcoa, and the Coca Cola Foundation, the Brazilian Studies Program (BSP) aims to promote greater understanding in the United States of Brazil's history, society, politics, culture, economy, and ecology, as well as to strengthen the ties between the United States and Brazil. In that sense, the program has become a gathering place for Brazilians, North Americans, and others who seek to shape the debate and explore the questions relevant to Brazil's unique position in this ever-growing age of globalization.

Through the presence of Brazilian scholars at Georgetown University and in Washington, D.C., a much-needed perspective on Brazil from a non-traditional Anglo-European vantage point emerges. Such a forum additionally contributes to fruitful dialogs and the initiation of collaborative research projects. Beginning with the offer of a Certificate in Brazilian Studies, the program envisions strengthening the caliber of the academic discourse in various disciplines connected to the study of Brazil, aiming at a future offer of a master's degree.

The BSP sponsors lectures, conferences, exhibitions, and other academic and cultural events; supports faculty research, advises students, and funds summer research grants for students, scholars leaders, and performers from various disciplines related to Brazil. The program hosts a Visiting Professorship, generally given to a scholar from Brazil, who helps prepare students for careers in academia, the Foreign Service, and international organizations, including transnational business and philanthropic institutions. The BSP also competes for Title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships, NSEP, and hosts visiting scholars and fellows as well as publishes an annual directory of associated faculty, professors, curators, administrators, visiting fellows, and scholars with substantial interest in Brazil or related interests.

COLOMBIA PROGRAM

The Colombia Program was founded in 1998 by Arturo Valenzuela and Miguel Ceballos with generous support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which continues to fully sponsor the program. The central objective of the Colombia Program is to provide technical assistance based on applied research to the Colombian government to support efforts to deepen democracy and strengthen citizen security by focusing on responsibilities and public policy at sub-national levels of governance. The

Colombia Program initially directed activities to a limited number of Colombia's 32 departments (particularly south and western Colombia), but has increasingly been asked to assess challenges and support public policy initiatives in other Departments throughout the country. Program activities are implemented through three offices in Colombia (in Bogota, Cali and Medellin), and by monthly missions of the Washington based staff. Current activities include: innovative research on lessons learned with public policy programs aiming at deepening democracy, enhancing citizen security, and promoting economic development at the local level; cooperation with national and decentralized government institutions to design and implement programs to strengthen the institutional capacity of city councils and departmental assemblies; assistance to national and decentralized government institutions for design and implementation of municipal crime and violence reduction programs; support for national and intermediate government and private sector strategies to consolidate integration of local and regional economic development policies; and analysis and assistance to strengthen the functions of departmental administrations is both a separate line of action and inherent to each of these program activity lines.

In Washington, the program promotes a better understanding of Colombia's challenges and solutions through publications, workshops and international seminars, and the CLAS 421 course on local government. More than 15 CLAS student assistants have worked inside the Colombia Program since 1999 in order to support research, teaching workshops, and publications.

MEXICO PROJECT

Under the direction of Dr. John Bailey, the Mexico Project has strived since 1996 to advance a deeper understanding of key issues in Mexico's democratic transition. With support from the Hewlett Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation and the United States Information Agency (USIA), and in cooperation with academic institutions in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the Mexico Project has sponsored conferences, workshops, student seminars and faculty exchanges. In addition, the Project has published three edited volumes, one on the impact of economic integration on subregions in Mexico and the US, another on the effects of organized crime on democratic governability in Mexico and in the U.S.-Mexican borderlands and a third on governmental and societal responses to public insecurity in Mexico and the borderlands is being prepared.

During the period January 2000 to March 2002, the Mexico Project broadened its focus to include several other countries in the Americas. In light of the importance of the problems of crime, violence, corruption, official impunity and terrorism, the project engaged in research and outreach activities related to public security and rule of law. Professor Bailey invited pairs of authors from seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States) to examine public security and police reform in their countries and contribute to the edited volume. The findings will be published as an edited volume, "Police Reform and Public Security in the Americas," by the University of Pittsburgh and by Siglo XXI (Mexico City) in late 2005.

POLITICAL DATABASE OF THE AMERICAS

The Political Database of the Americas (PDBA) is a non-governmental project of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University in association with the Department of Democratic and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States. Through its website, the PDBA centralizes, systematizes, and offers political-institutional information free of charge about all the countries of the American continent. The structure of the PDBA is based on the following thematic classification: Political Constitutions and Comparative Constitutional Studies, Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, Electoral Data and Systems, Political Parties, Decentralization and Local Governance Democracy, Security and Conflict Prevention, and Civil Society. The information is presented in an objective and independent manner, facilitating analysis and debate from a comparative perspective. The PDBA is one of the most preferred sources of political data on the Internet with more than 460,000 users taking advantage of this resource each month.

The PDBA is currently working with the Colombia Program, the Department of Government and CLAS faculty on the continuous development of the PDBA, particularly the sections on Decentralization and Local Governance, Democracy, Security and Conflict Prevention and the forthcoming section on Democracy and Indigenous Peoples.

The PDBA offers sponsored talks, presentations, and conferences on the Georgetown campus throughout the academic year. Recent events have included the conferences on parliamentary and presidential systems and democracy and indigenous peoples in Latin America.

VENEZUELA PROGRAM

CLAS has received a generous endowment from Patricia and Gustavo Cisneros to fund public programs and scholarly exchange on topics relating to Venezuela. Thus far, this endowment funding has allowed CLAS to fund research trips to Venezuela for Georgetown faculty and students, as well as provide assistance to Georgetown student organizations that have held activities related to Venezuela. These activities have included presentations by Venezuelan government officials such as Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S. Bernardo Alvarez Herrera as well as academics and other representatives of Venezuelan cultural, political, social and economic life.

Over the past four years, the Venezuela Program has convened three important meetings on campus. In February 2000, CLAS funded a conference entitled The New Venezuelan Constitution: A New Model for Latin America. The day-long conference included three panels: "The Chávez Program in the New Constitution," "The Impact of the New Constitution on the Venezuelan Political System," and "A Panel Discussion on the New Constitution." Presentations were given by members of the Venezuelan Constitutional Assembly and distinguished academics from Venezuela and the US. In June 2003, CLAS convened a group of Venezuela experts and policymakers to discuss the reality of Venezuelan politics and identify possible near and long-term scenarios for Venezuela. In April 2004, CLAS convened a two-day conference with Venezuelanists from around the world that provided an in-depth analysis of this important South American country in terms of economic policy, politics, social development and foreign policy. In fall 2004, the Venezuela Program hosted the visit of Professor Steve Ellner of Universidad de Oriente. Dr. Ellner taught two graduate seminars: one on Venezuelan democracy and another about labor movements in Latin America. In fall 2005, the program will host the visit of Dr. Ramon Espinasa, who will teach a class on energy, security and development in the Western Hemisphere.

CARIBBEAN PROJECT

The Caribbean Project has completed the move from Georgetown University to Trinity College. Their new website is www.trinitydc.edu/academics/depts/Interdisc/International/Caribbean_Project.htm.

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