Research

Completed Theses

To complete the master’s program, students in Economic and Social Development of Regions undertake either:

• a professional project, which is an experience in professional practice completed in conjunction with an outside partner organization
• a master’s thesis, in which students carry out original research resulting in a scholarly analysis.

Below is a list of all theses completed by ESDR students since our first graduating class in 2000.

• Class of 2010
• Class of 2009
• Class of 2008
• Class of 2007
• Class of 2006
• Class of 2005
• Class of 2004
• Class of 2003
• Class of 2002
• Class of 2001
• Class of 2000

The theses are available in hard copy in the ESDR suite (O’Leary Library, 500). They may also be accessed electronically from an on-campus computer or remotely from the UMass Lowell Library's Proquest database with a valid UMass Lowell log-in.

Class of 2010

• Impact of Jamaica's Export-led Development Model on Its Indigenous Garment Assembly Sector
      Brunet Pierri Bia    
• Wind Energy: Developing Energy, Wealth, and Change
      Matt Hopkins     
• Beyond "Made in China": A Study of the Special Model of Software Industry in Dalian, China
      Xiaoxu Jin     
• Sustainable Development of an Innovative Enterprise in the U.S. Biopharmaceutical Industry: A Case Study of Myriad Genetics, Inc.
      Shuwen Liu     
• Assessing the Role of Market and Non-market Forces in the Promotion of Consumer Protection in Viet Nam
      Minh B. Pham     
• Obstacles and Barriers to Parent Involvement in Lowell Public Schools: Obstacles to Involvement, Strategies for Change
      Jennifer Marie Russell

Class of 2009

• An Oral History of General Electric's Involvement and Legacy in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
      Jonathan Arambula   
• The Western Avenue Studios as a Model for Regional Development: Can A Remnant of an Industrial Past Provide a Beacon for a Sustainable Future?
      Conor Baldwin  
• The Impact of Trichloroethylene Alternatives in Metal Cleaning Applications on the Worker Experience
      Melissa Coffin   
• Export-led Growth as a Route to Poverty Reduction: Panama's Strategic Vision
      Karen B. Haron     
• Designing Transportation Policy to Meet New England’s Developmental Needs
      Marc Horne     
• Exploring the Potential Relationship Between Skill Biased Technological Change Theory and Outcomes of Workforce Development Programs
      Jonathan Latner     
• African-American Railroad Workers, 1890-1960: A Critical Reinterpretation
      Josh McCabe     
• Emerging Technologies: Nanotechnology in the Cosmetic and Personal Care Products Industry
      Farooqh Khan Mohammed      
• A Case Study of the Social Security Administration’s Disability Services Improvement Initiative
      Thnam Kanha Net      
• Tourism Policy and Micro-small Tourism Forms in the Island of Skiathos, Greece
      Demetra Paparounas    
• A Study on the Economic and Social Effects of Burmese Migration Focusing on Burmese Migration to the United States
      Amy Provencal      
• Maybe Our Children Can See Better Days: A Brief History of Farmers' Cooperative Organizations in Turkey
      Mustafa Erdem Sakinc     
  
• The Julian D. Steele Housing Complex in Lowell, MA: Tenant Outcomes from 1995 - 2009.
      Craig Thomas     
• The Experiences of Immigrant Nurses in Lowell, MA: A Case Study
      Yingchan Zhang     
• The Changing Experiences and Challenges of Internal Migrants in China: Female Migrant Workers in Beijing Hotel Industry
      Lei Zhao       

Class of 2008

• Jamaica and the Development of a Sustainable Organic Argriculture Sub-Sector: Challenges and Opportunities for a Small Island Developing State
      Heather M. Derby
• An Exploratory Case Study of Selected Education Reform Agendas and Their Potential to Increase Educational Attainment Rates for the 21st Century Workforce
      Sarah White 
• A Potential Role for UMass Lowell in Solving Lowell’s Housing Affordability Crisis
      Robert John Moreau 

Class of 2007

• The Effect of Forced Displacement On the Social Life: The Case of Darb Es Sin In Lebanon
      Della Ata 
• Workers’ Control and Social Economy in Argentina’s Recuperated Enterprise Movement
      Brian Michael Zbriger
• The North American Free Trade Agreement: Implications for Workers in Massachusetts
      John Reynolds
• Firestone and Liberia: A Case Study in the One-Sidedness
      Henrique Boye Wilson
  
• A Study of Human Resource- Frame As An Organizational Dynamic and Applied As A Case Study: Nypro Inc.
      James Porter Elliott
• The Impact of Environmental Accounting on the Profit Growth, Development & Sustainability of the Organization: A Case Study on Nypro. Inc
      May M. Elewa 
• A Study of the Impact of Small Urban Centers on Economic and Social Development: A Uganda Case Study
      Gerald Byaruhanga 
• Paraquat: For the Heart of the Vulnerable Man
      Iraida Elena Blanco 

Class of 2006

• Lebanon and Hezbollah: From Militia to Political Party?
      Reine El-Achkar
• Sustaining the Paper Industry of Massachusetts: 21st Century Challenges and the Prospects for Manufacturing Survival
      Michael Ammendola

Class of 2005

• The Expansion of the Concept of Fair Trade to Increase the Economic Welfare of Rural Farmers in Ghana : A Case Study of the Kuapa Kookoo Farmers’ Cooperative
      Charles Addae
• The Establishment of the Ministry of Gender and Development: A Case Study of the Changing Role of Women in Liberia
      Jeannie B. Morris
• The Dynamics of the Coalitions in the Anti-Corporate Globalization Movement: A Massachusetts Case Study, 2000-2001
      Jennifer l. Gaudet
• Universal Primary Education in Uganda: The Case for Community Involvement
      Patrick Kimera
• Offshoring and the Financial Services Industry in Massachusetts
      Taner Osman
• The Massachusetts Software Industry: A Special Focus on the Financial Management Software Sector
      Dongsheng Li
  
• The Development of Wenzhou Industry Clusters: Quality Improvement and Innovation Capabilities
      Yue Zhang 
• Women and Conflict: Lessons Learned and Applications for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
      Barbara Rocha
• Building Inclusive Micro-Lending Programs to Support Social and Economic Development in Cameroon
      Placide Dingue
• Four Companies: FDI Effects on Mexican Retail
      Jose Luis Alvarez Galvan
• A Study of Worker Burnout in Massachusetts High Technology Sector
      Kathleen J. Bailey
• Comparative Air Pollution Policy and Enforcement in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dalian
      Robert Andrew Macauslan
• Designing the Tax Structure of Massachusetts to Promote Economic and Social Development
      John Edward

Class of 2004

• The Role of Conflict/Compromise and Moderation in The Family and Medical Leave Act
      Marianne S. Pelletier
• Educational Attainment and Economic Development in Southwestern Indiana
      China Layne
• The Stories Behind the Statistics: A Study of Brazilians Working in Eastern Massachusetts
      Sharon Driscoll
• Planning for Transportation Equity in a Diverse Community: The Barriers to and Benefits of Public Involvement in the Planning Process
      Darcie Boyer
• Wealth Extraction, Not Economy Development: A Case Study of Liberia
      Joseph Natanael Varnie
• How Can Aid Dependent Countries Take Possession of Their Development Trajectory -- The Case of Liberia
      Henrique Nea Urey
• The Quest for Food Security: Policies and Issues Facing the Country of Zambia
      Lisa M. Chandonnet
• Industrialization, Globalization and Women Workers in South Korea, 1960-2003
      Youngju Seo
• A Lifeline? Is the Massachusetts Nurses Association Able to Shield Massachusetts RNs from the Impact of Health Care Industry Restructuring?
      Beth Wilson
• The Massachusetts' Travel and Tourism Industry after September 11, 2001: Behavior, Perception and Policy
      Richard Scott
• Barriers to Union Organizing in the Massachusetts Service Sector
      Joseph F. Meagher

Class of 2003

• New Form Creation in Telecommunications and the Internet Sector after 1996 in Massachusetts
      Hao Xie 
• Community Values, Education and Work: Child Labor In Indonesia - The Case of the Household Footwear Sector in Cibaduyut and Cangkuang Kulon, Bandung
      Elisabeth Satya Dewi 
• The Fair Trade Movement and Globalization: No One Need Die Marching from Matagalpa to Managua
      Paul Morse
• Unemployment, Layoffs and Reemployment Programs in China --- A Case Study of Shanghai Reemployment Service Center Program and its Adaptation
      Guang Bi
• Regional Integration and Development: A Study of the European Union, the Transformation of Spain, and the Pursuit of Regional Development
      Don Leonard
• The Development of Nigeria's Local/Traditional Fabric Industry as a Strategy for Poverty Reduction
      Mana Wambebe
• China's National Innovation System (NIS) in the Making: Case Studies of Three Indigenous Chinese Companies
      Yingying Deng
• A Study of Taiwan's Foreign Worker Policy Compared to South Korea's Foreign Worker Policy
      Hsiao-Ling Lin
• Faugh A Ballagh Loss and Leverage in Ballykilcline and Rutland
      Mary Lee Dunn
• The Impact of Rapid Industrialization on Work and Family Structures in Indonesia 1970-2000
      George Martin Sirait
• Organics Separation and Composting in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Confronting Challenges in Policy Formation and Program Implementation
      Julie Villareal

Class of 2002

• A Study of Sustainable Development of Zhongguancun, Beijing, China
      Chen Liu

Class of 2001

• Hyderabad - Technopolis in the Making? A Study of the Software Industry in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and the Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Policy
      Radha Roy Biswas
• Prince Pasta unravels in Spaghettiville 1939-1997
      Francine Corbin 

Class of 2000

• A Study of the Availability of Jobs for Welfare Recipients Who Have Completed an Occupational Training Program Provided by Publicly Funded Job Training Organizations in Lowell, Massachusetts
      Susan Dempsey
• The Geography of Industrial Districts: Why does the Biotechnology Industry in Massachusetts Cluster in Cambridge?
      Shiri Marom Breznitz
• An Unequal Burden?: A study of the Association Between Socioeconomic Status, Dangerous Working Conditions and Occupational Injuries Among Adolescents
      Kimberly Rauscher