This series tracks the working lives of our part-time PhD fellows. Many work at the highest of levels, both nationally and internationally, including for other parts of the UN system. They come to Maastricht for our unique PhD Dual Career Training Programme in Governance and Policy Analysis (GPAC²). The questions are posed each time by Dr. Mindel van de Laar.
Dual Focus
Land registration in Kenya: Key for development?
17 August 2018
Your PhD revolves around the redistribution of land and its impact on agricultural outcomes; this is timely and relevant given climate change and its impact on food security. Can you elaborate on your dissertation topic? ...
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A tall order for Malawi: How diet and education help prevent stunting
29 June 2018
You defended your PhD thesis ‘A tall order – Improving child linear growth’ on 19 June 2018. When you applied to the programme, you were working as a project manager for the UN’s World Food Programme. Was there a link between your activities at work, and the choice to apply for a part...
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Strategic planning in Palestine: Why local leaders are key
18 June 2018
You defend your PhD on 19 June 2018. Can you briefly describe your thesis? My research looks into strategic planning within Palestinian local governments. It considers the conditions, factors and dynamics that shape the design, launch and roll out of local strategic plans within fragi...
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Rebuilding Kosovo: Exploring the pros and cons of e-governance
23 November 2017
You defend your PhD thesis on 24 November. In your research, you study a remarkable ‘Case Management Information System’ in Kosovo. Can you briefly explain the background and why you decided to study it? / My research looks into the roll out of a ‘Case Management Information System’ (...
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Leave no one behind: Keeping up the pressure on HIV/AIDS in Viet Nam
22 November 2017
On Thursday 23 November, you will defend your PhD dissertation “Prioritizing the HIV Response: A multi-criteria decision analysis”. Can you briefly describe what your study is about? / Nearly 35 years since the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS, the political and financial momen...
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Science for the SDGs: Building the interface between research & policy
21 November 2017
You’ve worked on your PhD for the last five years, alongside a full-time job at the United Nations. What were your aims? Why did you choose to do that? / My aim was to develop a deeper understanding of the issues I was dealing with at the UN. For example, promoting the catch-up and lo...
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A positive view of the future prevents school dropouts in Southern Africa
16 November 2017
Why and how do some female child carers in Lesotho manage to stay in school despite being responsible for running a household? This was the question that researcher Brenda Yamba, originally from Zambia, wanted to answer. She defended her PhD at Maastricht University last June. “Brenda...
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Demystifying energy systems: From Brittany to the Black Sea
19 September 2017
The Joint Research Centre is quite a unique institution at international level: we produce scientific studies and reports that feed into the work of colleagues in other Directorates-General – who in turn are responsible for designing EU Regulations and Directives. We contribute to the...
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The coming storm: Helping rural communities cope in Southeast Asia
15 June 2017
Climate change is not only about the environment – it also has major financial and institutional implications. This was the backstory to a recent report on ‘Risk Financing for Rural Climate Resilience in the Greater Mekong Subregion’ co-authored by GPAC² fellow Ornsaran Pomme Manuamor...
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