Project Coding Begins

Since I finished the rough stats yesterday, I decided to dig into project coding this morning. So much information, but I needed to start it so I could rewrite my project coding guide. Here's a quick look:

Data Data Data

So, I've started my base statistics for this project. Basically since I need a ton of data at my fingertips to complete my methodology of measuring various economic and social aspects at different points in time I've compiled a table of just that. Here's a preview!

Central Asia Class

In more graduate school news, I ended up with an "A" on my presentation. I've been neglegent about the news now so I must get back onto looking through all of it. I am starting the coding for the data this weekend, and with a few hundred projects I'm hoping to be able to finish it this month if I'm dilligent.

Tonight's Presentation

Giving my paper presentation tonight for my Central Asia class. Hopefully my data sets will be done soon!

Link to Presentation

Paper Outline

Since I have the pleasure of working on the data sets for the class I'm taking, here's the outline for the term paper that's a piece of this:

Rachel Stoll
Dr. Buckley
February 23, 2010

Central Asia and the World Bank in a Post-Cold War World: Trends in World Bank Funding of Transportation Infrastructure within Central Asia

I. Central Asia and the World Bank
a. 600 projects with CIS
b. CIS includes Central Asia
c. After collapse of USSR, IMF/WB take interest in CIS region
d. Discussion of previous development of transportation infrastructure
e. Rail usage in USSR
f. Types of projects being funded

II. Literature Review for Transportation impacts to Economic Development
a. Phillippe Aghion and Mark Schankerman
b. Feinburg and Meurs
c. Rietveld and Bruinsma

III. Functionalism discussion as it relates to security and development

IV. World Bank and Transit Infrastructure
a. Funding discussion
b. Private vs. Public
c. Movement of goods/services highly important

V. Dataset

VI. Dataset analysis

VII. Conclusion of data and paradigm (functionalism)

Central Asia Paper Presentation

Started the presentation for my Central Asia Paper this morning. ( Link) I cannot decide if I want to start my data analysis now or if I just want to present the concepts and theories associated. I am going the first day and it's two months prior to our papers being due.

Must start new research. I also think my numbers might be a little old since it's been a year. Will have to look them back up but the teacher isn't going to know that. They will be revised for the final paper for sure.

Paper Proposal for CIS

Since I'm taking a Central Asia politics course (for now, anyway) I've decided to finally get some of my data for this done in the class. For now I'm not even sure I'm going to be having a thesis thanks to some Graduate School Department issues that I am currently having. Anyway the proposal:


World Bank Funding of transportation infrastructure projects in Central Asia (Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan) has led to more stability and development in the region than the other reforms and projects funded by the World Bank in the same region.

Since the fall of the USSR, the World Bank has funded approximately 600 projects within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) which includes the Central Asia Region. The current states in the CIS include: Russia, Georgia (currently separate from CIS), Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. For the purposes of this class, I would like to focus on the World Bank projects in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Many of these infrastructure projects involve multiple countries, but more importantly this promotes connectivity and economic development throughout the region. Within a constructivist paradigm, these sorts of infrastructure projects that are more politically neutral and economically mutually beneficial are ideal for helping ensure peace and regional stability.

In order to explore the thesis above, I propose a statistically driven analysis of the World Bank projects in the region. By using data readily available and creating new data from the World Bank project website, the analysis will be time-lagged and seekign correlative relationships. With an expansive set of data and indicators placed three, five, and tens years out hopefully trends will be visible. Attached is the coding guide.

2004 Report on Infrastructure in Central Asia and Azerbaijan

My IR class this term is focused on Central Asia which means that I get to work on some of my research and get a term paper out of it. Since I'm writing my research proposal for the term over the weekend I've been looking at infrastructure reports in the region. I found an NBR Analysis on Infrastructure Challenges in Central Asia and Azerbaijan . Seems like a solid piece of research to include into my paper/literature review.

In my other class I've been working on Urban Politics, which is not quite in the scope of this blog. However, some interesting points about infrastructure and utilites have been made. I might post the one page summaries that we are assigned of the different books since most of them deal tangently with infrastructure or political economy.