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Robin Broad Research Professor-in-Residence Environment, Development & Health

Contact
Robin Broad
(202) 885-1478
SIS | Finance & Personnel Administration
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Contact Professor Broad
Degrees
Doctor of Philosophy; Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; Princeton University.
Master in Public Affairs; Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; Princeton University.
Bachelor of Arts; Economics, Environmental Studies (double major); Williams College.

Bio
Dr. Robin Broad, Professor of International Development, established and heads SIS鈥檚 International Development Program鈥檚 two unique professional tracks: Rethinking Globalization & Development, and Environment & Development with a focus on social, environmental, and economic accountability. She came to AU with a wide range of professional experiences 鈥 from international economist in the US Treasury Department and US Congress to work with civil-society organizations in the Philippines and El Salvador.

Among the highlights of her work:

鈥 Latest book: (Beacon Press, March 2021) received and was chosen as a best book of 2021 by and by the Also available in (March 2022) and , as well as a (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2021) and a (Grano de Sal Press, 2022).

鈥 Recipient of (2018)

鈥 Recipient of the International Studies Association's J. Ann Tickner Award (2016) for 鈥渉igh-quality, pioneering scholarship that pushes the boundaries of the discipline with a deep commitment to service, especially teaching and mentoring.鈥

鈥 Recipient, 艾可直播 University鈥檚 Green Teacher of the Year and the recipient of four other awards from SIS for her teaching and scholarship.

鈥 An active "scholar participant" in the movement to create a more just and sustainable economic globalization, she is currently on the Boards of Directors of Focus on the Global South and Earthworks, an Associate Fellow at Vermont Law School鈥檚 New Economy Law Center, and a Fellow at the Samdhana Institute.

鈥 Conducted extensive fieldwork in the Philippines and elsewhere in Southeast Asia and in El Salvador, and elsewhere in Central America.
See Also
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Research Interests

Building on training in development economics and ecology, Dr. Broad鈥檚 work has evolved to what she terms 鈥渢rans-disciplinary鈥 research. Her lens is also multi-level, moving from local to national to global 鈥 with specific foci related to the following sub-fields:

  • The public and private structures of global economic governance.
  • The impact of these structures of governance on people, their environments, and wellbeing.
  • The social movements that are challenging the current structures of global economic governance.

Dr. Broad鈥檚 current research centers on socially, environmentally, and economically responsible policies for extractives/mining (with a focus on El Salvador and other countries that have put in place mining regulations) and for agriculture (with a focus on the Philippines and basic, subsistence grains).

Selected Publications

Dr. Broad is widely-published across a variety of academic and policy journals (including Journal of Peasant Studies, World Development, University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, Review of International Political Economy, & Foreign Policy) and media outlets including The New York Times and the Washington Post as well as a variety of popular publications. See cv () for a comprehensive list.听 See links from this Profile for details on her as well as .

  • 鈥淔rom Extractivism towards Buen Vivir: Mining Policy as an Indicator of a New Development Paradigm Prioritizing the Environment,鈥 with SIS Phd student Julia Fischer-Mackey, Third World Quarterly听(2017).
  • 鈥淐orporate Bias in the World Bank Group's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes: A Case Study of a Global Mining Corporation Suing El Salvador,鈥 University of Pennsylvania International Law Journal 36 (2015).
  • 鈥淧oorer Countries and the Environment: Friends or Foes?鈥 with John Cavanagh, World Development, 72 (2015).
  • "The Development and Agriculture Paradigms Transformed: Reflections from the Small-Scale Organic Rice Fields of the Philippines," with John Cavanagh, Journal of Peasant Studies, 39 (2012).
  • 鈥淩esearch, Knowledge, and the Art of 鈥楶aradigm Maintenance鈥: The World Bank鈥檚 Development Economics Vice-Presidency (DEC),鈥 Review of International Political Economy 13 (2006).

Multimedia

SIS-OR The Water Defenders Book Event

Robin Broad, John Cavanagh : Busboys and Friends! Virtual Dinner with Andy Shallal Book Event

International Solidarity Campaign with the anti-mining struggle in El Salvador

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

See cv () for full list of External Awards and AU Awards.

Dr. Broad鈥檚 external awards include:

  • John Simon Guggenheim Fellow (2018)
  • North 艾可直播 Labor History Conference鈥檚 Bernath Award for the Support and Discussion of 艾可直播 History, Diplomacy, and Foreign Affairs (2016).听
  • International Studies Association鈥檚 J. Ann Tickner Award for 鈥渉igh-quality, pioneering scholarship that pushes the boundaries of the discipline with a deep commitment to service, especially teaching and mentoring鈥 (2016).
  • First runner-up for the $50,000 Canadian Lionel Gelber Prize for the 鈥渂est [English-language] book in the field of international relations鈥.
  • Finalist, World Hunger Year, for best book.
  • Council on Foreign Relations: Life Member.
  • Council on Foreign Relations, International Affairs Fellow.
  • Henry Luce Foundation, Fellow.

Grants and Sponsored Research

See cv () for a comprehensive list.

Dr. Broad鈥檚 grants include:

  • Fulbright Specialist Roster Candidate (2016-2023).
  • Ford Foundation, Consultant and Grantee.
  • John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Grant for Research and Writing in International Peace and Cooperation, two-time awardee.
  • Henry Luce Foundation-funded 鈥淕rant to Isolated Southeast Asian Scholars Program.鈥
  • National Science Foundation, Research Grant.

AU Experts

Area of Expertise

Globalization; development; environment; World Bank Group, IMF, WTO; corporate social responsibility; mining, trade and investment fair trade; international labor rights; grassroots social movements; El Salvador; Philippines; right to water

Additional Information

Prof. Robin Broad is an expert in the political economy of development. Her latest research and advocacy work focus on 鈥渞esponsible mining policy鈥 in El Salvador, the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica; on investor-state disputes at the World Bank Group鈥檚 arbitration venue; and on 鈥減ro-water鈥 social movements and government policies around the world. Prior to coming to AU, Prof. Broad served at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as the senior economist for then-Rep. Charles Schumer, at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and with civil-society organizations in the Philippines and El Salvador. After receiving the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, she co-authored The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed (Beacon Press, 2021). Prof. Broad is also the author, coauthor, and editor of books that include: Development Redefined: How the Market Met Its Match (Paradigm Publishers, 2009); Global Backlash: Citizen Initiatives for a Just World Economy (Rowman and Littlefield, 2002); Plundering Paradise: The Struggle for the Environment in the Philippines (University of California Press, 1993); and Unequal Alliance: The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Philippines (University of California Press, 1988). Prof. Broad is widely published in publications including The Journal of Peasant Studies, Third World Quarterly, Foreign Policy, World Development, World Policy Journal, The Nation, the New York Times, The Washington Post, Triple Crisis, and The Hill. She has been quoted in the New Yorker and the Financial Times, among others.

For the Media

To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

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