Program Description

The objective of the American Friends of WOTR (AFOW) INDIA program is to provide educational and research opportunities for graduate students in NASPAA member institutions to learn about policy responses to the degradation of environmental resources, such as watersheds, confronting the world. To offer this program we partner with the Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR), one of the largest nongovernmental organization in India working on watershed conservation and regeneration as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation. WOTR won the Kyoto World Water Grand prize 2009 at the Fifth World Water Forum. WOTR has been very effective in influencing watershed and climate change policies in India at the local, state, and central (federal) level as well as internationally. Their innovative application of the principle of “authority with responsibility” realized through giving substantial financial resources to be directly managed by the villagers has now been included in all major Indian government programs of this nature. They have directly developed the regeneration of 600,000 hectares of degraded watersheds so far and are on target to regenerate 1 million hectares by 2015.

The founders of AFOW are faculty at the School of Public Service, DePaul University and organize short-term educational programs in India for graduate students in SPS each year. They are passionate about exposing students to programs that regenerate natural resources and create a stable equilibrium in the eco-space between natural resources, humans and animals in drought-prone and poverty-stricken parts of the world. They would like to offer this opportunity to graduate students in NASPAA member institutions through AFOW, a charitable organization created for this purpose.

Course Description

This special intensive international immersion and action research course focuses on policy design and analysis in a cross-cultural context, including contrasting national, state, and local policy design and analysis in the U.S. and in India. After the successful completion of eight weekly modules provided online, the class will participate in an Exposure and Dialogue program in India with WOTR. This program will include a visit to WOTR’s training center in Darewadi, Maharashtra and a five-day stay in groups of 4-5 students in small Indian villages in the west Maharashtra to witness local policy design and participate in action research projects.

By the end of the course you’ll understand how policy issues are discussed and analyzed, how issues reach agendas, and how problems and opportunities are defined, how goals are set, how alternatives are examined, and how policies are realized and implemented. We’ll explore the theoretical rationales for direct and indirect government intervention and discuss when and what types of regulation are desirable and most effective. We’ll discuss alternative analytical frameworks and methods and compare many types of government intervention ranging from mandates to incentives. The course will introduce many of the qualitative and quantitative methods available to help design policies so that you can find out more about a tool the next time you want to propose, design, fix, or oppose a policy. The course should also help you to increase the prospects for successful implementation — the most difficult aspect of policy design, using relevant knowledge from microeconomics, public finance, statistics, organizational behavior, politics, and ethics. You’ll also be better able with communicate to others about policies inside and outside your organization at each stage of the policy process.

The students will come to WOTR’s training center located in Darewadi, around 100 miles from the city of Pune (200 miles from Mumbai) in the state of Maharashtra in central India.

The defining attribute of this training center is that it is located on a functioning watershed thus providing an opportunity for students to observe demonstrations of technology and methods of soil and water conservation. Finally the students will be sent in groups to stay in villages to interact with the villagers and learn about the policy design and implementation and administrative processes through an Exposure and Dialogue program (EDP). During the EDP, WOTR representatives will accompany the group for translation and other assistance as needed. In the village there will be interactions with the Village Development Committee, the Women’s Apex body (self-help groups or SHGs) and the Gram or Village Council (Panchayat). Students will carry out action research projects to develop insights into challenges of policy design implementation, the management of large development projects and bringing about social change.

Learning outcomes:

1. Understand policy design and analysis in a cross-cultural context, including contrasting national, state, and local policy design and analysis in the U.S. and in India.
2. Understand and apply the key components of policy design and implementation by applying them in a cross-cultural action research context.

Academic Credit

Graduate academic credit is available for the students who successfully complete both the online and EDP components. An official transcript from an accredited U.S. university will be issued to the student’s home institution upon successful completion of the program.

Traveling and Living in India/Health and Safety

What students should expect when traveling to India and living in rural villages there.

The American Embassy’s website has a lot of important information about health and safety issues in India.

Precautions we take for student health and safety:

Food: We ensure that the food you eat during the program is prepared to meet western tastes. For rural areas in Maharashtra this means that the food will be considerably less spicy than the villagers are used to eating. In each village, the group of students and staff will be supported by a Host Family which has been provided training by WOTR on food preparation. We advise students to be careful about the food they eat outside the program. To avoid uncooked or cold food (yogurt, ice cream) as well as uncooked vegetables and greens (lettuce).

Health: Every participant in the program will be covered by medical insurance coverage as a part of the program fee. This insurance covers an medical emergencies during the India program duration including hospital treatment and medical evacuation (if necessary) during the program

Any questions??? Send us an e-mail: contact@friendsofwotr.org