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AK COVID-Development Studies Intersections

Aalok Khandekar
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I am currently in the process of transitioning my M.A. level course on Science, Technology, and Development with 11 students to virtual instruction. One of my interests in engaging with COVID-19 is to examine how it (should) informs development ideologies and practices. How should students of development studies retool -- conceptually, methodologically, practically -- in wake of the pandemic?

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erin_tuttle
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  • “Sometimes the foreigner, too, is no more than his body, but this body is no longer the same: useless to the political economy, it now finds its place in a new moral economy that values suffering over labor and compassion more than rights.”
  • “The compassion protocol is thus a procedure of the last resort that derives from a form of sympathy evoked in the face of suffering. It demands the right to keep alive individuals who have nothing except their mere existence.”
  • “the medical officers were caught between the duties mandated to them by the public institution that employed them and those their profession required them to respect”

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erin_tuttle
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The app allows users to download compatible software which streamlines the data compilation process. While raw data is accessibly, the app’s stated goal is to streamline the data into comprehensible statistics and results that can be used for informed decision-making, to this end the data is presented to the user with initial mathematical analysis already completed by the system.

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erin_tuttle
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The policy effects vulnerable populations as it deals with those injured, displaced, or otherwise effected by a disaster. While the act doesn’t specifically effect a population that is currently vulnerable, individuals displaced by a disaster are dependent on the help of relief organizations and their community. This leaves them incredibly vulnerable and in need of the support systems detailed in this policy.

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erin_tuttle
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The US Department of Veteran Affairs is constantly adjusting to new medical research to provide the most effective care possible. This shows a differing approach to emergency response which is only possible due to the long term nature of this organization, most emergency response groups focus on quick response to disasters which does not allow for the same amount of research and adaptation as the Department of Veteran Affairs.

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erin_tuttle
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  • Chernobyl was an unexpected disaster, however several more nuclear disasters have occurred since then. I looked into the safeguards that were changed after Chernobyl and if those had any part in mitigating other nuclear meltdowns. After the explosions several countries and international groups developed nuclear policies that attempted to prevent critical system failures as occurred during the test that caused the reactor to overheat, but many countries refused to adopt additional safeguards that may prevent future disasters.
  • The article described the various zones put into place to keep people away from the most radioactive areas around Chernobyl, I looked into the zones used and the determining factors in determining the sizes of each zone. The initial response determined a zone of 30km around the site, however as scientific understanding of radiation improved the zone was extended to 2600km. This shows the importance of an informed response to prevent further damage after a disaster.

Finally, I researched the effects of low dose radiation poisoning to better understand the medical care needed by those affected. Even low exposure doses can cause lasting damage to organs, or cause cancer and blood related illnesses through the effect of radiation on bone marrow. Those exposed would need frequent medical exams and treatment for the entirety of their lives.