As evidenced by the diversity of topics addressed in issue 4.2 of Public Knowledge Journal, the phenomenon of intervention is inherently interdisciplinary. With a broad scope, but unified thematic focus, the authors featured in this issue examine both intended and unintended consequences of economic, political, social, and other forms of intervention.
Stefanie F. Georgakis, a Ph.D. candidate in the Planning Governance, and Globalization at Virginia Tech, demonstrates that intervention does not have to be an exceptional act. Rather, as she demonstrates in “Enclosing Insecurity: Migration in the Mediterranean as the State of Exception,” intervention can be very normative. In her article, Georgakis offers an intellectual analysis of the concept of intervention using the themes of migration and borders.
Quentin Stoeffler, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, considers how an increasingly popular type of development interventions — cash transfers — effect agricultural production. Stoeffler examines the policy implications of potential of cash transfers interventions for stimulating local production and the need to take into account market conditions when implementing such programs in his article “The Impact of Unconditional Cash Transfers Programs on Farmers: Evidences from Ex-ante Simulations.”
Brendan Halloran sheds light on the challenges faced by international organizations working to strengthen democratic governance and citizen participation at the local level in his article, “AIDing Democratic Governance? Examining USAID Efforts to Strengthen Participatory Governance in Guatemala and Bolivia.” Halloran, a Ph.D. candidate in the Planning, Governance and Globalization program at Virginia Tech, analyzes the impact of interventions by international aid organizations at the national, state, and social levels.
Sabrina Provencher, a PhD student in the Curriculum and Instruction program at Virginia Tech, offers a unique look at the notion of intervention in her non-peer reviewed essay “An Integrative Approach to STEM Learning: Education as Intervention.” Provencher describes the modern movement to enhance STEM education in the K-12 arena and ultimately hypothesizes possible implications of this educational intervention.
Dr. Max Stephenson, Director of the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech, provides an insightful and thought-provoking response to the articles included in this issue. His essay “The Unavoidable Paradox of Intervention: Intentional Claims, Unpredictable Reactions and the Need for Social Learning” demonstrates that intervention should be approached with caution for its consequences are unknown.
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Katie Read
Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Lawrence
Journal Manager