Jackson Purchase News

Political Science Professor Publishes The Roots of Engagement with Oxford University Press

Dr. Marc Polizzi, associate professor of Political Science at Murray State University, along with two co-authors, Dr. Moisés Arce, the Scott and Marjorie Cowen chair in Latin American Social Sciences and professor in the Department of Political Science at Tulane University, and Dr. Michael S. Hendricks, assistant professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, published The Roots of Engagement: Understanding Opposition and Support for Resource Extraction with Oxford University Press. 

The Roots of Engagement examines the conflicts that surround resource extraction in the region known as the Global South. In recent years, emerging economies in regions within Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania have increased the overall demand for raw materials and bolstered the price of oil, minerals and other commodities. As a result, resource-rich countries in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced an important economic bonanza and reduced levels of poverty and inequality. However, for communities living near the extractive frontier, mining has caused serious environmental degradation, and many in these communities have protested local extractive industries.

The Roots of Engagement examines the individual-level factors that shape a person's opinions over resource extraction. It looks at what makes some individuals accept extractive activities close to their homes, while other individuals strongly reject them. Moreover, it asks why some individuals focus on the potential benefits of employment and local development, while other individuals focus on the defense of livelihoods and the ecological risks associated with mining.

Polizzi says the methodology that he and his co-authors used for their research is one of the aspects of the book that he is most proud of.  

“We used mixed methods, which combined field work and interviews with surveys conducted in communities directly in the vicinity of proposed mining sites,” said Polizzi. “Given the strict word limits in academic journals, this approach was only possible as a book manuscript. We also have a significant diversity in our cases across multiple regions (i.e. Peru, Nicaragua, and South Africa).”

Work on the project began back in 2015, when all three of the authors were at the University of Missouri. Arce was Polizzi’s master’s thesis advisor and a member of his dissertation committee, and Hendricks was in the graduate cohort after Polizzi’s. 

“Moisés approached us (Michael Hendricks and I) about working on a book project together that would combine a few disparate projects,” said Polizzi. “I had previously worked with Moisés on creating a survey in Peru and later in South Africa. Mike’s dissertation work was on Nicaragua. We were able to use these surveys, which had similar questions, to draw larger conclusions related to the theory of the book.” 

As they continued to develop the project over the years, each author moved on to a different university for teaching positions, so their meetings moved to Zoom and phone calls. 

“During these meetings, we hashed out the theory and had a rough outline of how we wanted to structure the book,” said Polizzi. “Each of us focused on specific chapters, which we would then rotate and discuss together. It very much was a co-authored project. We all had a hand in the completion of every chapter.”

The project took a great deal of persistence to see through to publication, and the lengthy timeline surprised Polizzi.

“The publishing process for a book takes significantly more time than for an article,” said Polizzi. “I expected it to take longer, but not as long as it ended up being. The first surveys were conducted in 2015. We started writing the book in 2018, and it wasn’t finally published until this past year.”

The hard work of Polizzi and his co-authors has paid off with positive reviews of the book by fellow scholars. Dr. Carew Boulding, associate professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado-Boulder, writes that the authors “have crafted an important contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of extractive conflicts. They bring much-needed attention to the lives of ordinary people who live near mining areas, exploring how people are affected and how they make up their minds about a project. . . . I am delighted to see this kind of work joining the conversation on extractive conflicts and can't wait to assign it in my classes." 

The Roots of Engagement can be purchased on the Oxford University Press website at global.oup.co.

For more information about the book please contact Polizzi at mpolizzi@murraystate.edu. For information about the Department of Political Science and Sociology at Murray State visit murraystate.edu/politicalscience.

Original source can be found here.