Katarzyna Baran

PhD Candidate

I am interested in International Development Cooperation, especially in South-South Cooperation and recipients’ perceptions.

Biography

I graduated from Warsaw University (International Relations and Psychology). During my master’s programme at Rio de Janeiro State University I conducted a field research in Haiti on Brazilian development cooperation. Afterwards, I worked for a Brazilian NGO Viva Rio in Haiti which was an opportunity to observe South-South Cooperation from the ground. In 2015, I joined a research project in Haiti coordinated by the Mora Institute. Together with a group of Latin-American researchers we analyzed development cooperation of Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela and Dominican Republic. Currently, I am working on the Haitian perceptions of a broader spectrum of donors/cooperation partners. I speak Polish, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Haitian creole.

Career

• 2015-2016 research assistant at the Mora Institute (Mexico) in partnership with ECLAC
• Field researcher in the project “Five years after the earthquake in Haiti: lessons learned from the South-South Cooperation. The cases of Brazil, Chile and Mexico”; research conducted in Haiti.
• 2014 – 2015: pedagogical coordinator at Viva Rio (Haiti)

Qualifications

• PhD candidate in Geography, University of Cambridge (since 2016)
• Master of Arts (mestre) in International Relations, Rio de Janeiro State University (2012-2014)
• Master of Arts (magister) in Psychology, Warsaw University (2004-2010)
• Master of Arts (magister) in International Relations, Warsaw University (2003-2008)
• Specialization in Latin American Studies, Complutense University of Madrid (2006-2007)

Awards

• 2019 Funds for Women Graduates Grant
• 2019 Gilchrist Educational Trust Grant
• 2019 Sidney Perry Foundation Grant
• 2017 Royal Geographical Society IBG Postgraduate Research Award
• 2016 Transferable Skills Grant, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge
• 2013 – 2014 Scholarship of the Brazilian Ministry of Education – Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel
• 2006 – 2007 Scholarship for Academic Achievements, Polish Ministry of Education.
• 2005 -2006 Scholarship for Academic Achievements, Polish Ministry of Education

Research

My current research project “International Development Cooperation from below: recipients’ agency in development cooperation in Haiti” focuses on examining whether and how Haitian state and non-state intermediaries perceive and experience their agency in relation to different of donors and development partners (mainly United States, France, Cuba and Brazil). As the majority of studies are focused on the donors’ point of view, particularly in relation to South-South partnerships, reversing this trend will offer new insights for research and practice. I focus on the sector of agriculture.

In its theoretical framework, the topic is analysed through constructivist and post-colonial approaches, examining the framing, agency and resistance of receivers in the narrative of foreign aid/development cooperation, with influence of critical development theories when it comes to the actual development practices on the ground.

Publications

• Baran, K. Rethinking recipient agency: what can we learn from Haitian accounts? Third World Quarterly 2021DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2021.2017276
• Baran, K. Vignette: “I’m talking to you because you are Polish”: Reflections on identities and historical memories in researching North-South relations. In: Researching South-South Development Cooperation. The Politics of Knowledge Production. Ed: Mawdsley E., Fourie, E., Nauta, W. Oxon/New York: Routledge, 2019.
• Milani, C., Baran, K., Bras, H. La cooperación brasileña para el desarrollo en Haití desde 2010: actores, intereses y resultados. In: Cooperación internacional en Haití: tensiones y lecciones. Los casos de Brasil, Chile y México. Ed: Sánchez Gutierrez G. y Gilbert R., Ciudad de México: Instituto de Investigaciones Dr. José María Luis Mora, 2017.
• Baran, K. PRI – Meksykański fenomen. Ameryka Łacińska, v. 1, p. 63-69, 2009. 2.
• Baran, K. Polnocnoamerykańskie Porozumienie o Wolnym Handlu i jego skutki dla Meksyku. Ameryka Łacińska, v. 3-4, p. 51-60, 2007.
• Baran, K. Brudna wojna w Argentynie i jej ofiary. Ameryka Łacińska, v. 2, p. 89-97, 2006.

Conferences

• March 2019 – International Studies Association – Toronto/Canada:
  • ‘Recipient’ Agency in South-South Cooperation: An Interdisciplinary Debate
  • International Development Cooperation from Below: Recipients’ Perspectives of Agricultural Development Cooperation in Haiti
• July 2019 – International Studies Association – Accra/Ghana:
  • Recipient agency in International Development Cooperation: Haitian reflections on agency in relation to aid donors and cooperation partners.