Public Policy PhD Student Marcia Mundt recently was awarded the 2018 UMass Boston Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant. Her grant will support her dissertation, which is entitled: “Participate for Peace: The Impacts of Participatory Deliberative Democracy on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding in Central America.”

Throughout this academic year, Mundt is interviewing municipal officials and participants about their experience with open town hall meetings, community associations, participatory budgeting, and participatory planning processes in Central America. In partnership with the Universidad de El Salvador, the University de San Carlos de Guatemala, the Universidad Politecnica de Nicaragua, and the Latin American Public Opinion Project at Vanderbilt University, she aims to determine if and how local level public participation in policy decision-making can influence peace processes following civil war.

Applications for the award are reviewed twice each year by a committee of university faculty from various disciplines and program areas across campus, who then make recommendations to the Vice Provost for Research and Strategic Interests & Dean of Graduate Studies. Allocations are determined based upon the significance of the research, the merits of the research design, and the reasonableness of the budget request.