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This website features work from the completion of Phase 1 of the SCALES Project.

We are currently seeking partnerships for Phase 2.

Social Context

  • Current Events

    Review both the national and international media to find a story that affects your D-Lab project country. Some sectors that might be of interest include: the environment, health and sanitation, agriculture, energy, education, humanitarian disaster, politics, economics and information technology. Each person on your D-Lab country team should select a different topic. Write a 2-page summary of the story making sure to comment on its implications for the nation, your D-Lab trip or another affected group. Make sure to properly cite all your sources.

    Read more: Current Events

  • Discussion Questions: Mastering the Machine 2

    Please answer the following questions (maximum 2 single-spaced pages), using examples from the book where applicable.

    1. Do small farms have a place in the future of agriculture? The world economy? Food security? If so, how?
    2. How do the lessons learned from the Turkana rainwater harvesting project contrast with the actions taken during the green revolution?
    3. Why is there so much focus on post-harvest technology, and value-added production?
    Read more: Discussion Questions: Mastering the Machine 2

  • Small is Beautiful Reaction Piece

    Write a one-page reaction piece to the following reading. What did you find interesting? What insights did you gain? Do you agree or disagree with the author? Did you gain any new perspectives? 

    Read more: Small is Beautiful Reaction Piece

  • Stakeholder Analysis Writeup

    Smith, Amy, and Shawn Frayne. "Fuel from the Fields: A Case Study of Sugarcane Charcoal Technology in Petite Anse, Haiti." D-Lab Case Study. (PDF – 1.4MB)

    Blank stakeholder analysis form (PDF)

    Read more: Stakeholder Analysis Writeup

  • Discussion Questions

    Please answer the following questions (maximum 2 single-spaced pages). Make sure to use examples from the reading where applicable.

    1. What 2 major crises did the Brandt Report predict? How accurate were these predictions?
    2. What is the effect of tariffs on raw vs. processed vs. manufactured goods?
    3. On p. 4 the author states: "Never before in history have so many non-technical people exerted so much influence on the advancement, retardation, and movement of technology." Comment on this trend and give an example that illustrates it.
    Read more: Discussion Questions

  • Reaction Papers

    Students are responsible for writing a 1–2 page reaction paper based on the readings (or another assigned topic) for each week's class for a total of eight reaction papers. Papers are due in the class for which the reading is assigned. Reaction papers are your personal response to the week's readings. These papers should offer an overview of the main points of the book or articles under consideration. It should also include your own assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of these readings and, if possible, should link the reading at hand to other readings from the course or topics discussed in class.

    Read more: Reaction Papers

  • Final Project: Essay & Digital Communications Project

    • Choose a problem that is useful to show what you have learned in this class. Nexus approach? Social or political dimensions of technology? Social histories of institutions, policy entrepreneurs, or bilateral activists? socioecological impacts of production/consumption systems?
    • Pay attention to what problem/theme/topic might be professionally useful for you in the future. Something that you can show you have researched in the past? Something that could serve as the first exploration for a future research or project?
    Read more: Final Project: Essay & Digital Communications Project

  • Paper 2: Providing Expert Advice

    Wakanda's president recently created an interagency commission to address the challenges and opportunities in developing a policy framework of this nature. The interagency commission has called for a group of experts including: industrial leaders, worker's unions, local communities, scientists, social scientists, policy scholars, and foreign experts on comparative environmental governance.

    You are one of the members of this last group. Your job is to advise how to better discuss, design, and implement a policy framework considering ecological, social, economic, and political aspects.

    Read more: Paper 2: Providing Expert Advice

  • Case Question 6

    Case Write-up Questions
    The following selected case has questions to be addressed and written up. Students should work in teams of three to four. The questions address aspects of the case that need further analysis.

    In one page! What is the solution to the problem of income inequality in a developed nation?

    Read more: Case Question 6

  • Case Question 5

    Case Write-up Questions
    The following selected case has questions to be addressed and written up. Students should work in teams of three to four. The questions address aspects of the case that need further analysis.

    Case: "A Framework to Think About Pollution," Darden UV5687.

    Comment the following Statement: Carbon Tax Markets have the chance to solve the property rights problem that exists in CO2 emissions.

    Read more: Case Question 5

Notice something that doesn’t seem right? Want to make a suggestion or provide feedback about how something is classified? 
Please reach out to esi [at] mit.edu and include SCALES Website in the subject of your email.
Feedback and any actions taken with regards to the feedback, will be shared as they are addressed.