SNIS Research Grant Awarded to Yael Borofsky
Yael Borofsky has received a research grant from the Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) for her researchproject "When Do Technology Pilots Lead to Policy Changes" to improve infrastructure in poor urban neighborhoods around the globe.
Yael Borofsky, currently an Early-Career Fellow at the Collegium Helveticum and PhD graduate of the ETH Development Economics Group, has been awarded a Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) research grant.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals acknowledges the deprivation accompanying rapid urbanisation and calls on policymakers to act. These calls stand in contrast to some of the discourse on poor informal settlements, which assumes the state will either ignore the need to or be inept at providing infrastructure in these areas. On the other hand, various technological innovations have been tested around the world to improve access to infrastructure in poor urban settlements – but rarely have they been scaled.
In her research project, Yael aims to analyze the role policymakers can play in difusing successfully tested new infrastructure technologies. She will work as a PostDoc together with David Kaufmann, Assistant Professor of Urban Policy at ETH Zürich.
The SNIS supports pluri-disciplinary projects in international studies that are relevant to the global agenda and require international cooperation. Projects run for two years, with funding up to CHF 300,000.
Yael, a co-founder of the ETH Zurich Energy Blog and a founding member of the LightUp Collective, received her PhD in development economics from ETH Zurich in 2022 and holds dual master's degrees in City Planning and Technology and Policy from MIT.
For more information on the SNIS funding, visit the external pageSNIS funding page.