The Political Economy of Global Clothing Production and (Re)Use
Jennifer Bussell, Professor
Political Science, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2025.
This project examines the character of global clothing production and (re)use. At this stage of the project we will be collecting descriptive qualitative and quantitative data on (1) the political economy of clothing production and distribution, with an emphasis on fast fashion; (2) patterns of secondhand clothing trade, (3) the dynamics of clothing waste, and (4) the history of these topics over the past ~150 years.
Role: Specific tasks:
- Research sources for statistical data on clothing production and distribution, patterns of secondhand clothing circulation, and textile waste
- Collect data on project topics to develop a global profile of clothing production, reuse, and waste
- Research sources for historical qualitative and quantitative analysis of factors associated with changes in the fashion industry
Qualifications: NOTE: multiple students will be selected for a team, so it is not necessary for one individual to possess all of the listed skills
- Interest in political economy, particularly with regard to international markets, historical change
- Strong organizational skills
- Ability to provide written summaries of large amounts of material
- Experience with Excel and/or R for database creation and descriptive statistics
- Experience with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and GIS mapping in R
- Past course/URAP experience with Professor Bussell is a plus
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Off-Campus Research Site: Note: Professor Bussell is on sabbatical and will be managing the project remotely for the 2023-24 academic year.
Engineering, Design & Technologies Social Sciences