Category: Masters Theses

Title: A resource failure: Health disparities among immigrant residents in Worcester, MA

Author: Canales, Charise

Date: May 2014

Description: Master’s paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This paper explores the disparities in health between immigrants and U.S.-born residents living in Worcester, Massachusetts. In the context of the recent health care reforms and with a focus on the link between environment and health, this research identities health disparities between these two groups throughout Worcester. To investigate this phenomenon the author uses a mixed method approach that includes health care canvassing, informal discussions with community health educators and workers, and secondary data. The study finds that the resources are available in Worcester but foreign born residents face more barriers due to a lack of understanding of how to navigate the complex health system and how to approach preventive care and healthy lifestyles in an environment lacking in their normal social supports. The paper concludes that cultural sensitivity initiatives and an emphasis on preventive care are two areas policymakers can address to reduce health disparities in Worcester.

Keywords: immigrant health, health disparities, healthcare reform, health indicators, cultural diversity, health policies

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Highly skilled refugees and professional integration in the US: A critique of the refugee resettlement program and exploration of immigrant aid organizations

 Author: Kat, Anneke

Date: May 2015

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

The current federal refugee resettlement system prevents highly skilled refugees from utilizing their professional expertise to secure meaningful employment in the United States, thereby trapping them in poverty and wasting valuable resources and talent. This paper reviews the federal refugee resettlement system and profiles organizations outside that formal system that provide employment services to skilled immigrants and refugees. The author used the case study method and conducted five in-depth interviews with organizations that provide employment assistance to develop a comprehensive picture of the types of programs available to skilled immigrants and refugees. One of the organizations is based in Malden, Massachusetts. The paper reveals obstacles faced by organizations that provide workforce development assistance to refugees in four key areas: programming, integration, certification and advocacy.

Keywords: skilled refugees, workforce development, resettlement system, resettlement organizations, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania; New York, employment assistance

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Funding frailties: The Vietnamese refugee experience with bureaucracies in Worcester

Author: Taylor, Octavia Victoria

Date: December 1993

Description: Master’s Thesis, Clark University, Department of International Development and Social Change

This study focuses on Vietnamese refugees who arrived in Worcester, MA between 1975 and 1992. The author explores state and federal funding policies, the response of local health and social service agencies in implementing these policies and the effect on the refugees’ adaptation to conditions in the United States. This thesis concludes with a consideration of the future prospects of Vietnamese Americans in Worcester.

Keywords: Vietnamese, refugees, resettlement programs, funding policies, adaptation

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Refugee resettlement: National structure and local inputs that influence Massachusetts’s refugee assistance programs

 Author: Maineri, Terese-Louise

Date: 2002

Description: Master’s thesis, Clark University, Department of International Development and Social Change

This paper examines the Massachusetts Refugee Resettlement Program by focusing on Lutheran Social Services Refugee and Immigrant Services of Worcester, a nonprofit social service agency which assists refugees with resettlement in Worcester, Massachusetts. The author considers Neo-liberalism, New Institutional Economics and participatory development as they relate to the Massachusetts Refugee Resettlement Program. The study indicates that the participation of refugees in decision-making improves the likelihood that they will achieve self-sufficiency rather than depend on federal aid.

Keywords: refugees, resettlement programs, participatory development, self-sufficiency, Neo-liberalism, New Institutional Economics, Massachusetts

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Bhutanese refugees in diaspora: A case study towards integration and economic stability

Author: Dhakal, Hari P.

Date: May 2012

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This paper examines the status and current issues of the Bhutanese refugees living in Worcester, MA. Data was gathered through a twenty question survey distributed to 100 Bhutanese refugees, two focus groups guided by discussion and personal experience. The paper examines the Bhutanese refugee issues in the context of the Bhutanese government policy that forced them to leave their native country, their life in the refugee camps before coming to the U.S., and the challenges faced after resettlement in Worcester. The author places emphasis on English language skills and employment as key factors in the successful resettlement of Bhutanese refugees and their quest for self-sufficiency in the U.S.

Keywords: refugees, Bhutan, ethnic cleansing, travel loan, economic self-sufficiency, resettlement, vocational training, ESL

Cataloged by: Amy Totten/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Linked by our past. Bound together by our future: An analysis of the social tensions between Africans and African-Americans in Worcester, Massachusetts

Author: Sankofa, Quinton Etheridge

Date: 2009

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development and Social Change

This paper explores the social relations between newly arrived Africans and African-Americans in the United States. African-Americans and their descendants who have been living in the United States since the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade have questioned their bonds and links with Africa. Recently the number of new African immigrants has increased in the United States which creates a new context for this debate. To enrich the understanding of a very important but neglected topic of community formation and social relations, this paper uses a case study method to examine the relationship between these two groups and uses the city of Worcester as a case study.  The findings indicate that there are complex social tensions between newly migrated Africans and African-Americans.

Keywords: Africans, African-Americans, community formation, social tension, Massachusetts

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Redefining “basic” needs: Resettlement challenges and health of refugee families

Author: Simon, Corrina D.

Date: May 2008

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This paper by way of interviews with eight African refugee families (24 individuals) in Worcester, MA, addresses three research questions. First, what challenges are refugee families still facing after one year in the U.S.? Second, how are these challenges related to health? Third, how can the Lutheran Refugee and Immigrant Services (LRIS) agency adjust their services to help refugees overcome these challenges? Of central concern to the refugees were health problems that resulted from trauma experienced in their countries of origin – Liberia, Cameroon and Somalia. The paper concludes that there is a need for resettlement agencies to incorporate culturally appropriate mental health services in order to meet their mission of providing for the basic needs and successful resettlement of refugees.

Keywords: refugees, community groups, immigration services, refugee services, refugee health, resettlement.

Cataloged by: Amy Totten/ B. J. Perkins