I am a political ecologist working in forest conservation and politics of environment-development in Chinese investments in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan economic corridor.

Projects

The Politics of Corporate Resource Exploitation: Social Movement Influence on Paper- and Metal Industry Investments in Brazil and India

I am doing PhD research on corporate responsibility in African states with a case study focused on a large investment by multinational oil and gas companies in Tanzania. I am a political scientist (MSocSc World Politics, MSc African Politics) and now working within the field of management and politics. Previously, I have worked as an advisor within development cooperation, and have rich experience of development policy, especially in relation to global economics and finance.

Formerly a Postdoc Researcher at the University of Luxembourg and the University of Helsinki (UH) and University Lecturer at UH, Gutu Olana Wayessa is a researcher. His current research is also affiliated with UH. He received BSc from Haramaya University, Ethiopia; an MSc from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway; and a Ph.D. in Social Sciences, majoring in Development Studies, from UH, Finland. From 1 February to 31 July 2019, he held a Visiting Research Scholar at the American University, Washington DC, USA. His research interests include displacements and resettlements, climate change, large-scale investments, land governance, environmental and social justice, state-society relations, social movements, and rural livelihoods. His theoretical and methodological interests encompass political ecology, political economy, philosophy of science, and mixed-methods research.

Projects

Large-scale land deals and local livelihoods in Ethiopia: A political ecology of a contested scheme