Home  About  In the News  Publications  Blog  Join  Donate  Policy conference at UW-Madison Announcements National Expo: July 11th Hyde Park Summit: August 14-17 Essay Winners Announced in The Nation On Campus Iowa Chapter Holds Forum Zach Hindin in the GW Hatchet Coverage of the Johns Hopkins Chapter Launch > More "The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward toward unity and widely shared prosperity - or it will move apart." — Franklin Roosevelt    Charles Palmares School: University of California, Davis Member of: California Legislative Staff University of California, Davis Center on Economic Policy Center on Peace and Security Studies Policy interests: Economic policy, International development, International security, Poverty and social justice, Rural areas and Agriculture, Social policy, Sustainability My name is Charles Palmares.  I am a Political Science major with minors in Asian American Studies and Music.  My main scholarly interest is in the comparative politics and economies of Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.   Specifically, I have a great interest in developing economies and their effect on human development within their respective countries.  I have a personal interest in development in the Philippines, and the bulk of my scholarly work thus far has been focused on the Philippines. I am currently working on a policy paper entitled “The Challenge of Integrating Energy Independence into Developing Countries."  The following is the abstract: "Addressing energy problems in developing countries requires more sophisticated solutions than those usually posited in application to energy problems in the United States.  For many developing countries, some alternative energy solutions are simply not feasible.  In some cases, this may be the result of limited natural resources; at the same time, nearly all solutions are hindered due to a lack of governmental funding or financial capital.  Meanwhile, the precarious nature of the urban and rural poor in developing countries also presents its own set of challenges.  Furthermore, and also being most critical to this scenario, the nature of international financial agreements is often predicated on rapid industrialization at the expense of environmental conservation.  With all things considered, the challenge of energy independence within developing countries thus requires a hardy and thorough analysis.  Possible and practical short-term and medium-term policy recommendations, depending on the capabilities of each country, may include the nationalization of natural resources, the re-negotiation of current international agreements, and even a strong consideration for the use of nuclear power."   The Roosevelt Institution is a nonpartisan, nonprofit national think tank devoted to bringing students' policy ideas to the policy process. The opinions expressed on this site are exclusively those of its members. DC Headquarters: Roosevelt Institution / 2100 M St NW Suite 610 / Washington, DC 20037 || (202) 833-1359