Author: Emma Reed

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Emma Reed, Stage 6 Criticism

The story map provides good detail about the different species discovered, their economic and scientific significance, and provides insight on the observations on climate and soil fertility. This, in addition to the use of quotes, enriches the readers understanding of the expedition’s impact. However, the story map feels repetitive at times and that can take away from the overall clarity of the map. Despite this, the organization is relatively clear and navigatable. I wish information about where the data came from was included, so feature work could include a data and methods section. This can also provide more credibility to the work. Finally, while I understand what the story map is saying about the different elements they encountered, I’m not sure exactly what it is trying to argue. It feels like more clarity on a thesis statement would be helpful.

The maps themselves were well done. I found it interesting to follow along on their path and the different elements they encountered. The color choices were well done, particularly the soil type and agriculture production. It would have been interesting to see a map that overlays different maps to see how these specific elements interact with eachother. For example, a sliding map between the soil types and the climate types might be interesting for someone, like me, who really knows nothing about geology.

This spot in the story map could have been a cool place for a sliding map in order to compare specific features to the soil types.

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Stage 4, Emma Reed

I just finished adding in all my data to QGIS so this weekend I will start working in ArcGIS and making my story map. I already have plenty of sources and previous knowledge on the topic so writing the paragraphs should be no problem.

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Stage 3, Emma Reed

Peters, Linda, et al. “Explaining Refugee Flows. Understanding the 2015 European Refugee Crisis through a Real Options Lens.” PloS One, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 20 Apr. 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10118136/. 

The authors focus on the case of Syrian refugees in order to show the complexities involved in the route selection and the factors involved in this decision. This study provides a comprehensive examination of the topic and suggests different implications for policy makers in managing refugee flow. However, it also showcases limitations such as holes in data availability and the applicability of the data and methods to specific refugee populations, providing steps for further research. 

The European Refugee Crisis and Public Support for The …, ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6765.12565. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

The authors focus on the EU-Turkey migration deal and provides valuable insight into the public attitudes towards multi-country cooperation on refugee protection and migration patterns. The study provides an understanding of the publics preferences and the factors that shape them by looking at Germany, Greece, and Turkey. This study enriches public opinion data and finds that the publics opinion is multifaceted and must include moral, reciprocity, and instrumental considerations. 

“Understanding Germany’s Response to the 2015 Refugee Crisis.” Review of Economics and Political Science, www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/REPS-03-2019-0024/full/html. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

The study explores the discrepancies between the initial response of Germany to the 2015 migration crisis and the following adoption of asylum policy. The authors look at different external obligations and corresponding internal influences, primarily the role of the media. This study contributes to existing literature by examining the discourse surrounding media and asylum legislation and offers insight into the policy-making processes in response to the refugee crises.

Did Merkel’s 2015 Decision Attract More Migration to Germany?, ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6765.12669?af=R. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

This study examines the long-term impact of Merkel’s asylum seeker policy in 2015. By using a cross-validation strategy across numerous data sources, the authors provides robust evidence that challenges the previous “pull effect” hypothesis. They highlight the significance of factors such as conflict, economic conditions, and labor and how they drive migration patterns, and, how this shows the limitations in the “pull effect” hypothesis. Overall, this research contributes to the debate surrounding migration policies and their implications.

Futák-Campbell, Beatrix, and Mira Pütz. 2022. “From the ‘Open Door’ Policy to the EU-Turkey Deal: Media Framings of German Policy Changes during the EU Refugee ‘Crisis.’” International relations 36(1). 61–82.

This article looks at how the European media influences the public perception of immigration.

While the primary focus is on media influence on public opinion rather than policy decisions, the resulting insights can help shape policies in the framework of public opinion. The article provides empirical evidence and theoretical insights that contribute to the understanding of media’s influence on public opinion, which is crucial for comprehending the dynamics of policy making in the context of Merkel’s refugee policy.

Zaun, Natascha, and Ariadna Ripoll Servent. 2021. “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Ambiguous Role of Germany in EU Asylum Policies.” Journal of European integration 43(2). 157–74.

Zaun and Servent look into the German role in shaping EU asylum policies. The authors argue that Germany’s involvement can be characterized by ambiguity rather than clear leadership, as Germany’s actions have been inconsistent. By using the Core State Power framework, they analyze the motivations behind Germany’s stance on specific policies and the interplay between elites, mass public opinion, and political parties. This article contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics in EU asylum policies and the challenge of collective decision-making.

Kinkartz, Sabine. 2022. “Germany: What Poverty Looks like in a Rich Country.” Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/germany-what-poverty-looks-like-in-a-rich-country/a-63393501 (February 13, 2023).

Kinkartz looks at the realities of poverty in a wealthy nation and emphasizes the increased visibility of poverty in Germany. He discusses the concept of relative poverty, in contrast with absolute poverty. The article looks at the limitations of Germany’s social safety net, including criticisms of welfare programs such as Hartz IV. It also looks at the impact of inflation and rising living costs across Germany. 

Carter, Abi. 2022. “Poverty Rate in Germany Reaches New Heights.” IamExpat. https://www.iamexpat.de/expat-info/german-expat-news/poverty-rate-germany-reaches-new-heights (February 13, 2023).

The study highlights the escalating poverty levels in Germany, having a record high poverty rate of 16.6% in 2021. Poverty has worsened over the past years because of the economic impacts of Covid-19 and the increasing inflation rates. The author shows the disproportionate impact on specific demographics such as workers, pensioners, and children, underscoring regional disparities across federal states. They urge government action to raise basic subsistence rates, housing benefits, and improving student loans.

Anderson, L.R., et al. “Poverty Dynamics in Germany: Evidence on the Relationship between Persistent Poverty and Health Behavior.” Social Science & Medicine, Pergamon, 29 Jan. 2016, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953616300417. 

The study examines the relationship between income poverty and healthcare, using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel from 2000-2010. It looks at the impact of poverty of diet, tobacco consumption, and physical activity and emphasizes the multifaceted nature of poverty as a multidimensional concept. The study employs cross-sectional logistic regression models and fixed-effects models to investigate these relations, aiming to provide insights into how prolonged economic deprivation influences lifestyle choices and health behaviors.

Gereke, Johanna, et al. “Ethnic Diversity, Poverty and Social Trust in Germany: Evidence from a Behavioral Measure of Trust.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0199834. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

The study contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationship between ethnic diversity and social trust. It investigates the link between ethnic diversity, particularly immigrants in neighborhoods, and social trust while considering the impact of poverty. Secondly, the study employs a behavioral measure of trust, distinct from the attitudinal measure and incorporates contextual measures of ethnic composition and poverty at the zip code level. Findings indicate that household poverty partially explains lower levels of trust. The study also reveals that after controlling for income, both German and non-German respondents show similar level of trust. However, neighborhoods with large immigrant populations show decreased levels of social trust. 

datasets:

“Germany .” World Bank Open Data, data.worldbank.org/country/germany. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

This source provides a statistical overview on various indicators across themes such as social, economic, institutional and environmental aspects of Germany. It includes data on poverty headcount ratio, life expectancy, GDP, unemployment, CO2 emissions, and more.

“Federal Statistical Office Germany – Genesis-Online.” GENESIS, 3 Apr. 2024, www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis/online?sequenz=statistikTabellen&selectionname=12521&language=en#abreadcrumb. 

This source provides data on the amount of foreigners in each administrative district across years.

“Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland – Genesis-Online.” GENESIS, 3 Apr. 2024, www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis//online?operation=table&code=31231-0023&bypass=true&levelindex=0&levelid=1712178089712#abreadcrumb. 

This source provides data on the amount of individuals facing homelessness in each administrative district.

“Home.” Humanitarian Data Exchange, data.humdata.org/dataset/world-bank-poverty-indicators-for-germany. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

This source provides data on the poverty indicators of Germany

“Poverty Gap at $2.15 a Day (2017 PPP) (%) – Germany.” World Bank Open Data, data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GAPS?locations=DE. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

This source provides data on the poverty gap at $2.15 a day (2017 PPP) (%) in Germany.

Homelessness in Germany, www.feantsa.org/download/germany-20174561023180755814062.pdf. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

This source provides data on the level of homelessness in Germany and the national strategies.

Alemdar, Melis. “263,000 People Homeless in Germany – Govt Report.” TRT World – Breaking News, Live Coverage, Opinions and Videos, TRT WORLD, 10 Dec. 2022, www.trtworld.com/europe/263-000-people-homeless-in-germany-govt-report-63397. 

This government report provides data on the homeless population of Germany.

“Net Migration – Germany.” World Bank Open Data, data.worldbank.org/indicator/SM.POP.NETM?locations=DE. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

This source provides data on the net migration levels of Germany.

“Global Migration Data Portal Launched in German.” Global Migration Data Analysis Centre, gmdac.iom.int/news/global-migration-data-portal-launched-german. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

This source provides a global migration data portal.

“The Migration Reports.” BAMF, 29 June 2023, www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/Forschung/Veroeffentlichungen/Migrationsberichte/migrationsberichte-node.html. 

This source provides migration reports for Germany.

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Emma Reed, Blog Post Week 11

Mapping the history of sensitive topics such as racial violence and white supremacy comes with large ethical implications that must be considered when understanding and interpreting maps. The “Racial Terror Lynchings Map” which was created by the Equal Justice Initiative looks to document the lynchings of African Americans primarily in the United States South. While this map can be used as an advocacy tool as it highlights the historical targeted injustices and their current day implications such as mass incarceration, they map reviews many critiques. Firstly, it has a narrow focus and overlooks other marginalized groups experiencing similar targeted violence during its time period such as Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Mexicans. It also has an emphasis on the Southern regions of the United States, but these other marginalized groups often experience injustices outside of the South. The map immediately centers itself on the United States South, even when there are counties outside the region that are marked as lynchings occurring. When comparing this map to the “Map of White Supremacy Mob Violence”, the latter takes a more inclusive route as it acknowledges the violence inflicted in different geographical regions and to other minority populations.

Secondly, the differences between these two maps are even more polarized when comparing the state of California. The “Racial Terror Lynching Map” shows just two occurrences of lynching in California and does not provide any further information. We know that the map is looking at 1877 to 1950, however it does not provide the date for these lynchings, nor does it show them over time. However, by looking at the “Map of White Supremacy Mob Violence” it shows lynchings of Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Native American, and Black populations, provides dates for each, and the story behind each case given the information available. Also interesting to note is by zooming in on California, it is seen that there are 7 cases of Black lynchings when the “Racial Terror Lynching Map” only displayed 2, effectively disregarding 5 lives while also providing little to no information in general. When looking at sensitive topics such as this, authors must acknowledge any biases in their research or presentation of the material, including violent actions taking against other groups that you might not be depicting in your map.

The author, Hepworth, proposes an ethical visualization workflow that can provide a framework for ethical considerations in the mapping of historical data. It places an emphasis on the importance of clearly defining your subject, thoroughly reviewing previous literature, a wholistic collection of data, and publishing your findings with the underlying datasets. By reviewing existing literature of not just one, but all affected groups, scholars can gain a deeper understanding of the historical context and identify potential biases in the data and how that might affect their presentation of it. This can also prevent inaccurately classifying groups based on stereotypes or marginalizing different groups. In addition, scholars can chose to represent each victim instead of using aggregate data which leads to the map appearing less personal and human. Finally, when it comes to publishing, authors must be transparent about their sources for both their methodology and data. By clearly outlining where the data came from, how it was collected, and how it is visualized, allows the viewers to have a clear and reliable understanding of the map. This can provide a helpful understanding of tactics to use in order to minimalize the harm to both the audience and the subjects of maps while still remaining effective in your presentation. 

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Stage 2, Emma Reed

What are the spatial patterns of immigration influx into Berlin, Germany from 2010-2022, and how do these patterns correlate with factors such as economic opportunities, housing affordability, and transportation infrastructure (I’m still debating which of these I want to look at)? This timeline provides a comprehensive view of immigration trends over the past decade as it encompasses both the European Migration Crisis of 2015 and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. It begins in 2010 to allow for a baseline analysis of Germany’s immigration politics before the Migration Crisis. The study will focus on the capital city of Berlin as Germany is a global leader in progressive immigration and refugee policy. By exploring Berlin, one can apply these findings to other cities or nations looking to increase their own immigration policies.

            Some potential sources include previously used/created datasets on ArcGIS. I could also use publicly available data from sources such as the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, UNHCR, or the World Bank’s Development Indicators dataset. Census data from Germany will also prove useful.

            For the presentation of the final project, I will create an interactive web map which will allow for the exploration of the spatial patterns of immigration influx into Berlin from 2010 to 2022. 

            This project contributes to scholarship by documenting immigration tends. It contributes to the understanding of urban demographic changes and social integration processes. It also highlights spatial disparities in immigration settlement and allows for a comparative analysis of different geographic areas within Berlin.

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Week 9 Practicum, Emma Reed

The first major change I notice across these maps is the begining of data collection in Oklahoma. It seems as though data collection began to increase in legitimacy around the period that Oklahoma became a state. Also, across the maps you can slowly see the spread of cultivation from east to west. Cultivation remains fairly steady in Kansas across this period, increases in Colorado, Texas, and Oklahoma, and slowly increases in New Mexico.

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Blog Post Week 9, Emma Reed

Geoff Cunfer in “Paster and Plows” provides context to the ecological history of North Dakota and compares it to the agricultural transformation that occurred in Kansas, highlighting how they are both similar and different through their timing because of unique. environmental factors. In both states, this transformation occurred at a fast pace, however in North Dakota it occurred later and more rapidly than in Kansas. The shift from cropland to pasteurized land in North Dakota can be explained through constraints from temperature, rainfall, and the quality of the soil. Even with federal incentives and high crop prices, the small surges in cropland expansion were not sustainable due to these outlined environmental limitations. Below is a map by Henry Gannett from 1903 which depicts the wheat per square mile across much of the midland plains region of the United States.

Table 2.3 shows the Great Plains land area in crops and grassland and by examining it we can begin to see some of the patterns Cunfer describes. In 1935 we see the peak of Cropland and the lowest level of Grassland. This can be explained through the stability of land use patterns in the Great Plains as the amount of rainfall, temperature, soil quality, and level of crop rotation and overplanting greatly impact the amount of land usable for crops. In the case of 1935, it seems as though the natural conditions were stable for crop use however by 1940, a drought occurred, causing the use of Grassland to increase.

Finally, the above image shows the percentage of total county area not plowed from 1880 to 1920. This provides a visualization of the idea of stability of land use as one can see the changes over time in the amount of Grassland in the Great Plains. Cunfer highlights the importance of understanding the agricultural and natural history of a place in order to show how the varying environmental factors shape the land-use patterns, such as he did in the case of North Dakota.

Works Cited:

“156. Wheat/Sq. Mile.” 156. Wheat/Sq. Mile. – David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~32209~1151551:156–Wheat-sq–mile-?sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort&qvq=w4s%3A%2Fwhat%2FAtlas%2BMap%2FStatistical%2BAtlas%2FAgriculture%2Fwhere%2FUnited%2BStates%3Bsort%3Apub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%3Blc%3ARUMSEY~8~1&mi=28&trs=71. Accessed 10 Mar. 2024. 

Cunfer. Steppingintothemap, steppingintothemap.com/mappinghistory/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/S-Simon-Winchester-The-Map-that-Changed-the-World-11-26-121-162.-1.pdf. Accessed 10 Mar. 2024. 

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Emma Reed, Stage 1

What are the spatial patterns of immigration influx into major cities over the past decade, and how do these patterns correlate with factors such as economic opportunities, cultural diversity, and policy frameworks?

Over the last few decades, we have witnessed increased global migration patterns, with major cities emerging as a primary destination for immigrants seeking economic, educational, or social opportunities. This has reshaped the demographic composition of urban areas. Understanding the spatial dynamics of immigration has become an important area of study. By examining the distribution of immigrant populations across major cities and their surrounding regions, we can dive into these patterns, such as economic opportunity, cultural diversity, and governmental policies. This is an attempt to not only map the spatial dimensions of immigration but also look at the multifaceted interactions between migrants and their new environments.

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