Ford School students travel to Cape Verde for 2013 IEDP

In March, graduate students from the Ford School and other programs at the University of Michigan spent ten days exploring development issues in Cape Verde as part of the Ford School's 2013 International Development Program (IEDP). The research trip included meetings with government ministries, including the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Tourism; aid institutions like the Millennium Challenge Corporation; and the U.S. Ambassador to Cape Verde, Adrienne O'Neal, a former Ford School Diplomat in Residence.

The research visit was the culmination of a seven-week course that focused on economic and social issues in Cape Verde, an island nation lying off the coast of West Africa. The purpose of the course is to prepare students to apply their understanding of Cape Verde's economic and social situation in policy discussions with policymakers on the ground.

The IEDP is an annual program that combines field research with classroom learning to analyze emerging issues in international development. Each year, Ford School students select a developing country and work with faculty to design a course and field visit focused on the country for the purpose of engaging the U-M community in a dialogue about key policy issues in developing countries. Since its establishment in 1999, Ford School students have led IEDP trips to Morocco, Venezuela, Czech Republic, Jordan, and elsewhere. In 2014, IEDP will focus on the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar.

[View photos from Cape Verde]