Research Question and Its Type

Type of Research Question

My proposed research question is how does peri-urbanizaiton and its characteristics negatively impact the health and livlihood of the Ho Chi Minh City population, with the intent to model and predict the spread of Avian Influenza and flooding in the Ho Chi Minh City. This research question is best described as explanatory since it explores the relationship between a central variable and two outcomes. As well, it seeks to understand the cause and effect relationship between peri-urbanization land use with disease transmission and flooding. Does peri-urbanization around the Ho Chi Minh City area have a realtionship with transmission and flood rates? It tries to determine why certain events are taking place. An example of that is why there has been increased threat of disease transmission in the area as well as increased rates of flooding. Which characteristics of peri-urbanization are to blame for this? Furthermore, it seeks to understand the underlying process of transmission and flooding to better address the issue. By understanding the source of the problem, i.e. the specific factors of the issue, it illuminates potetnial solutions to the issue so as to decrease the negative impact on the Ho Chi Minh City population. Furthermore, the central research question is also described as a causal/predictive puzzle. This is again because it seeks to understand the causal relaitonship between peri-urbanization land use and disease and flooding rates. Likewise, it is predictive in nature as it attempts to create predictive models to vizualize future disease or flooding impacts.

2 Sub-Research Questions to Support the Central Research Question

One potential sub topic to address and support the larger resarch question is what peri-urbanization characteristics are most indicitive of spreading disease and increased risk of flooding in Ho Chi Minh City. This question would seek to understand potential charactersitics like proximity to poulty, local and surrounding elevation, soil type, surface material, internal infrastructure quanity and quality, proximity to water bodies, and more. These varaibles would combine to give an articulate image of transmission and flood rates as well as predicitive liklihoods. A secondary sub topic question would be what impact has disease transmission and flooding had on the economic capabilities of the population in the city. The people’s livlihood is comprised of not only good health, but economic freedoms as expressed by Amartya Sen’s defintion of human development. For this reason, it is critical to evaluate how flooding has effected business, such as how much money is lost from the current trnasmission of Avian Influenza in poultry or how much the unpredicted rushing water has destroyed buildings. This secondary sub topic would give insight on the direct impacts on the people, understanding the effect these critical issues have had on their everyday lives as consistent with Amartya Sen’s definiton of human development.