STEPHEN NORRIS WORK

AND

EXPERIENCE PORTFOLIO

SUMMER 2016

Stephen Paul Norrisstephen.norris001@outlook.com �⇥⇤617)-595-8408 �⇥14 Hopedale Street Quincy, Massachusetts 02169 ⇥

Research focused recent graduate with experience in a international relations, economics, finance, political

science, environmental science, defense technology, and history. Interested in pursuing Series 7 and 63 licenses

Technical Skills & Abilities Experience with group presentations and independent study. Proficient in Adobe Production Suite. Familiarity

with STATA and ArcMAP. Advance user of Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel (Vlookup/PivotTables).

Experience with public presentations. Superior written and verbal communication abilities. Excellent analytical

and data visualization skills. Strong time management skills. Highly adaptable, versatile, and curious.

ExperienceScientist III May 2015-Present

Normandeau Associates, Boston, MA

• Contributed to an ongoing impingement and entrainment survey.

• Conducted unsupervised field work which included observations, water sampling and fish identification.

• Followed a set methodology and contributed to its refinement over the course of the survey.

Archivist Assistant August 2014-May 2016

Healey Library Archives and Special Collections, University of Massachusetts-Boston

• Assisted university archivists in consulting with researchers and preparation of archival material.

• Digitized and preserved material from the university's special collections for researchers.

Graduate Research Assistant September 2014- May 2016

Professor Samuel Barkin, University of Massachusetts, Boston MA

• Researched various topics regarding international trade of agricultural products, regulations, and social

identity for a forthcoming scholarly paper.

Graduate Student Intern May 2014-May 2015

The Green Harbors Project/Biomimicry LivingLabs, Boston, MA

• Researched environmental regulations and policies regarding wetland and harbor ecosystem restoration.

• Coordinated high level meetings and contact with community leaders and officials from Boston City

Council.

• Helped secure a $100,000 grant for an ecosystem restoration project in Boston Harbor

Research Assistant September 2013-August 2014

Associate Professor Maurice Cunningham, University of Massachusetts, Boston MA

• Researched various topics including religion and politics, elections, demographics, and political

campaigns.

• Research of primary and secondary resources was conducted through internet databases for a

forthcoming book and recently published academic paper.

• Successfully located long lost and obscure archival material through archival research.

Store Associate August 2007-September 2014

Rite Aid Corporation, Quincy, MA

EducationUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA

Bachelor of Arts - Political Science, GPA 3.72 May 2014

Bachelor of Arts - Environmental, Earth, Ocean Sciences, GPA 3.72 May 2014

Masters of Public Administration - International Relations, GPA 3.95 May 2016

Honors and AwardsGraduated Magna Cum Laude 2014 • 2016 McCormack Graduate School Best Capstone Award • Maurizio

Vannicelli Award for Excellence in Political Science and International Relations • Senior Honors • Inducted into

Alpha Lambda Delta in 2010 • Inducted into Golden Key International Honour Society in 2012

M.P.A. International Relations – McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies

Over the course of the 2 year master's level graduate program, a number of aspects of international

relations were studied. The graduate program was comprised of 6 core courses that focus on the

theoretical and practical underpinnings of international relations. The remaining elective course

requirements allows students to customize their graduate eduction in order to pursue their individual

interests. The following fields were studied over the course of the graduate degree program:

• Corporate Governance • STATA, Excel, and GIS • Data Management

• IGOs • NGO Project Management • Global Governance

• International Finance • Game Theory • Macroeconomics

• International Trade • Methods and Analysis • Data Modeling

• Security Studies • Econometrics and Statistics • Resource Competition

• US Nuclear Strategy • International Political Economy • Conflict Resolution

NOTEWORTHY PROJECTS AND HONORS

Upon completion of of the master's degree program several academic milestones and honors had been

achieved through noteworthy projects and performance.

• Graduating GPA of 3.95 out of 4.0

• Ranked at the top of the program's cohort in academic performance

• Received the McCormack Graduate School's “2016 Best Capstone Award” at the University's

Convocation

Noteworthy projects completed during the course of the program were highly diverse. They included:

• Graduate Capstone Project: “Making the World Safe for Trade: The Link Between Security

Agreements and Trade Flows” - May 2016

◦ The project is an econometric analysis of U.S. trade flows and portfolio investments with

allied and non-allied states in East Asia/Asia Pacific using the gravity model of international

trade and longitudinal regression in STATA and Excel. The report successfully determines

whether allied states made better investing and trading partners than non-allied states during

the post-Cold War era (1990-2014).

• “China: the Export-Led Development Model and its Implications” - December 2015

◦ The report investigated the paradigm shift within the IMF, World Bank, and neoliberal

intelligentsia regarding export-led industrialization programs. The report uses China as a

case study and highlights the economic and social implications of centralized extractive

development initiatives.

• “The Political Economy of Jordan: the Water-Energy Nexus” - May 2015

◦ The report reviews the political and economic policies the Kingdom of Jordan has

implemented in order to maintain stability despite regional unrest, lack of water and

hydrocarbon reserves, and influx of refugees from 1980-2015. The paper also reviews the

Kingdom's macroeconomic policies with respect to national development and resources.

Graduate Student Research Assistantship with Professor Samuel Barkin PhD

During the course of the 2 year international relations master's program, several research projects were

initiated by Professor Samuel Barkin. The research conducted will eventually be integrated into a

scholarly paper and published in an academic journal. The areas studied and skills required to carry out

the research and analysis included:

• Excel • Trans-Atlantic Trade • Social Identity

• Data Management • Regulatory Harmonization • GMO Regulations

• International Law • Product Marketing • IR Theory

• Public Goods • Civil Society Organizations • Public Polling

NOTEWORTHY PROJECTS

Several noteworthy research assignments were conducted during the 2014-2016 assistantship. A

majority of the projects focused on investigating US-EU regulatory harmonization and trade of

agricultural products. Research assignments included:

• An investigation into the labeling and production standards for agricultural products seeking

biodynamic certification from Demeter International.

• Research into US and EU regulations regarding organic and GMO-free product labeling

◦ Reviewed USDA and EU equivalent regulatory frameworks and production requirements.

◦ Carried out a comparative analysis between the two regulatory bodies and their respective

certification and labeling requirements.

◦ Reviewed US-EU regulatory cooperation and harmonization on the organic labeling

certification.

• Conducted a scholarly survey focused on the development and perception of public goods

within the current academic debate.

Graduate Student Internship with The Green Harbors Project/Biomimicry LivingLabs

During a one year graduate level internship with The Green Harbors Project/Biomimicry LivingLabs,

several projects and research assignments were undertaken regarding ecosystem restoration,

rehabilitation, and environmental engineering. Areas of study and skills required to conduct the

research included:

• Public Presentations • Excel and Powerpoint • Written and Verbal Communications

• Government Affairs • Field Observations • Regulatory/Policy Analysis

• Statistics • HTML Coding • Environmental Engineering

• Website Design • Coastal Ecology • Biomimicry Research

NOTEWORTHY PROJECTS

Several research projects were conducted in order to carry out the mission of The Green Harbors

Project/Biomimicry LivingLabs. Noteworthy projects and their respective elements include:

• Shellfish population restoration and wetland protection/rehabilitation in Savin Hill Cove,

Boston, MA.

◦ Conducted policy and regulatory analysis of state and local rules pertinent to shellfish

restoration

◦ Reviewed pertinent federal regulations regarding wetland protection and rehabilitation in

order to form a project management plan

◦ Identified regulatory jurisdictions within the project area

◦ Conducted a shellfish assessment and statistical analysis of Savin Hill Cove's ecosystem

◦ Identified and set up meetings with pertinent stakeholders including civil society leaders and

members of Boston City Council

◦ Helped secure a $100,000 grant to assist GHP/BLL's activities in the project area

◦ Routinely gave presentations updating the local community on the project's progress

◦ Maintained the project's website

• Participated in writing and designing GHP/BLL's submission to Boston's “Living with Water”

Competition

◦ Worked with environmental engineers, architects, and designers in devising a flood

mitigation plan for Dorchester, MA using biomimicry principles

◦ Carried out a review and analysis of pertinent state and federal regulations that would

impact the project

Undergraduate Research Assistantship with Professor Maurice Cunningham J.D.

During a one year undergraduate level research assistantship with Professor Maurice Cunningham,

dozens of research assignments were conducted to assist him with his scholarly activities and his

weekly postings to his website, MassPoliticsProfs (now at WGBHnews.org). The research projects

were highly diverse and required a number of skills. They included research into:

• Political Campaigns • Political Corruption • Website Design

• Ballot Initiatives • Case Law • Database Research

• Statistics • Massachusetts' Politics • Copy Editing

• Excel • Qualitative Coding • Proof Reading

• Archival Research • Campaign Finance • Political Analysis/Polling

NOTEWORTHY PROJECTS

The assistantship was originally scheduled to last one semester; however, it was extended to one

calendar year. Over the course of the assistantship a very diverse set of research topics were

investigated. Noteworthy research assignments included:

• Assisted the professor in researching material for his now-published scholarly article

“Defeating Death with Dignity: A New Political Path for the Catholic Church.”

◦ Carried out quantitative analysis of the campaign fiances of political action groups

associated with a 2010 state ballot initiative that would have legalized euthanasia

◦ Conducted quantitative analysis and coding of statements made by high ranking state

officials and civil society leaders regarding the ballot initiative

◦ Collected and analyzed polling data

◦ Created a database of research material pertinent to the professor's research interests

◦ Conducted statistical analyses of polling data and campaign contributions

• Assisted the professor with preliminary research for a forthcoming book on political corruption

◦ Preformed a literature review detailing the various definitions of political corruption

◦ Carried out archival research into past anti-corruption programs initiated by the

Massachusetts' state government at the State House archives

◦ Reviewed the anti-corruption laws of Massachusetts

◦ Researched several high profile political corruption cases through WestLaw and secondary

sources

◦ Researched the current anti-corruption laws within Massachusetts and conducted a

comparative analysis to laws in other states

Writing Sample

Excerpt From Graduate Capstone Project:

“Making the World Safe for Trade: The Link Between Security Agreements and Trade Flows”

May 2016

Norris 8

administration as an important element of the pivot given its economic and strategic

elements. Indeed, Manyin et al (2012) notes that the agreement would strengthen

intellectual property rights, stimulate US exports, promote shared interests and increase

transit security (Manyin et al 2012, 22). Furthermore TPP has been viewed as a means of

economically containing China. According to Caplin and Ravenhill (2011), “together

with growing concerns about increasing Chinese economic and strategic dominance, the

Obama administration has seized on the TPP as a part of a broader strategy to re-engage

with the region and to contain China’s influence” (Caplin and Ravenhill 2011, 559).

American grand strategy is a factored into the TTP agreement, and this incorporation

clearly highlights the trade-security nexus.

METHODLOGY

In order to investigate the bilateral trade of goods, services and capital flows, this paper

employs the gravity model of international trade in its econometric analysis. The gravity model

has been used by economists since the 1960s, and has been a useful tool in determining the

significance of trading variables (distance, culture, tariffs, free trade agreements, etc). Derived

from Newtonian physics the gravity model can be noted in its iconic form:

𝑭𝒈 = 𝑮𝑴𝟏𝑴𝟐𝒅𝟐

Where 𝐹𝑔the force of gravity, G is a universal constant, 𝑀1 is the mass of object 1, 𝑀2 is the

mass of a second object, and d is the distance. This formula also establishes the inverse

relationship between distance and force.

Norris 9

A version of the gravity model of international trade is nearly identical – save for the

renaming of a few variables. In its simplest form the gravity model of international trade is noted

as:

𝑿𝒊𝒋 = 𝑨𝑴𝒊𝑴𝒋

𝒅𝒊𝒋

In the generalized and multiplicative version of the gravity model of international trade, 𝑋𝑖𝑗

represents trade volume between country i and country j; 𝑀𝑖 is the GDP of country i, 𝑀𝑗 is the

GDP of country j; A is the constant; and 𝑑𝑖𝑗 is the distance between the capitals of country i and

country j. Again this model establishes an inverse relationship between trade volume and

distance – states further apart from one another should have a smaller volume of trade than states

that are adjacent to one another. However, the impact of distance is diminished should the GDP

of either or both states i and j be large. The implication of this relationship is that distance is a

diminished variable of resistance for states with large GDPs.

Clearly there are additional variables beyond distance that affect trade. These variables

can be integrated into the gravity model in order to test their significance. First, this requires that

the gravity model be rewritten in linear form.

𝒍𝒏𝑿𝒊𝒋𝒕 = 𝜷𝟎 + 𝜷𝟏 𝐥𝐧(𝑴𝒊𝒕𝑴𝒋𝒕) − 𝒍𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒋𝒕

This paper will use this form as a basis to determine if security agreements impact the volume of

bilateral trade between the United States and a population of states. The following hypotheses

will be tested:

Norris 10 H1: States with a mutual security agreement with the United States will trade a greater amount of goods and services than states without a mutual defense agreement H0: There will be no statistically significant difference in trade value between states that have a mutual defense agreement with the United States and states that do not

For the purposes of the research paper both bilateral and multilateral security agreements will be

considered in the first set of hypothesis. Trade will be measured in terms of total value of goods,

in terms of percentage of trade in each state, and in a nominal dollar amount.

The next set of hypotheses will test economic benefits in terms of capital flows in a

similar manner.

H2: States with a mutual defense agreement with the United States will have greater FDI from the US than states without a mutual defense agreement

H0: There will be no statistically significant difference in FDI from the US between states that have a mutual defense agreement with the United States and states that do not

Finally, while the term “collective security agreement” is an easily defined legal term, the term

“ally” is not. For example the United States does not have a collective defense treaty with Israel,

Saudi Arabia, or Taiwan – yet all three countries are touted as being among the United States’

closest allies in popular media. Rather all three states – and many others – are recipients of US

military and technical assistance and are important strategic partners. These arraignments are

usually codified in a memo of understanding between governments and exemplified through

Foreign Arm Sales (FMS) through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Thus a hypothesis

can formulated with these commonalities.

Norris 11

H3: States that have a memorandum of security/defense with the United States will trade a greater value of goods with the US than states than states that do not

H0: There will be no statistically significant difference in trade between states that have memorandum of security/defense with the United States and states that do not

To test these hypotheses, the gravity model is modified to include several dummy variables.

These variables are common language, adjacency to American allied state, a free trade

agreement with the United States, mutual defense/or memorandum of security, and population.

The following model, in conjunction with a longitudinal/panel data regression, will be used to

test the hypotheses:

𝒍𝒏𝑿𝒊𝒋𝒕 = 𝜷𝟎 + 𝜷𝟏 𝐥𝐧(𝑴𝒊𝒕𝑴𝒋𝒕) + 𝜷𝟐𝒍𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒋𝒕 + 𝜷𝟑 𝒍𝒏(𝒑𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒕 ∗ 𝒑𝒐𝒑𝒋𝒕) + 𝜷𝟒(𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈)

+ 𝜷𝟔(𝑭𝑻𝑨𝒕) + 𝜷𝟕(𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒕)

There are two populations of states that are tested by this model. The Group 1 States are from

East Asia/Asia Pacific. This first group is comprised of the following states:

Australia Laos Philippines Brunei Macau Samoa Cambodia Malaysia Singapore China Marshall Islands Solomon Islands East Timor Mongolia South Korea Federated States of Micronesia Myanmar Taiwan Fiji Nauru Thailand Hong Kong New Zealand Tonga Indonesia North Korea Tuvalu Japan Palau Vanuatu Kiribati Papua New Guinea Vietnam

Norris 12

The Group 2 population is comprised of 12 randomly selected middle income states from around

the world. This group includes the following states:

Chad Costa Rica Dominican Republic Honduras Italy Lithuania

Macedonia Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Singapore Uganda

Bilateral trade and capital flows between the United States and states in Group 1 and Group 2 are

tested on a time series that spans 1990-2014 with data from the World Bank, IMF, and the US

Census Bureau. For political reasons, some states do not have a complete data set for this time

series. For periods in which the US did not have normal political and economic relations with

states there is no data available. In addition there is no data for East Timor prior to its 2001

independence. All data used during the time series is presented in nominal (unadjusted) US

dollar figures, and population data is based on World Bank estimations between government

census surveys.

THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL PERSPECTIVES

In an effort to explore the link between security agreements and their impact on bilateral

trade, several theoretical concepts needed to be consulted. In particular there are three areas of

academic research that need to be drawn upon in order to contextualize the research questions

proposed in this paper. Specifically these areas are the conceptualizations of public goods,

theoretical underpinnings of the gravity equation, and past research that has identified a security-

economy relationship.