Property Rights Media Barometer and Narrative Analysis

Protagonist, a narrative analytics and consulting firm, conducted an analysis of over 150,000 social media posts and 65,000 articles using big data, natural language processing, and algorithms to understand the recent property rights discussion. Based on this analysis, Omidyar Network is currently constructing a ‘property rights media barometer,’ that will demonstrate change over time in the volume, quality, and diversity of the property rights conversation.

The property rights space is unmistakably challenging. Property rights affect nearly all aspects of life --from economic development and women’s empowerment to national security and environmental protection. The various stakeholders therefore have very different points of departure when functioning within the ecosystem.

As ardent property rights advocates, it is imperative to understand how people think about property rights globally in order to advance our work within the field. Protagonist’s empirical data set on recent trends in the property rights discussion is immensely valuable in helping us to work smarter.

Key insights from the Protagonist presentation include:

1. The recent property rights discussion largely occurred through traditional news outlets and blogs --and not via social media.
2. International and/or high profile coverage of property rights decreased from 2015 to 2017.
3. Local issues spurred reporting at the national and regional level, but seldom at the international level.
4. Viral content, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, was considerably powerful within the narrative conversation. It helped to inspire widespread public mobilization and action.
5. The Spanish conversation generally focused on globalization, and particularly the liberalization of agricultural and trade policies. 

Our hope is that by better understanding the existing discussion, we are able to help the topic become more visible in the media. In turn, we aim to draw in more actors, and capture the attention of both policymakers and funders.

Download the Protagonist presentation here: Narrative Analytics on the Global Property Rights Conversation

Participants

Opening Remarks

• J. Michael Graglia - Director, Future of Property Rights, New America

Narrative Analytics Presentation

• Emily Keane - Director, Customer Solutions, Protagonist
  

Emily leads teams to deliver narrative analytics and strategic insights to customers across industries. She has led engagements with the Omidyar Network to help the foundation understand the global discussion around Property Rights as well as Financial Inclusion. She previously worked with U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop tools and methodologies to quantify the impact of policy initiatives and enable evidence-based decisions around civil detention reform. She has also worked in logistics asset management at the United Nations World Food Programme in Uganda and served as a public health educator as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Madagascar.

Discussion and Q&A

• Yuliya Panfil - Property Rights Investments, Omidyar Network

Yuliya sources and manages investments for the Property Rights initiative. Prior to joining the firm, Yuliya was a land governance and legal advisor at USAID, where she oversaw USAID’s responsible land-based investment practice and led USAID’s private sector and donor engagement on land and property rights issues. She previously worked as a corporate lawyer at White & Case, LLP, and as a journalist for the Miami Herald and theSouth Florida Business Journal. 

• Caitlin Myers - Vice President, FleishmanHillard
  

Caitlin focuses on corporate reputation and social impact communications. She leads the firm’s work with Omidyar Network, providing communications counsel across Omidyar Network’s five investment portfolios, including Property Rights.

• Maitri Morarji - Senior Program Officer, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
  

Maitri coordinates the Land and Property Rights Initiative and oversees grants for international women's movements. Prior to joining Wellspring in 2008, Maitri was Program Officer for East Africa at American Jewish World Service. Morarji has also conducted research in the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations on peacekeeping and conflict resolution for the first Annual Review of Global Peace Operations, published by the Center on International Cooperation. She was also the Development Officer for Foundation Relations at the Global Fund for Women, and a Policy Associate at Grameen Foundation USA. She currently serves on the Steering Committees of Human Rights Funders Network and the Research Consortium on Women’s Land Rights. A native of India and Sweden, Maitri received a bachelor’s in history from the University of California Berkeley and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.