SODAS Lecture with Ioana Sendroiu

Title: Making a market to save the planet: An extended computational case study of a one-billion-dollar fund to bootstrap carbon dioxide removal

Abstract: Computational approaches are increasingly being integrated into qualitative research workflows, offering tools to validate, expand, or even co-create qualitative research. To demonstrate this potential, I present an extended computational case study examining a billion-dollar advance market commitment designed to bootstrap innovation in carbon removal technologies. This three-year project combines participant observation, qualitative content analysis, computational text analysis, and semi-structured interviews. Collectively, these data enable an abductive, conceptually-driven analysis aimed at identifying and theorizing generalized mechanisms of market creation. Specifically, the iterative process of abduction sheds light on how boundaries are constructed—whether in defining stakeholder engagement or accounting for the negative externalities of firm actions—within emergent markets.