The National Carnival Commission (NCC) was set up to govern the production and development of Trinidad and Tobago's signature Carnival, a festival which is not only a boost for the economy but also contributes significantly to the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. Ms Simmonds' research focuses squarely on the functioning of the NCC and its interaction with the three main Carnival interest groups - Pan Trinbago, the union of Calypsonians (TUCO), and the Costumed Band fraternity. Together, these four entities drive the festival and could impact its development either negatively or positively.

 

Ms Simmonds utilises a case study approach to trace the historical progression of the NCC to the present from its establishment in 1957 by the Trinidad and Tobago government, with a mandate to manage the Carnival celebrations. Included in this progression is the onboarding of each of the special interest groups. She uses a mixed method approach to gather information from qualitative semi-structured interviews with NCC members and data from closed structured surveys, administered to each of the three special interest groups. Her research explores the NCC commission members' views of their own organisation's culture and performance, as well as those of the members of the special interest groups with regard to the NCC's success in supporting their eorts. At issue is the current framework of interaction - all parts of it - and suggestions for improvement of these interactions and for Carnival itself.

 

The drive for all of her academic pursuits is the need to make a valid contribution to the NCC and, in so doing, to the development of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival itself.