Nearly a thousand delegates from across 84 countries are gathering right now in Durban, South Africa, for the third World Social Science Forum. The first similar forum ‘One Planet – World Apart’, was held in 2009 in Bergen, Norway. The 2013 forum, ‘Social Transformations and the Digital Age’, took place in Montreal, Canada. The current…
WSSF 2015: What role can social science play in working towards a just world?
Our Common Future day 1: Climate science & climate politics in Paris
STEPS member Adrian Ely is at the Our Common Future conference in Paris, and has sent this blogpost looking back on Day 1. The conference runs until Friday. Read our feature on climate, COP21 and sustainability here. The opening plenary of the ‘Our Common Future under Climate Change’ conference – the biggest international meeting of…
Pro-poor, low carbon energy conversations across the STEPS global consortium
I was in Nairobi last week for the launch of the Africa hub of the STEPS Global Consortium. During the three day event, I learned a great deal about developments in low carbon energy from across the continent. Reflecting on last week’s launch, I’ve felt a growing sense of excitement at the different forms of…
GM Nation or GM Planet? How to involve citizens in decisions about transgenic crops
The UK’s GM Nation? public debate – conducted over a decade ago, tried to include the voices of citizens in decision-making over transgenic crops. With recent decisions by China and India possibly signalling a shift of opinion against GM in these ‘rising powers’, what kinds of institutions are required to enable democratic governance of these…
More than just a “clean energy race”? BRICS invesment and innovation could lead the way on green transformation
By Adrian Ely On the sidelines of the World Cup in Brazil this year, another competition will be the subject of conversation amongst the delegations attending this year’s BRICS summit, also in Brazil. Which of the ‘rising powers’ is winning the ‘clean energy race’? The sixth summit meeting of the group known as the ‘BRICS’…
Globelics ’11: Lessons from India’s experience of innovation politics shared at Globelics
Report on STEPS UK-India collaborations at the 9th Globelics Conference, 17th November 2011(supported by UKIERI), by Adrian Ely Perspectives from India were amongst those shared in an international panel on ‘Innovation for Social Inclusion and Sustainable Development’ at the 9th Globelics Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17th November 2011. The paper that fed into…
GLOBELICS ’11: Innovation begins at home
By Adrian Ely, STEPS Centre member Innovation for inclusive development was a resounding theme in the introductory session of the 9th Globelics Conference in Buenos Aires on 15th November. Ministers, the Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires and the academic presenters celebrated Argentina’s focus on innovation, but highlighted the main challenge to the conference…
ATPS PROMOTES FULL STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION IN THE RESEARCH FUNDING PROCESS
By Urama Kevin Chika, Executive Director, ATPS In response to the post titled “Opening up Research Funding at ATPS” by Adrian Ely, I would like to expound on the Network’s strategic approach to putting stakeholder participation at the core of the research funding process and throughout the whole value chain. This is built on the…
OPENING UP RESEARCH FUNDING AT ATPS
By Adrian Ely The African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS) network is made up of academics, policy-makers private sector and civil society. On the third day of their annual conference on “Africa’s response to global challenges through science, technology and innovation” I witnessed the network’s innovative approach to opening up the decision-making process for the allocation…
ONGOING DISCUSSIONS AT COP-MOP 4
by ADRIAN ELY, STEPS Centre member I am in Bonn this week for meetings around the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the United Nations’ agreement to regulate the trans-boundary movement of living (genetically) modified organisms. From sensitive political discussions over liability and redress to questions over how to incorporate socio-economic considerations into decision-making, the working procedures…