The nexus – politics, practice and disciplinary dilemmas

STEPS researchers have written a series of blogposts for the Guardian and the Nexus Platform website addressing the challenges of the water-food-energy-environment ‘nexus’. Andy Stirling addresses the challenges of working across disciplines, Jeremy Allouche looks at nexus politics while James Wilsdon and Rose Cairns discuss joining research, policy and practice. The Guardian Nexus blogpost series launches the Nexus Network, of which STEPS is a lead partner.

30 June 2014: Whose nexus? Whose security?

Jeremy Allouche and Maria Cooper examine the framings of security inherent in the nexus, and who stands in a position to influence them.

20 June 2014: Food, energy and water: the politics of the nexus

Jeremy Allouche writes on the food-energy-water nexus and the need to recognise that global priorities may not reflect local concerns, and resource allocations are always political.

11 June 2014: Disciplinary dilemma: working across research silos is harder than it looks

STEPS Co-Director Andy Stirling writes about the ‘nexus’ being the latest buzzword intended to lure researchers out of their disciplinary comfort zones and get them working together on the big challenges of the day. But asks how easy is it in practice?

9 June 2014: Navigating the nexus of food, energy, water and the environment

STEPS members James Wilsdon and Rose Cairns on navigating the nexus of food, energy, water and the environment with the help of The UK’s Economic and Social Research Council new £1.8m network to join up research, policy and practice on environmental challenges.