BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//STEPS Centre - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:STEPS Centre X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://steps-centre.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for STEPS Centre REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20120325T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20121028T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20130331T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20131027T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20140330T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20141026T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20150329T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20151025T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140704T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140704T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140624T134246Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210404T164311Z UID:6436-1404478800-1404484200@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: Daniel O’Connor on the use of social media in health research DESCRIPTION:‘The Apomediated World: The Ethical Challenges of Using Social Media in Health Research’ \nSTEPS Seminar with Daniel O’Connor\, PhD\, Head of Humanities and Social Science at the Wellcome Trust \n \n\nSTEPS Seminar: Dan O’Connor – The ethical challenges of using social media in health research by Stepscentre on Mixcloud \n\nSocial media such as blogs\, wikis\, discussion forums\, ratings sites and online social networks like Facebook and Twitter\, are completely changing the ways in which lay people and health professionals create\, share and understand health information. We can now find\, discuss and even review diagnoses\, symptoms and treatments with pretty much anyone\, anywhere in the world\, almost instantly. The transformation from just a decade ago is astounding. This seminar will explore the ethical challenges that this transformation raises for health research in particular. \nDrawing on examples of emerging uses of social media in health research (including patient-led research\, crowdsourcing and social recruitment practices) Dr Dan O’Connor\, Head of Humanities and Social Science at the Wellcome Trust\, will argue that existing research ethics frameworks\, concerned as they are with vertical power differentials\, may be inadequate to deal with those ethical challenges. In their place he proposes an ‘ethics of apomediation’ in which the moral concerns of power differentials are replaced with those of a horizontal peer-to-peer system. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/steps-seminar-daniel-oconnor-use-social-media-health-research/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Health & disease,Research methods,Seminars END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20140616 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20140619 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140612T080821Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T222943Z UID:6418-1402876800-1403135999@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS/FHS Workshop on Complex Adaptive Systems in Health Systems in LMICs DESCRIPTION:Mt. Washington Conference Center and the Center for Advanced Modeling in the Social\, Behavioral\, and Health Sciences\, Johns Hopkins University\, Baltimore\, MD\, USA \nBackground\nHealth systems are seen as a complex adaptive system (CAS)\, with multiple actors and relationships operating in difficult and changing contexts\, with many points of intervention\, and numerous intended and unintended consequences that can improve or damage people’s health. Health systems are designed to improve people’s health\, but also serve to protect people from impoverishment due to illness or the cost of health care\, and be seen as providing trusted and responsive services. Although CAS frameworks are increasingly recognized as relevant to understanding health systems\, health systems researchers have to date not taken advantage of CAS research methods to inform interventions that will be effective on a large scale and in sustainable ways. \nThis invitation-only workshop on CAS in Health Systems in LMICS is sponsored by the Future Health Systems (FHS) Research Consortium and the STEPS Centre (Social\, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability). FHS and STEPS are particularly concerned with policies\, programs\, and individual level interventions promote and protect people’s health and wellbeing\, particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. \nThe workshop is intended to bring together junior and more experienced researchers to better explore applications of concepts of complexity to the analysis of health systems in LMICS\, gain hands-on experience\, and develop current research projects. Participants would bring their current research plans\, protocols\, and data\, to work on their own research\, as well as on collective examples to develop their research. \nObjectives\nThe workshop will provide a forum for collaboration with researchers in different disciplines and groups to learn different tools and research applications\, and provide opportunity for hands-on skills building through which researchers with interest in CAS issues and in the initial stages of applying CAS tools and methods can connect with researchers who have had experience applying CAS approaches to health. The specific objectives are to:\n– Improve understanding of CAS models that can be used to understand and intervene in health systems in LMICs\n– Gain hands-on skills for applying CAS approaches and tools to health systems research questions\, particularly related to their FHS project questions\n– Identify specific analyses and publications by junior and mid-level FHS researchers\n– Produce a draft history of the FHS intervention in their research sites since the research began in 2006\n– Identify grant and other research opportunities involving collaboration on CAS related research questions in health systems URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/cas_balitmore/ LOCATION:Mt Washington Conference Center and the Center for Advanced Modeling in the Social\, Behavioral\, and Health Services\, Johns Hopkins University\, Baltimore\, United States CATEGORIES:Health & disease ORGANIZER;CN="Jeff Kenzovich":MAILTO:j.knezovich@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140520T121500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140520T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140512T135722Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T223050Z UID:6291-1400588100-1400594400@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: Kamal Kar on Community-Led Total Sanitation DESCRIPTION:‘The Potential of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in achieving an Open Defecation Free (ODF) World’ \nKamal Kar\, Chairman CLTS Foundation \nThis event will be livestreamed (see embedded video below). \nThe UN seeks to eliminate the practice of open defecation entirely by 2025. Since its innovation in Bangladesh in 2000\, Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) has spread to more than 56 countries across Asia\, Africa and Latin America where more than 35 million people are now living in open defecation free (ODF) environments. CLTS has also been mainstreamed in the sanitation policies of several African countries. More than 80 countries are now ODF. Still\, 1 billion people continue to defecate in the open and 82% of them live in just 10 countries with India continuing to be the country with the highest number of people (597 million) defecating in the open. Nigeria has also seen the largest increase in numbers of open defecators since 1990\, with 39 million people defecating in the open in 2012\, compared with 23 million in 1990.  It is well known that open defecation causes disease spread and also increases the vulnerability of millions of women and girls around the world. \nDr Kamal Kar\, the pioneer of CLTS\, will speak about the potential of the CLTS approach in achieving the sanitation MDG with a special focus on Africa. He will highlight the progress made by nations in running the last mile until December 2015 and will also discuss second and third generation challenges of CLTS such as sustainability\, waste containment and the politics of scaling up. For the benefit of those who are not very conversant with the CLTS approach\, he will also focus on its key principles and methodology. \nFree entry – all welcome. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/steps-seminar-kamal-kar-community-led-total-sanitation/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Health & disease,Seminars ORGANIZER;CN="ESRC STEPS Centre":MAILTO:b.ayre@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140515T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140515T193000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140507T140704Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T223150Z UID:6277-1400176800-1400182200@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Public lecture: Michael Grubb on Planetary Economics: Energy\, Climate Change and the Three Domains of Sustainable Development DESCRIPTION:The Sussex Energy Group at SPRU in association with the Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand\,  invites you to a public lecture \n\nProfessor Michael Grubb presenting findings from his recently published book: Planetary Economics: Energy\, Climate Change and the Three Domains of Sustainable Development \nChaired by Prof. Johan Schot\, Director of SPRU and with discussants Prof. Jim Watson\, Professor of Energy Policy at the University of Sussex and Research Director of UK Energy Research Centre and Mariana Mazzucato\, RM Phillips chair in the Economics of Innovation at SPRU\nthe University of Sussex\nThursday 15 May 6.00-7.30pm\, followed by a drinks reception\nJubilee Lecture Theatre\, School of Business\, Management and Economics\, University of Sussex\n\nSummary:\nHow well do our assumptions about the global challenges of energy\, environment and economic development fit the facts? Energy prices have varied hugely between countries and over time\, yet the share of national income spent on energy has remained surprisingly constant. The foundational theories of economic growth account for only about half the growth observed in practice. Despite escalating warnings for more than two decades about the planetary risks of rising greenhouse gas emissions\, most governments have seemed powerless to change course. \nIn this public lecture\,  Professor Michael Grubb\,  Chair of Energy and Climate Policy at the Cambridge University Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research\, and Senior Advisor on Sustainable Energy Policy to the UK Energy Regulator Ofgem\, presents findings from his new book Planetary Economics  which shows the surprising links between these seemingly unconnected facts. He will argue  that tackling the energy and environmental problems of the 21st Century requires three different domains of decision-making to be recognised and connected. Each domain involves different theoretical foundations\, draws on different areas of evidence\, and implies different policies. \nThe book shows that the transformation of energy systems involves all three domains – and each is equally important. From them flow three pillars of policy (standards and engagement\, markets and prices\, innovation and infrastructure)  – three quite distinct kinds of actions that need to be taken\, which rest on fundamentally different principles. Any pillar on its own will fail. \nIn this lecture\, hosted by  SPRU\, Professor Grubb will focus in particular on the third pillar of innovation and infrastructure. He will set out the evidence and explain why energy is “different” in terms of innovation\, the elements of successful innovation strategies\, and the factors that tend to lock us in to high-carbon energy systems. \nJoin us for this unique opportunity to hear about and discuss analysis which brings together the lessons from 25 years of research and implementation of energy and climate policies. \nBiography\nProfessor Michael Grubb is Chair of Energy and Climate Policy at the Cambridge University Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research\, and Senior Advisor on Sustainable Energy Policy to the UK Energy Regulator Ofgem . He is editor-in-chief of the journal Climate Policy \, is on the editorial board of Energy Policy and was recently the Specialist Advisor to a House of Lords European Committee enquiry: ‘No Country is an Energy Island: securing investment for the EU’s Future’ (2013). His former positions include Chair of the international research organization Climate Strategies; Chief Economist at the Carbon Trust; Professor of Climate Change and Energy Policy at Imperial College London; and Head of Energy and Environment at Chatham House\, and he continues to be associated with these institutions. In 2008 he was appointed to the UK Climate Change Committee\, established under the UK Climate Change Bill to advise the government on future carbon budgets and to report to Parliament on their implementation. \nMichael Grubb is author of seven books\, fifty journal research articles and numerous other publications. He has held numerous advisory positions with governments\, companies and international studies on climate change and energy policy\, and has been a Lead Author for several reports of the IPCC on mitigation\, including the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. \n  URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/grubb/ LOCATION:Jubilee Lecture Theatre 144\, Jubilee Building\, University of Sussex\, Brighton CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Schepers":MAILTO:s.m.schepers@sussex.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140512T173000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140512T190000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140408T132352Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T223304Z UID:6202-1399915800-1399921200@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Public lecture: Mariana Mazzucato - The green entrepreneurial state DESCRIPTION:Mariana Mazzucato: The Green Entrepreneurial State by Stepscentre on Mixcloud \n\nPublic lecture\, followed by a drinks reception \nMariana Mazzucato (PhD) holds the prestigious RM Phillips chair in the Economics of Innovation at SPRU in the University of Sussex. She was recently Scientific Coordinator of a 3 year European Commission funded FP7 project on Finance\, Innovation and Growth (FINNOV)\, and is currently working on two new research projects on finance and innovation\, one funded by the Ford Foundation\, and the other by the Institute for New Economic Thinking. \nProf Mazzucato’s book The Entrepreneurial State: debunking private vs. public sector myths was one of the Financial Times’ 2013 books of the year\, and on Forbes’ 13 recommended readings for creative leaders to close out 2013. \nShe actively advises UK policy makers and the European Commission on questions related to economic growth. The New Republic has called her one of the most important thinkers about innovation. \nThis public lecture will be followed by a drinks reception in the same venue\, to which all attending the lecture are welcome. \nThis event is organised by the STEPS Centre alongside our Summer School on Pathways to Sustainability. \nVideo:\n \nPresentation slides: URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/mariana-mazzucato-green-entrepreneurial-state/ CATEGORIES:Governance & policy ORGANIZER;CN="ESRC STEPS Centre":MAILTO:b.ayre@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20140504 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20140509 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131003T182331Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T223345Z UID:5683-1399161600-1399593599@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Resilience 2014. Resilience and Development: Mobilizing for Transformation DESCRIPTION:Melissa Leach\, director of the STEPS Centre\, and John Thompson\, our food and agriculture co-convenor\, are both speaking at the Resilience 2014 conference\, which this year is themed Resilience and Development: Mobilising for Transformation. The event is the third International Science and policy conference on the resilience of social & ecological systems\,  and is being held in Montpellier\, France. \nHere is Melissa’s presentation: \n  \n \n Melissa Leach: Planetary boundaries\, politics and pathways. Plenary dialogue\, Resilience 2014. from STEPS Centre URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/resilience-2014/ LOCATION:Le Corum\, Monpelier\, France CATEGORIES:Food & agriculture END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140502T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140502T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140424T144635Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T223429Z UID:6255-1399035600-1399039200@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Seminar: The Politics of Integrated Water Resources Management in Africa DESCRIPTION:1.00-2.00 Friday 2 May 2014\nConvening Space\, Institute of Development Studies\nAll welcome \nSpeakers include: \n\nAndrew Tarimo (Sokoine University of Agriculture)\nEmmanuel Manzungu (University of Zimbabwe)\nBill Derman (Noragric)\nAlex Bolding\, (Wageningen University)\nBarbara Van Koppen (IWMI\, South Africa)\nSynne Movik (NIVA)\nAlan Nicol (Global Water Initiative)\n\nSince the early 1990s\, Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) has been the dominant paradigm in water resources management. IWRM adoption has led to water reform and the rewriting of national policies in many countries in southern Africa. \nIn this seminar we draw on findings from the project Flows and Practices: The Politics of IWRM in Africa to ask: Why has IWRM been so influential in southern Africa? How do abstract ideas of IWRM which evolved in global institutions cope with plural\, overlapping and competing formal and informal legal and customary systems in southern Africa? Has IWRM succeeded in addressing issues concerning equity\, class\, race and gender and in reallocating water in an equitable way?  What does this mean for overall development and poverty reduction? \nPresenters will address these questions by drawing on ongoing research in South Africa\, Zimbabwe\, Mozambique and Tanzania. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/seminar-politics-integrated-water-resources-management-africa/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Resource politics,Seminars,Water END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140425T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140425T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140414T090221Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T223631Z UID:6229-1398430800-1398436200@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: Ted Schrecker on Labour arbitrage\, financial fallout\, expulsions DESCRIPTION:Labour arbitrage\, financial fallout\, expulsions: Exploring the mechanics of the inequality machine\nTed Schrecker\, Professor of Global Health Policy\, Durham University\n \n\nSTEPS Seminar: Ted Schrecker on Labour arbitrage\, financial fallout\, expulsions by Stepscentre on Mixcloud \n\n“The inequality machine is reshaping the planet”\, in the words of the editor of Le Monde Diplomatique. In this presentation Ted addresses three aspects of that machine’s operation.  Labour arbitrage is perhaps the most familiar\, and now penetrates the labour markets even of the ‘core’ high income nations\, underscoring the need to shift from what William Robinson calls “territorial” to “social” cartographies in the study of development.  Post-2008\, the significance of financial fallout is superficially self-explanatory\, but it is important to go beyond short-term analysis of the recent crisis and its aftermath to consider the consequences for inequality of the underlying shift in power toward the owners of finance capital.  The category of expulsions\, drawn from the work of Saskia Sassen\, refers to the removal of people who are “in the way” of more profitable uses of land or resources; Ted examines gentrification and the large-scale purchase and lease of agricultural land by foreign actors as case studies.  Together\, these interconnected processes cause us to rethink our conceptions of the global\, present formidable challenges for development and the reduction of health inequities\, and demand new strategies for both research and resistance. \nTed’s academic background is in political science\, and he has taught that discipline as well as environmental studies and population health (at the doctoral level) at three Canadian universities. For the past decade his research has addressed the consequences of transnational economic integration (globalisation) for health and health equity\, currently from a broadly Marxist (but empirical) perspective.  He also has a long-standing interest in issues at the interface of science\, ethics\, law and public policy. \n  URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/schrecker/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Governance & policy,Seminars ORGANIZER;CN="Harriet Dudley":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140325T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140325T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140312T112708Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T223744Z UID:6100-1395752400-1395757800@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: In the Eye of a Cyclone: The Dialectics of Social and Environmental Change in the Sundarban Delta DESCRIPTION:Dr Debojyoti Das\, ERC Post-Doctoral Research Associate\, Dept. of History\, Classics and Archaeology\, Birkbeck\, University of London \nTropical Cyclones are a yearly event in the Bay of Bengal coastal seaboard. The deadliest cyclones in the world have formed here\, including the 1970 Bhola super cyclone\, which killed 500\,000 people. The misery and destruction caused by cyclones along the coast of Bengal has been greater than anywhere else in the world\, and the environmental and social problems that set the stage for disaster continue to be exceptionally severe. There is very little interest among social scientists in India to study cyclones from a range of disciplinary perspectives: historical\, anthropological and economic. The extensive and sophisticated historiographies of environment in India do not deal at all with maritime hazards. Therefore\, it is a case in point to analyse cyclones from a critical political\, economic and ecological standpoint \nI contend in this presentation that cyclone disasters\, like any other natural calamity owing their origin solely to natural causes\, are also politically and socially produced. Like revolutions and wars\, they are moments of extreme stress that can reveal the underlying structures of social and political life. I want to rethink the cyclone in the Sundarban delta as trans-national disaster—as an event that are shaped\, and in some sense created\, by the unequal power relations characteristic of British imperial policies and the consequence of political violence triggered by partition and the creation of Bangladesh during 1947 and 1971 respectively\, that led to the forced migration of people across the newly created national boundaries. There is a dialectical relationship between nature\, society and disaster that lead to environmental change with deep impact on marginalised communities. \nEveryone Welcome! URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/stepsseminardas/ LOCATION:Convening Space\, Institute of Development Studies\, University of Sussex\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy,Seminars ORGANIZER;CN="Harriet Dudley":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140320T140000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140320T180000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140320T104412Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T223921Z UID:6150-1395324000-1395338400@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:IDS Rising Powers & Rio+ Centre High-Level Round-Table: BRICS & the Green Transformation: Mutual Learning for Sustainability DESCRIPTION:Speakers will debate the dynamics and drivers for low-carbon development policies in Brazil\, India and China\, and the implications for Africa. \nAdrian Ely\, Deputy Director and Head of Impact and Engagement\, STEPS Centre\, is taking part in this event and wrote a blogpost to coincide:\nMore than just a “clean energy race”? BRICS invesment and innovation could lead the way on green transformation \nThe ‘BRICS and the Green Transformation – Mutual Learning for Sustainability’ round-table will explore the BRICS’ contribution to the Green Transformation\, drawing out the positive lessons which arise from these countries’ own experience in this\nfield. The event will be co-hosted by the Rising Powers in International Development programme at the Institute of Development Studies; and the RIO+ Centre\, set up as a joint venture between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Brazil after the Rio+20 Summit in 2012 to promote\, articulate\, inform and inspire policies in sustainable development globally. \n14:00-14:30 Registration \n14:30-14:40 Welcome\, Layla Saad (Rio+) \n14:40-15:00 Hubert Schmitz (Institute of Development Studies) Who drives low carbon policies: lessons from China \n15:00-15:20 Emilio Lèbre La Rovere (Centro Clima\, COPPE-UFRJ) Low carbon policies in Brazil: insights from Rio de Janeiro \n15:20-15:40 Ambuj Sagar (Indian Institute of Technology) Meeting multiple energy challenges: lessons from India \n15:40-16:00 Coffee break \n16:00-16:10 Adrian Ely (STEPS Centre) Diversity of Pathways \n16:10-16:20 Nozipho Mabebe Wright (Energia-Africa) What does this mean for Africa? \n16:20-17:00 Q&A\, facilitated discussion\, Leisa Perch (Rio+) \n17.00-18.00 Reception URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/bricsrio/ LOCATION:Hotel Sheraton\, Leblon\, Av Niemeyer\, 121 - Leblon\, Rio de Janeiro\, Brazil CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy,Governance & policy ORGANIZER;CN="Rio+ World Centre for Sustainable Development":MAILTO:rio.plus@undp.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140311T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140311T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140304T103842Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T224016Z UID:6096-1394542800-1394548200@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: Changing political climates: Chinese environmental journalism and sustainable development DESCRIPTION:Sam Geall\, Research Fellow SPRU and executive editor Chinadialogue\nChina’s current leadership recently made “Beautiful China” and “Ecological Civilization” two of its most prominent official slogans and enshrined sustainable development as core state policy\, but what are the dynamics of this drive for “low-carbon development” and how are those dynamics framed? \nExploring how Chinese environmental journalists make framing decisions around the science and politics of climate change helps to illustrate how spaces for political engagement have emerged in a restrictive and changeable media and governance environment\, one that not only reflects a changing history of attitudes towards the environment in China\, but also debates within the international arena of sustainable development. \nSam Geall is Research Fellow at SPRU\, working on Low Carbon Innovation in China: Prospects\, Politics and Practice\, an international research project led by Lancaster University\, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and an affiliate project of the STEPS Centre. Sam is also Executive Editor of chinadialogue.net\, editor of China and the Environment: The Green Revolution (Zed Books: 2013)\, and was recently the International Coordinator of a Special Policy Study for the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). \nEveryone welcome! \n  URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/samgeallseminar/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy,Governance & policy,Seminars ORGANIZER;CN="Harriet Dudley":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140225T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140225T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140207T150345Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T224207Z UID:6025-1393333200-1393338600@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Seminar: Optimism\, capitalism and cities of the future DESCRIPTION:Reluctant Optimism – What Worlds will Business Need to be Successful in the Future?\n1-2.30 Tuesday 25 February 2014\nIDS Convening Space \n \n\nSTEPS Seminar: Mick Blowfield and Leo Johnson on reluctant optimism and future cities by Stepscentre on Mixcloud \n\nMichael Blowfield\nProfessor Corporate Responsibility\, Wolverhampton; Senior Visiting Research Associate\, Oxford; Fellow\, London Business School \nLeo Johnson\nCo-Founder\, Sustainable Finance; Visiting Business Fellow\, Smith School of Enterprise & Environment\, University of Oxford \nDo we have the rights to optimism? Can capitalism deliver a next great wave of growth? The seminar builds on the arguments made in “Turnaround Challenge: Business and the city of the future”\, one of the top selling and most critical business books of 2013-2014. In the seminar we want to dissect the nexus of social\, economic\, environmental and governance crises confronting global society\, and a series of colliding megatrends that are reshaping the potential opportunities for growth. \nTo examine this\, we use the metaphor of three emerging cities: the Petropolis\, the alluringly familiar but decreasingly resilient city\, locked into the century old technologies of fossil fuel-driven mass production; Cyburbia\, the city of mass production on the steroids of IT – the latest manifestation of science fictions city without pain; and the Distributed City where technology is deployed with the intent to connect us not virtually.  These are the cities of society’s future\, and they have very different implications for the meaning of prosperity and business success\, as well as our ability to navigate the social\, economic\, and environmental megatrends confronting us. \nMany of these ideas are explained in Turnaround Challenge\, but the book was only ever meant as a starting point for a much wider debate about achieving lasting prosperity.  Therefore\, we hope the seminar is an opportunity not only to discuss our work\, but to explore how it relates to the ideas of others\, now and looking ahead. \nSeminar chaired by Prof Peter Newell\, Sussex University. \nAll welcome URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/seminar-optimism-capitalism-cities-future/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Urbanisation ORGANIZER;CN="ESRC STEPS Centre":MAILTO:b.ayre@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140220T153000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140220T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140218T100041Z LAST-MODIFIED:20140218T100041Z UID:11126-1392910200-1392915600@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Seminar: Kevin Urama\, African Technology Policy Studies Network DESCRIPTION:Sussex Africa Centre/Centre for Global Political Economy/STEPS Centre Seminar\nProfessor Kevin Urama\, African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) on ‘Science\, technology and innovation for development’\nProfessor Kevin Urama\, B. Agric (First Class Honours); MSc (Nig.); MPhil (Distinction\, Cambridge); Ph.D. (Cambridge) is an Environmental and Ecological Economist developing trans-disciplinary and integrated tools for sustainable management of social\, economic and ecological systems. He holds the 2002-3 James Claydon Prize for the most outstanding PhD thesis in Economics or related subjects\, St. Edmund’s College\, University of Cambridge. He is the Executive Director of the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) – a multi-disciplinary network of researchers\, practitioners and policy makers that promotes science\, technology and innovation (STI) policy research\, dialogue and practice\, for African Development (ranked Africa’s best think tank in the 2013 Global Go Think Thanks and Civil Society Index see http://www.atpsnet.org).  He is a Professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Prof. Urama is also the Inaugural President of the African Society for Ecological Economics (ASEE) – the African chapter of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE)\, (see http://www.ecoeco.org). \nProf. Urama serves on the boards of many international organisations\, scientific panels and research programs\, including: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as Lead Author of the IPCC SRREN report\, and a Coordinating Lead Author/Core Writing Team member on the IPCC AR5 report (in progress)\, High-Level Panel on Global Assessment of Resources for Implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020\, the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management (as Chair of the Water Working Group) and the OECD Green Growth and Poverty Reduction Task Team. \nEveryone welcome! URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/kevinurama-2/ LOCATION:Global Studies Resource Centre\, Arts C175\, University of Sussex\, BN1 9SJ\, United Kingdom ORGANIZER;CN="Harriet Dudley":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140220T123000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140220T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140129T113947Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220411T110649Z UID:5996-1392899400-1392904800@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Integrating Impact Planning into Research Projects: Reflections from the STEPS Centre DESCRIPTION:STEPS/CDI Seminar \nAdrian Ely\, Head of Impact and Engagement\, STEPS Centre and \nNathan Oxley\, Communications Officer\, STEPS Centre \nResearchers\, along with development programmes\, are increasingly called on to demonstrate the ‘impact’ of their research. There are many different ways to frame\, define and conceptualise impact\, and many possible responses to it. If impact is to be about more than box-ticking\, however\, this means engaging with questions about how researchers and research programmes interact with society\, politics and policy.  Innovative methods of planning and discussing the potential impact of research programmes have been developed and are increasingly integrated into the research process. \nIn this seminar we discuss our experience of adapting and employing a down-scaled version of ‘participatory impact pathways analysis’ (PIPA) and reflect on its utility and potential as a tool for planning relatively small-scale social science/ interdisciplinary research projects conducted with partners in developing countries.  In using PIPA\, the STEPS Centre has adapted the idea of ‘impact pathways’ in line with its broader ‘pathways approach’\, which focusses on complex and dynamic interactions between knowledge\, politics and ‘social\, technological and environmental pathways to sustainability’. The seminar coincides with the publication of a new Working Paper on the STEPS Centre’s approach to impact by Adrian Ely and Nathan Oxley. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/impactseminar/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Research methods ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://steps-centre.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PIPA21.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Harriet Dudley":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140210T080000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140211T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140122T074210Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T224837Z UID:5981-1392019200-1392138000@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS-JNU Symposium: Exploring Pathways to Sustainability DESCRIPTION:Our 2014 Annual Symposium\, ‘Exploring pathways to sustainability’\, is being co-organised with the Centre for Studies in Science Policy at Jawaharlal Nehru University\, New Delhi and will be held on 10-11 February at JNU. \nThe 2014 Annual Symposium will focus on the theme of ‘pathways to sustainability’. Our participants will consider how particular mainstream\, development interventions emerge as part of self-reinforcing trajectories for change\, and the implications of these pathways for both environmental integrity and social justice. Together\, participants will examine a range of contemporary issues including urbanisation and environmental health\, climate change\, securisation and grassroots innovation. Over two days we intend to explore future trajectories of change and possibilities for switching to more sustainable alternative pathways. \nDue to available space\, the event is invitation-only. \n\nFull details: Exploring Pathways to Sustainability symposium URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/steps-jnu-symposium-exploring-pathways-sustainability/ CATEGORIES:Understanding sustainability END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140208T080000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140208T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140204T093951Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T224356Z UID:6003-1391846400-1391878800@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Grassroots Innovation Movements workshop\, Delhi DESCRIPTION:This workshop will bring together researchers\, activists and policy-makers to learn from one another about grassroots innovation movements. The workshop is organised by Dinesh Abrol at Centre for Studies in Science Policy at Jawaharlal Nehru University in colaboration with Adrian Smith\, Elisa Arond\, and Mariano Fressoli (all from the project\, Grassroots Innovation: Historical and Comparative Perspectives). \nAgainst a backdrop of increasing policy interest in ideas for inclusive innovation\, the workshop will draw upon the experiences of grassroots innovations in order to critically assess the who\, what\, how\, where\, when and why of inclusions and exclusions in innovation. Most of the day will focus on movements in India\, such as Peoples’ Technology Initiatives\, Honey Bee Network\, and free software movements in India; but debate will also be encouraged through contrasts with movements in South America and UK. \nThis event is invite-only. \n\nFull programme \nBackground note URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/grassroots-innovation-movements-workshop-delhi/ LOCATION:Unnamed Venue\, Delhi\, India CATEGORIES:Technology & innovation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140205T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140205T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140116T155021Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T224433Z UID:5958-1391605200-1391608800@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Seminar: Adrian Smith on the Lucas Plan DESCRIPTION:‘Recalling the Lucas Plan: what can an old movement for socially useful production tell us about democratising technology today?’ \nAdrian Smith\, STEPS Centre/SPRU\n5 February 2014\n1pm\, room G22\, SPRU\nJubilee Building\, University of Sussex \nAdrian Smith will be presenting his work on the Lucas Aerospace Shop Stewards Alternative Corporate Plan\, also known as the Lucas Plan. This seminar coincides with the publication of his Working Paper on the movement for socially useful production. \nIt is thirty-eight years since a movement for ‘socially useful production’ pioneered practical approaches for more democratic technology development. Of course\, the world is different now. Nevertheless\, remembering older initiatives casts enduring issues about the direction of technological development in society in a different and informative light: an issue relevant today in debates as varied as industrial policy\, green and solidarity economies\, and grassroots digital fabrication. \nIt was in January 1976 that workers at Lucas Aerospace published an Alternative Plan for the future of their corporation. It was a novel response to management announcements that thousands of manufacturing jobs were to be cut in the face of industrial restructuring\, international competition\, and technological change. Instead of redundancy\, workers argued their right to socially useful production. \nRejected by management and government\, the Plan’s arguments attracted workers from other sectors\, community activists\, radical scientists\, environmentalists\, and the Left. The Plan became symbolic for a movement of activists committed to innovation for purposes of social use over private profit. With hindsight\, the movement was swimming against the political and economic tide\, but at the time things looked less clear-cut\, and some of their ideas did prove influential. Recalling the movement now\, what is striking is the importance activists attached to practical engagements in technology development as part of their politics. We will discuss the relevance today of old questions connecting tacit knowledge and participatory prototyping to the political economy of technology development. \nThis research is part of the STEPS Centre’s project Grassroots Innovation: historical and comparative perspectives. \n\nWorking Paper: Socially Useful Production \nSTEPS Working Paper 58\nby Adrian Smith \nA history and analysis is provided of the movement for socially useful production\, which flourished for a brief period in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s. Swimming against the rising tide of neo-liberalism\, activists provided both a critique of the existing institutions for innovation in society\, and developed a set of practical initiatives that explored and anticipated more directly democratic processes for socially shaping technologies. \nView abstract\nDownload the paper (pdf\, 980 kb) \n\nLucas Plan documentary \nA 1978 film made for the Open University explains how the Lucas Plan developed\, and includes interviews with shop stewards\, other company workers and politicians. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/seminar-adrian-smith-lucas-plan/ LOCATION:Room G22\, SPRU\, Jubilee Building\, University of Sussex\, Brighton\, BN1 9SL CATEGORIES:Governance & policy,Technology & innovation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140115T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140115T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131217T115935Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T224516Z UID:5889-1389790800-1389796200@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: Bruce Lankford on Resource Efficiency\, Complexity and the Commons DESCRIPTION:Resource Efficiency Complexity and the Commons: The Paracommons and Paradoxes of Natural Resource Losses\, Wastes and Wastages\nBruce Lankford\, Professor of Irrigation and Water Policy\, School of International Development\, University of East Anglia\nThe efficient use of natural resources is key to a sustainable economy\, and yet the complexities of the physical aspects of resource efficiency are poorly understood. In a recent Routledge book\, the author analyses resource efficiency and efficiency gains from the perspective of common pool resources\, applying this idea particularly to water resources and its use in irrigated agriculture. In a world of increasing scarcity\, the tracking\, amount and ownership of ‘saved’ resources while controlling for rebound (where savings lead to consumption elsewhere) will be of increasing importance as exemplified by Norris (2011) “… the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in Montana v Wyoming brings to the forefront one of the most complicated and contested facets of irrigation efficiency: who owns the rights to the conserved water?” \nThe book proposes the concept of “the paracommons”\, through which the savings of increased resource efficiency can be viewed. In effect this asks; “who gets the gain of an efficiency gain?” By reusing\, economising and avoiding losses\, wastes and wastages\, freed up resources are available for further use by four ‘destinations’; the proprietor\, parties directly connected to that user\, the wider economy or returned to the common pool. The paracommons is thus a commons of – and competition for – resources salvaged by changes to the efficiency of natural resource systems. \nDuring the presentation\, ‘liminality’ will be explored signalling the in-betweenness of systems caught between overly optimistic prefigurations of future efficiencies and disappointing outcomes. \n All welcome. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/bruce-lankford/ LOCATION:Room 221\, IDS\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Resource politics,Seminars ORGANIZER;CN="Harriet Dudley":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140114T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140114T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20140110T161642Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T224554Z UID:5924-1389697200-1389700800@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: Paul Richards on social cohesion in Sierra Leone DESCRIPTION:‘Clash of Institutions? Researching Social Cohesion in a Post-Conflict Agrarian Society (Sierra Leone)’ \nPaul Richards \nVisiting Professor\, School of Environmental Studies\, Njala University\, Sierra Leone; Emeritus professor of Technology and Agrarian Development at Wageningen University\, The Netherlands; Honorary Professor at the University College of London (UCL). \nEscaping from poverty depends on the rules governing access to vital resources. Rural societies are a historically determined mix of varied and sometimes competing “formal” and “informal” institutions. \nThe focus of this research is to investigate whether a “clash of institutions” is a factor determining poverty in Sierra Leone\, with a specific focus on land\, labour\, seeds and rural credit. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/steps-seminar-paul-richards-social-cohesion-sierra-leone/ LOCATION:Room 121\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, UK CATEGORIES:Food & agriculture,Governance & policy,Seminars END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20131204T123000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20131204T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131111T112601Z LAST-MODIFIED:20131111T112601Z UID:11118-1386160200-1386165600@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: Aid on the Edge of Chaos DESCRIPTION:Ben Ramalingam\nResearch Associate\, Overseas Development Institute and STEPS Centre Visiting Fellow at IDS \nIt is widely recognised that the foreign aid system is in need of drastic change. But there are conflicting opinions as to what is needed. Some call for dramatic increases in resources\, to meet long-overdue commitments\, and to scale up what is already being done around the world. Others point to the flaws in aid\, and bang the drum for cutting it altogether. Meanwhile\, growing numbers are suggesting that what is most needed is the creative\, innovative transformation of how aid works. Aid on the Edge of Chaos (published by Oxford University Press) is firmly in the third of these camps. \nBen Ramalingam shows that the linear\, mechanistic models and assumptions on which foreign aid is built are inadequate in the dynamic\, complex world we face today. Instead\, he argues that a new approach embracing the ‘new science’ of complex adaptive systems can make foreign aid more relevant\, more appropriate\, more innovative\, and more catalytic. His findings are based on insights\, experiences and remarkable results of practitioners who are already putting these principles into action. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/steps-seminar-ramalingham-2/ LOCATION:Convening Space\, IDS\, Library Road\, Falmer\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Seminars ORGANIZER;CN="Harriet Dudley":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20131127T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20131127T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131101T111215Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225007Z UID:5771-1385542800-1385553600@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Our Future in the Anthropocene DESCRIPTION:STEPS Centre director Melissa Leach will be giving a talk entitled ‘science-governance challenges in the Anthropocene’ as part of a half-day seminar\, Our Future in the Anthropocene\, hosted by the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics. \nThe other speakers are: \n\nStaffan Normark\, Permanent Secretary the Royal Swedish Academy of Science (introduction)\nWill Steffen\, chair of the Prize Jury (The epoch of the Anthropocene)\nJohan Rockström (Planetary boundaries and resilience)\nQin Dahe (The role of the glaciers and poles in the earth system)\nElisabet Lindgren\, KI (Human health and global environmental change)\nGarry Peterson\, SRC (A positive Anthropocene) URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/future-anthropocene/ LOCATION:Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences\, Sweden CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20131122T131500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20131122T144500 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131023T192931Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225034Z UID:5742-1385126100-1385131500@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:COP19 side event: Beyond Technology Transfer DESCRIPTION:The STEPS Centre’s energy and climate change co-convenor Dr Rob Byrne is presenting at a side event for COP19 entitled: Beyond Technology Transfer: Insights for the Technology Mechanism from low C energy policy research\, organised by The Sussex Energy Group (University of Sussex) and SusTec (ETH Zurich) \nSummary \nLow-carbon technology transfer is a central aim of the Technology Mechanism (TM). This event will draw on insights from new social science research on innovation and development to discuss how the TM can best deliver on its mandate. The event will focus on the role of national technological capabilities in low-carbon technology research\, development and deployment (RD&D) that fulfill the needs of developing countries. We will also discuss implications for the specification and implementation of supportive and collaborative actions under the TM. \nShort inputs from international organizations and academic researchers will be followed by a plenary session on experiences with capacity building\, local private sector involvement\, and the various aspects of ‘national appropriateness’ of mitigation and adaptation actions. \nProgramme \n\n\n\nTime\n\nTopic\nPresenter\n\n\n13.15\n13.20\nIntroduction by the Chair\nDr. Oliver Johnson\, SEI   International (Kenya)\n\n\n13.20\n13.30\nOverview   over the NAMA registry\nJules   Williams\, UNFCCC Secretariat\n\n\n13.30\n13.40\nLocal and   global knowledge – the role of value chains and technology differences\nJoern Huenteler\, ETH Zurich   (Switzerland)\n\n\n13.40\n13.50\nEnergy   Efficiency – the case of India (tbc)\nProf. Ambuj   Sagar\, IIT Delhi (India) (tbc)\n\n\n13:50\n14:00\nDe-risking   renewable energy investment – the role of building local capabilities\nMartin   Krause\, UNDP\n\n\n14:00\n14:10\nIncremental   innovation for pro-poor technology transfer\nDr. Rob   Byrne\, University of Sussex (UK)\n\n\n14:10\n14:40\nPanel   discussion on experiences with capacity building\, local private sector   involvement\, and the various aspects of ‘national appropriateness’\nPresenters\nShikha Bhasin\, DIE/GDI (Germany)\n\n\n14.40\n14.45\nWrap-up\nDr. Oliver   Johnson (SEI International)\n\n\n\n  \nContacts: \nUniversity of Sussex–Sussex Energy Group (SEG) & STEPS Centre: Dr. Rob Byrne\, r.p.byrne@sussex.ac.uk \nETH Zurich – Group for Sustainability and Technology (SusTec): Dr. Tobias Schmidt tobiasschmidt@ethz.ch \n  URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/cop19-side-event/ LOCATION:Torun Room (B3)\, National Stadium\, Al. Ks. J. Poniatowskiego 1\, Warsaw CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy ORGANIZER;CN="Rob Byrne":MAILTO:R.P.Byrne@sussex.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20131115T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20131115T144500 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131108T115305Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225120Z UID:5778-1384520400-1384526700@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Investing in Food security? Philanthrocapitalism\, biotechnology and development DESCRIPTION:Sally Brooks\, University of York\nThis paper traces the evolution of philanthropic involvement in developing country agriculture from the ‘scientific philanthropy’ of the Rockefeller Foundation during and after the Green Revolution era to the ‘philathrocapitalism’ of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation\, by examining two cases of ‘pro-poor’ agricultural biotechnology research: pro-Vitamin A-enriched ‘Golden Rice’ and drought tolerant maize. \nIn each case\, novel institutions developed for technology transfer have created conditions conducive to future capitalist accumulation in ways that are not immediately obvious. These initiatives can be understood as institutional experiments that are shifting debates about the governance and regulation of genetically modified (‘GM’) crops. \nMeanwhile an emphasis on silver bullet solutions and institutions that ‘connect to the market’ diverts attention from more context-responsive approaches. This trend is likely to intensify with the announcement at the recent G8 summit backing a ‘New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition’ in which agri-business corporations are to play a key role. \nMore information about Sally’s work can be found at http://www.sallybrooksconsulting.com/publications/ \nSally Brooks’ book in the STEPS Centre’s Pathways to Sustainability series: Rice Biofortification: Lessons for Global Science and Development \nBiography\nSally Brooks is a social researcher with interests in international development\, technological change in agriculture and food policy\, based in York\, UK. In recent years she has worked as a researcher and tutor at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and STEPS Centre at the University of Sussex and the Department of Social Policy at the University of York; and is currently research associate on a component of the BBSRC-funded ‘Sustainable Crop Production for International Development’ Project led by the School of International Development (DEV) at the University of East Anglia and John Innes Centre. Previously she worked with development NGOs in Southeast Asia for several years. She is author of ‘Rice Biofortification: Lessons for Global Science and Development’ (Earthscan: 2010). \n  URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/sallybrooksseminar/ LOCATION:Jubilee Lecture Theatre 144\, Jubilee Building\, University of Sussex\, Brighton CATEGORIES:Food & agriculture,Governance & policy ORGANIZER;CN="Adrian Ely":MAILTO:a.v.ely@sussex.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20131107T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20131107T210000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131003T144419Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225239Z UID:5678-1383850800-1383858000@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Controlling the climate? Public debate on geoengineering DESCRIPTION:As climate change intensifies\, some scientists suggest the need for a ‘plan B’ if immediate emissions reductions don’t prove feasible. Research into geoengineering (the large scale intentional manipulation of the climate) has begun\, and includes research into technologies that might enable us to cool the planet by shielding some sunlight from the earth\, or technologies that might speed up the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But research in this area is controversial. Could the very idea of a technological solution take momentum away from the need for emissions reductions? If research continues\, might there be a ‘slippery slope’ to eventual deployment? Should we even be contemplating attempting to control nature in this way? \nThis public debate on geoengineering research will bring leading scientists and campaigners together with members of the public to explore the complex ethical and political questions associated with research on climate engineering\, to debate the motion: \n‘We need to do more research on geoengineering.’ \nSpeakers: \n\nDr Matt Watson (Bristol University)\nOliver Morton (The Economist)\nProf. Andy Stirling (Sussex University and co-director of the STEPS Centre)\nHelena Paul (Econexus)\n\nPart of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2013. \nRelated project: Climate geoengineering governance URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/controlling-climate-public-debate-geoengineering/ LOCATION:The Old Market\, 11A Upper Market Street\, Hove\, BN3 1AS\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy ORGANIZER;CN="Sussex Energy Group":MAILTO:b.zenz@sussex.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20131106T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20131106T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131031T101532Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225154Z UID:5763-1383742800-1383746400@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Putting the Power in 'Socio-Technical Regimes'- E-Mobility Transition in China as Political Process DESCRIPTION:Dr David Tyfield\, Co-Director\, Centre for Mobilities Research\, Lancaster University\nOne of the greatest challenges regarding contemporary research into socio-technical transition concerns the possibility of ‘sustainable transport’.  Transportation\, which accounts for at least one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions\, is key to efforts to mitigate ‘climate change’.  But with the particularly ‘locked-in’ and entrenched socio-technical system of ‘automobility’ at the core of contemporary mobility\, it is also arguably a uniquely challenging case for low-carbon transition.  In this respect\, perhaps the most significant single development is the recent transformation of mobility within contemporary China.  In little more than 3 decades\, China has gone from a society dominated by bicycles and beasts of burden to the largest car market in the world\, and with prospects for massive further growth.  Conversely\, China is also engaged in an experiment regarding electric vehicles that is receiving globally unique levels of governmental and corporate support. \nThe talk will introduce a new 30-month ESRC project – involving colleagues at Lancaster\, SPRU\, the STEPS Centre and in China – that will explore the broader prospects for low-carbon transition in China.  Focusing on the work package on low-carbon e-mobility by way of illustration\, the talk will ask in particular how thinking about low-carbon transition in the entirely different socio-economic\, political and cultural context of China forces a confrontation with some key challenges for contemporary theories of low-carbon innovation and system transition.  In particular\, while acknowledging the significant insights and benefits of two theoretical perspectives emerging as dominant in this field – the ‘multi-level perspective’ and practice theory – both need also to place issues of power at the heart of their analyses.  In this way\, the specific and different challenges of constructing an ‘entrepreneurial state’ in China (vs. for example in the UK) may also be illuminated. \nEveryone welcome. URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/e-mobility-china/ LOCATION:Room G22\, Jubilee Building\, University of Sussex\, Brighton\, BN1 9RH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy,Technology & innovation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20131101T083000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20131101T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20131031T163035Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225313Z UID:5767-1383294600-1383303600@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:The Politics of Integrated Water Resources Management in southern Africa DESCRIPTION:Special session at the 14th WATERNET Symposium\, White Sands Hotel\, Dar Es Salaam\nThis special session draws on ongoing research of the Norwegian Research Council Project ‘Flows and Practices. The Politics of IWRM in Africa’ a multi-country research consortium led by the International Environmental and Development Studies\, Norwegian University of Life Sciences See:  http://www.engopa.no/research-projects/flows-and-practices-the-politics-of-integrated-water-resources-management-in-africa \n\n\nLyla Mehta (STEPS Centre water and sanitation convenor) and Synne Movik\n\n\nThe Flows and Practices of IWRM: A Conceptual Framework \n\nEmmanuel Manzungu\, Bill Derman\, Linda Mtali and Sijabuliso Masango\n\nThe Impact of Urbanization on Implementation of IWRM in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of the Upper Manyame Catchment Council \n\n Takunda Hove\, Bill Derman and Emmanuel Manzungu\n\nThe Intersection between IWRM\, land reform and agrarian change in Zimbabwe: A case study of the Middle Manyame Sub-catchment \n\n Synne Movik and Kristi Denby\n\nInstitutional Integration and Local Level Water Access in the Inkomati Water Management Area\, South Africa \n\n Barbara van Koppen and Barbara Schreiner\n\nMoving beyond IWRM: Developmental Water Management in South Africa \n\n Alex Bolding and Rossella Alba\n\nIWRM ‘Avant La Lettre’? Four Key Episodes in the Policy Articulation of IWRM in the Downstream Nation of Mozambique   \n\n Preetha Prabhakaran Bisht\n\nGender Invisibility in Global Water Discourses: A Feminist Critique of Integrated Water Resources Management \n  URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/waternet2013/ LOCATION:Tasi 1\, White Sands Hotel\, Dar Es Salaam\, Tanzania\, United Republic Of CATEGORIES:Resource politics,Water ORGANIZER;CN="Beth Mudford":MAILTO:bethm@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20131016T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20131016T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20130430T092958Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225527Z UID:4153-1381928400-1381933800@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS Seminar: Bram Büscher on Transforming the Frontier: Peace Parks and the Politics of Neoliberal Conservation in Southern Africa DESCRIPTION:STEPS Seminar – Bram Büscher on transboundary peace parks in Southern Africa\, October 2013 by Stepscentre on Mixcloud \n\nBram Büscher talks about the themes covered in his recently published book\, Transforming the Frontier: Peace Parks and the Politics of Neoliberal Conservation in Southern Africa (Duke University Press). All welcome. \nYou can watch a video of Bram introducing his book on his website. \nAbout Bram:\nAssociate Professor of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Institute of Social Studies\, Erasmus University. I also hold appointments as a visiting Associate Professor at the Department of Geography\, Environmental Management and Energy Studies of the University of Johannesburg and a Research Associate at the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology of Stellenbosch University \nAbout the book:\nInternational peace parks—transnational conservation areas established and managed by two or more countries—have become a popular ways of protecting biodiversity while promoting international cooperation and regional development. In Transforming the Frontier\, Bram Büscher shows how cross-border conservation neatly reflects the neoliberal political economy in which it developed. \nDrawing on extensive research in Southern Africa with the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Project\, Büscher explains how the successful promotion of transfrontier conservation as a “win-win” solution happens not only in spite of troubling contradictions and problems\, but indeed because of them. This is what he refers to as the “politics of neoliberal conservation\,” which receives its strength from effectively combining strategies of consensus\, anti-politics\, and marketing. Drawing on long-term\, multi-level ethnographic research\, Büscher argues that transfrontier conservation projects are not as concerned with on-the-ground development as they are purported to be. Instead\, they are reframing environmental protection and sustainable development to fit an increasingly contradictory world order. \n  URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/bram-buscher/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Brighton\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Governance & policy,Understanding sustainability ORGANIZER;CN="Harret Dudley":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20130724T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20130724T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20130723T093138Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225611Z UID:4415-1374670800-1374676200@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:STEPS/IDS Seminar: Jon Morris - Reimagining development 3.0 for a changing planet DESCRIPTION:Reimagining development 3.0 for a changing planet \nProfessor Jon Morris\n24 July 2013 at 13.00 – 14.30\nRoom 221\, Institute of Development Studies \nAbout the seminar: \nThe need to ‘re-imagine’ development studies in today’s world arises because of sweeping changes which invalidate the earlier globalization emphasis which has guided social science involvement in applied policy.  Business analysts tell us we work now in World 3.0\, with a rise of emerging markets and a digital world\, where also unexpected events occur frequently.  Drawing on this business literature by Ghemawat and Ramo (and others)\, this seminar explores implications of these changed circumstances\, which suggest we craft Development 3.0 to address planetary needs.  Such an emphasis would privilege sustainability over efficiency\, would look at all nations\, would anticipate urban problems and populations\, and would try to cope more effectively with ‘mashups’: unexpected\, major changes (such as we faced in 2008 and now again in the Arab Spring).  The aim here will be to explore better narratives and changed metrics\, to break out of the earlier assumptions (taken as facts) which guided Development 2.0\, looking to globalization to yield a better world.  \n\nAbout the speaker: \nProfessor Jon Morris is based in southeast Utah\, where he teaches courses in his retirement on Southwest Indian Nations for Utah State University.  His career began in East Africa in the mid-1960s\, on topics related to land settlement\, rural development\, extension\, and education\, finishing as Professor in what is now Sokoine University of Agriculture\, Tanzania.  In the 1980s he worked on pastoralism for ODI\, London\, and on Tanzanian development for Uma Lele in the Bank. In the 1990s\, his focus became African Irrigation and livestock policies\, under USAID funded projects.  For this occasion he looks back on a half century’s development efforts\, tracking how emphases and assumptions change but persistent problems remain. \nAll welcome URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/stepsids-seminar-jon-morris-reimagining-development-3-0-for-a-changing-planet/ LOCATION:Room 221\, Institute of Development Studies\, Library Road\, Falmer\, BN1 9RE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Climate change & energy,Understanding sustainability ORGANIZER;CN="STEPS Centre / IDS":MAILTO:h.corbett@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20130704T080000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20130705T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20130415T124055Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225642Z UID:4086-1372924800-1373043600@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:International Workshop: New Models of Innovation for Development DESCRIPTION:Innovation has been moving up the strategic agendas of business\, government and international agencies working in developing countries.  New markets for innovative goods and services among those at the base of the pyramid\, and new technologies – particularly information and communication technologies – are inducing and enabling new actors to become involved in innovation for development.  This is creating new contexts and new locations for innovation.  And\, as a result\, new models of innovation are emerging. \nThis two-day workshop aims to share and explore some of these new models for which a variety of labels have emerged: “Pro-poor innovation”\, “BoP innovation”\, “Inclusive innovation”\, “Below-the-radar innovation”\, “Grassroots innovation”\, “Frugal innovation”\, “Jugaad innovation”\, and more. \nThe STEPS Centre’s Grassroots Innovation project will be presenting a paper entitled Renewing inclusive models of innovation: grassroots innovation in historical and comparative perspective at this event\, and STEPS Centre member Adrian Ely will  present a new STEPS Centre paper. \nFind out more on the event website URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/new-models-workshop/ LOCATION:UCL Roberts 106 LT\, Roberts Building\, Torrington Place\, London\, WC1E 7JE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Technology & innovation ORGANIZER;CN="Centre for Development Informatics (CDI)":MAILTO:innov4dev@gmail.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20130625T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20130625T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T004500 CREATED:20130603T132302Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170209T225757Z UID:4291-1372165200-1372170600@steps-centre.org SUMMARY:Transition Pathways to Water Sensitive Cities DESCRIPTION:Fjalar de Haan\, Annette Bos\, Briony Ferguson\nResearch Fellows at Monash Water for Liveability\nMonash University\, Melbourne\, Australia \nClimate change\, resource limitations\, changing demographics\, ageing infrastructure and evolving community values are putting pressure on urban water systems around the world. In response\, the concept of a water sensitive city has emerged in science\, policy and practice\, as a vision for how a city’s liveability\, sustainability and resilience can take shape in relation to water management. \nThe Urban Water Transitions and Governance (UWTAG) group\, part of the interdisciplinary research centre Monash Water for Liveability\, aims to understand and contribute to change in policy and practice for enabling transition pathways to water sensitive cities. UWTAG’s research is both fundamental and problem based\, integrating empirical\, theoretical and modelling approaches to establish robust knowledge and operational tools and frameworks. \nThis presentation will showcase two recent UWTAG projects that focus on the question of how to build socio-political capital at different levels in society for steering fundamental change in urban water practices. One project examined an alternative planning approach for local sustainable stormwater management in the Cooks River catchment of Sydney. The second project implemented a transition scenario process for Melbourne as a future water sensitive city. Both projects involved innovative participatory approaches to water governance and strategic planning and drew on a range of frameworks and methods\, including governance experimentation\, transitions management\, social learning and institutional change. \nAll welcome URL:https://steps-centre.org/event/transition-pathways-to-water-sensitive-cities/ LOCATION:Room 144\, Jubilee Building\, University of Sussex\, Falmer\, BN1 9SL\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Water ORGANIZER;CN="ESRC STEPS Centre":MAILTO:h.dudley@ids.ac.uk END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR