Friday, December 30, 2016

CfPs: INSEE Conference on Sustainability, Institutions, Incentives: Voices, Policies and Commitments | KILA, Kerala| Dates: 8-10 November, 2017

The 9th Biennial Conference of The Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE)
Theme: Sustainability, Institutions, Incentives: Voices, Policies and Commitments 
Venue: Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Thrissur, Kerala, India
Dates: 8-10 November, 2017

Call for Papers
INSEE is pleased to announce its 9th Biennial Conference, organized jointly with the Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Thrissur, Kerala (kila.ac.in) at KILA. INSEE provides a forum for engaging with inter-disciplinary perspectives on ecology, economy and society. We invite academicians, students, activists, policy-makers and practitioners to submit abstracts (of original research papers) and panel proposals under the following sub-themes:
1. Ecosystems and Well Being: Oceans, Forests, Mountains and Wetlands; Resilience; Valuation; Management
2. Collective Action and Local Governance: Community; Institutions; Transaction Costs; Trust
3. Climate Change: Science of Climate Change; Agriculture & Food Security; Extreme Events; Paris Agreement and Marrakesh Proclamation; Adaptation and Mitigation; Technology
4. SDGs and Global South: Gender & Ecology; Inequality; Environmental Justice; Green Economy; Waste and recycling; Energy 

Important dates:
  • Last date for submission of Abstracts/Panel Proposal January 31, 2017
  • Communication about selection of Abstract/Panel Proposal February 28, 2017
  • Submission of final Paper/full Panel Proposal April 15, 2017
  • Announcement of final selection of Paper/Panel July 1, 2017
  • Conference November 8-10, 2017
  • Other events planned: Pre-conference workshop November 6-7, 2017

For information on Submission of Abstract of Paper/Panel Proposals, Pre-conference Workshop, Plenary Speakers, Directions to the Venue, Prearranged Local Visits, Travel Support, and Local Hospitality, visit the INSEE website (http://ecoinsee.org/conference/2017). 
Sd/-
Dr. P P Balan, Director, KILA  | Dr. Nandan Nawn, Secretary, INSEE

Thursday, December 29, 2016

CfP: Globelics Academy 2017: 12th International PhD School on Innovation and Economic Development | Tampere, Finland | 15-26 May

Globelics Academy 2017: 12th International PhD School on Innovation and Economic Development

15-26 May 2017

Venue: University of Tampere, Finland


 

Call for Applications | Deadline: January 20, 2017

 

The Aim of the Globelics Academy

The aim of the Globelics Academy PhD School is to support the training of PhD students who utilize the innovation systems approach in context of emerging or developing economies in their dissertations. The Academy brings together frontier researchers in innovation with PhD students from developing countries in order to inspire and qualify their work as well as to help them to join high quality research networks in their field of research. The Globelics Academy aims at improving students' ability to undertake theoretically informed and policy-relevant empirical work on issues related with innovation in firms and societies, and its relationship with economic development. The Globelics Academy originates from and is connected to the world-wide research network Globelics (www.globelics.org) bringing together scholars working on national systems of innovation.

 

The Content of the PhD School

PhD training will be based on scholarly lectures and presentations from the PhD students. Student presentations are expected to focus explicitly on students' own on-going research, its methodological challenges and contribution to the advancement of knowledge on innovation. Lecturers for 2017 include professors form Globelics network, whose names will be confirmed soon (see webpages of previous years for example). In addition, other activities including policy lectures, panel discussion, workshops, social activities and visits to relevant "sites of innovation" are part of the program.

 

Further Details

Monday, December 26, 2016

EPW Special Issue on Water Governance | December 2016 | SDG6

EPW Special Issue on Water Governance
Economic & Political Weekly, 51(52), 24 December 2016. http://www.epw.in/journal/2016/52

  • All Is Not Lost, But Water Sector Reforms Must Go Ahead | P S Vijayshankar
  • Sustaining the Liquid Mosaic - Longer Steps Needed | Nilanjan Ghosh, Jayanta Bandyopadhyay
  • New Structures of Governance Needed | Vinod K Gaur
  • From Policy to Practice - Principles of Water Governance | Rochi Khemka
  • An Important Step in Reforming Water Governance | K J Joy
  • Welcome First Step to Much-needed Change | Shripad Dharmadhikary
  • Merits Undeniable despite Drawbacks | Nirmal Sengupta
  • Water Governance Reform - A Hopeful Starting Point | Rajeswari S Raina http://www.epw.in/journal/2016/52/water-governance/water-governance-reform.html
  • 21st Century Water Governance - A Mirage or an Opportunity? | Rohini Nilekani
  • Evolution of Irrigation Sector | Aditi Mukherji
  • The Way Forward | Mihir Shah
  • Comment on the Proposed National Water Commission | Pradip Khandwalla
  • Focus on Sustainable Groundwater Management | Rajiv Sinha, Alexander L Densmore
  • Focusing on the Essentials - Integrated Monitoring and Analysis of Water Resources | Sharachchandra Lele, Veena Srinivasan

Sustaining the Liquid Mosaic: Longer Steps Needed 
by Nilanjan Ghosh & Jayanta Bandyopadhyay
Economic & Political Weekly, 51(52), 24 Dec 2016. 
Abstract: This critique assesses if the National Water Framework Bill 2016 and the Mihir Shah Committee report are truly interdisciplinary and based on the principles of integrated water systems governance. The question still remains whether the recommendations are enough to bridge existing gaps and address future challenges in water governance.


Water Governance Reform: A Hopeful Starting Point
by Rajeswari S Raina
Economic & Political Weekly, 51(52), 24 Dec 2016. 
Abstract: The Mihir Shah Committee report demands a paradigm shift, bringing the ecosystems perspective to the ways water is governed in India. This article argues that these governance reforms, though essential, are not enough to enable the paradigm shift necessary for sustainability and ecological justice. But it may be a great place to begin.



One-day National Consultation Workshop on Incheon (Korea) Declaration: Education (SDG-4) | at SSS-1, JNU | 28th December

One-day National Consultation Workshop on Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 (SDG-4) of Sustainable Development Goals

Venue: Committee Room, SSS-1, JNU, New Delhi

28 December 2016 |  9.30 am to 4.00 pm

You may be aware that India too is signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030). In this context National Coalition for Education (NCE)  in collaboration with Group of Adult Education, (School of Social Sciences JNU) is organising this one day Consultation with invited academics, researchers, activists, parliamentarians and representatives from Teachers' Unions and Civil Societies.

All are cordially invited.

(Full-text PDF)

Best regards,
Dr. Ajay Kumar
Director, (GAE SSS JNU)
E: ajaykumar@mail.jnu.ac.inajayritwik@gmail.com

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Call for Applications | Senior Research Fellowship in Social Security

Senior Research Fellowship in Social Security

Offered by: Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security | Employees' Provident Funds Organisation (Ministry of Labour& Employment, Govt. of India)

Objective: To provide opportunities to renowned Indian Social Scientists or distinguished personalities of Academic pursuit in the field of Social Security.

Duration: 02 years (2017-2019) | Period: 01.04.2017 to 31.03.2019

Eligibility: Persons having outstanding academic work and High Quality Research Publications to their credit. Preference will be given to Social Workers, Action Researchers, Retired Academicians from reputed Universities or Retired Government Servants with specialized fields.

(i) There is no age bar for Fellowship.

(ii) The applicant should have obtained a doctoral degree in any area and should have work experience relating to Social Security.

(iii) The Scholars who avail Fellowship should either not be in service or should have superannuated at the time of Award of the Fellowship.

(iv) No salary protection will be available under any circumstances.

(v) The selected fellows are expected to do Full time Research in India.

(vi) While accepting Fellowship from the Academy, a fellow should not accept Fellowship from any other Organisation.

(vii) In case of selection of persons with disabilities, Academy may consider providing additional resources as per special requirements.

Grant:

(i) Research fellow shall be paid a fellowship amount of Rs.55,000/- per month irrespective of the fact whether they are getting any Pensionary benefits. The Pensionary benefits will not be deducted from their monthly fellowship.

(ii) In addition a contingency grant of Rs.60,000/- per annum shall also be provided to a fellow during an entire period of fellowship.

(iii) All payments are subject to Income Tax deduction as per rules.

Procedure:

(i) Candidates must submit a brief synopsis of approximately 3000 words, for area of concerned research containing empirical data, need of research and proposed outcome of the research and also how will it benefit the enhancement of Social Security.

(ii) The term of Fellowship will be 2 years, extendable upto six months with the permission of competent authority. The fellowship shall not be awarded twice to the same person.

(iii) Term of fellowship will be counted from the date of acceptance of joining the Fellowship.

(iv) Once the fellowship is awarded it cannot be returned back. If any candidate leaves the research fellowship before completion of the research project, the fellow has to reimburse the extraneous expenditure.

(v) During the term of fellowship research, fellow will be required to give lectures and attend seminars and workshops at PDUNASS or at appropriate forum to disseminate his/her work and knowledge of Social Security among the fellow participants.

(vi) A fellow is required to submit the progress report every sixth month of his/her work and with a simple statement of accounts of expenditures duly signed by him/her.

(vii) A research fellow is required to submit a book length unpublished final report and summary of not more than five thousand words before completion of the fellowship.

(viii) The applications received for Fellowship in prescribed time shall be scrutinized by a Selection Committee, which will recommend the eligible candidates.

(ix) The acceptance of recommendation of the Selection Committee and the appointment to Fellowship shall be the sole discretion of the Competent Authority.

Last Date: Applications complete in all respects and in the proforma prescribed below, must reach the following address, by 05.30 PM of 30.01.2017. Applications received after the said date and time shall not be considered.

Address:

The Director, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Academy of Social Security, 30-31, Institutional Area, Janak Puri, New Delhi – 110058

Phone: 011-28524248 | Fax:28525987 | Website: www.natrss.gov.in | Email: natrss@epfindia.gov.in


Further Details and Application Proforma

 

Friday, December 23, 2016

Asian Biotechnology and Development Review | 18(2), July 2016 issue is now available online


Table of Contents
Asian Biotechnology and Development Review
Volume: 18, Number: 2 (July 2016)


Editorial Introduction
| K. Ravi Srinivas

Articles

The Emergence of the Biosimilars: A Threat or an Opportunity For Biopharmaceutical Innovation System | Pranav N. Desai 
Moratorium on Genetically Modified Brinjal in India: Is Evidence- Based Policy making An Adequate Framework? | Jacob Kalle and Haribabu Ejnavarzala  
Perception of International Stakeholders on Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs) | Ruth Mbabazi, Hashni Galhena Dissanayake, Joe Guenther and Karim Maredia  
The Future of Genetically Modified Crops: Reflections on the NAS Report | Amit Kumar  
Report of Multi- stakeholder' Roundtable Discussion on "IPR, Access to Technology and Policy Deliberationst"
Report of Roundtable on "Resolving Legal Ambiguity related to IPR and Access to Technology in Reference to Seeds | Free Download
Book Review | Free Download

Science, Technology and Society | 21(3), November 2016 issue is now available online


Table of Contents
Science, Technology and Society
Volume: 21, Number: 3 (November 2016)

Special Issue: Open Innovation: Technology, Market and Complexity in South Korea

Guest Editor : Jinhyo JosephYun

Articles
Open Innovation: Technology, Market and Complexity in South Korea Jinhyo Joseph Yun
Open Innovation to Business Model Jinhyo Joseph Yun, Jeongho Yang, Kyungbae Park
The Factors Affecting Basic Research Performance Funded by Government: 'Creative Research Program' Case in South Korea Youngsoo Ryu, Kwangseon Hwang, Sang Ok Choi
Open Innovation Effort, Entrepreneurship Orientation and their Synergies onto Innovation Performance in SMEs of Korea Jinhyo Joseph Yun, Kyungbae Park, Janghyun Kim, Jeongho Yang
How User Entrepreneurs Succeed: The Role of Entrepreneur's Caliber and Networking Ability in Korean User Entrepreneurship Jinhyo Joseph Yun, Kyungbae Park
Learning Organisation Activities and Innovativeness of Tech-based SMEs within Korean Technoparks: The Mediating Role of Learning Transfer Sanghyun Sung, Jaehoon Rhee, Junghyun Yoon
Exploring Neglected Aspects of Innovation Function: Public Motivation and Non-pecuniary Values Kwangho Jung, Seung-Hee Lee, Jane E. Workman
The Effect of Regional Innovation Type on the Pursuit of Open Innovation in Korean Firms Gwang Min Yoo, Sunjoo Kwak

Book Reviews

Book Review: Banu Subramaniam (2014), Ghost Stories for Darwin: The Science of Variation and the Politics of Diversity Theodore Koditschek
Book Review: Clapperton Chakanetsa Mavhunga (2014), Transient Workspaces: Technologies of Everyday Innovation in Zimbabwe Anna M. Agathangelou



Thursday, December 22, 2016

Call for Nomination: NIAS-DST Training Programme on "Science Policy and General Management" | 6-17 February | NIAS Bangalore

NIAS-DST Training Programme on "Science Policy and General Management"
6-17 February 2017
at National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore, India

Call for Participation
The broad theme for the two-week NIAS-DST training programme to be held during February 6-17, 2017 is "Science Policy and General Management" with 'Energy Security and Sustainable Development' as the core theme. Consistent with the mission of NIAS, this training programme emphasizes the development of leadership qualities through the integration of multidisciplinary knowledge. The thematic focus of this year's training programme will be particularly suited for those with an interest in energy technologies and sustainable development. 
One of the largest research concentrations at NIAS is the Energy and Environment Policy Programme, which is a unique group in the country with a comprehensive approach to address energy challenges. Here researchers from natural sciences and engineering work in collaboration with those from the humanities and social sciences in developing comprehensive technology and policy solutions to India's persistent energy problems.
India's projected economic growth and demographic expansion highlights the twin challenges faced by policymakers to increase energy supplies while also seeking to minimize the environmental impacts of energy development. For the past two decades India bas been facing a significant tightening of its energy supplies causing obstacles for development and growth. Energy planning and development in India also suffer from the fragmented nature of policymaking in the State and Central governments resulting in suboptimal outcomes. While public resistance is increasingly proving to be a challenge for industrial development, energy projects face peculiar difficulties due to differing distributions of costs and benefits among various stakeholders and perceptions thereof.
What should be the optimal energy mix for a large country like India that can address these goals? How can India address the supply problems of coal, oil, and natural gas in the short and medium term? What are the technically and economically feasible limits of renewable and nuclear energy penetration in India? How can India's energy security goals be met while also not compromising its national security and foreign policy interests? Finally, how will the country address inequality of energy access arising out of poverty and geography? The choice of topics for discussion in the training programme will provide orientation and in-depth analysis of various national energy challenges. 
The objective of this training programme is to expose participants to various local, national, and international issues affecting India's energy development in the medium and long term. In addition, the training programme will also enhance planning skills relevant for science and technology administrators, and in particular, to offer views of the broader scientific, economic, social and cultural milieu in which the Indian Scientific enterprise could develop in this century.
About 20 eminent speakers and researchers will be addressing the participants on various topics during the two-week programme, which will also have two public lectures, an industrial site visit, and a cultural outing during the weekend break. The general format of the speaker sessions is a presentation for 45 minutes followed by lively discussions for 45 minutes. We encourage all participants in our courses to interact as widely as possible with the speakers and continue discussions during coffee and lunch breaks. Engaging in a broader conversation during this training programme is expected to enrich the participants and expose them to issues beyond their narrow domain expertise.


For Inquiry Contact: National Institute of Advanced Studies | Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru 560012 | Email: dst.spgm2015@gmail.com, rethinaraj72@gmail.com, niasdst.mdp@gmail.com | URL: www.nias.res.in

Last Date for Nomination: 9th January 2017.

New Book | A Practical Guide to Responsible Research and Innovation: Key Lessons from RRI Tools | by RRI Tools Consortium, 2016

A Practical Guide to Responsible Research and Innovation: Key Lessons from RRI Tools
by RRI Tools Consortium, 2016, www.rri-tools.eu.

About the Book
This quick guide explains what responsible research and innovation really means and why it is so important for modern society. It explores RRI through the lens of the RRI Tools project and provides practical examples of its implementation through a number of case studies (page 15) and an overview of the RRI Toolkit structure and main contents (page 33). A selection of 'How To' guidelines (page 37) explains how to apply RRI to specific situations, including policy, research and business contexts. Finally, this guide provides five recommendations (page 51) that can help to make all types of research and innovation more responsible. This document explains how RRI Tools has laid the groundwork for more responsible, acceptable, and ethical science and technology development in Europe — in the pursuit of a better, more sustainable and more equitable world. 

Table of Contents
Introduction
Shaping the future: A Responsible Research and Innovation policy brief
Learning from example: RRI Showcases
The RRI Toolkit structure
Hands on: How To implement RRI 
5 golden rules for achieving RRI
Minds on, hearts on: reflecting and looking ahead


About the Authors
The RRI Tools Consortium project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 612393. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) License.



Tuesday, December 20, 2016

JNU Seminar "Utilizing Online Learning in Educational Institutions to Improve Learning Outcomes"| 26th December

Office of Research & Development
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY

organising a seminar on

Utilizing Online Learning in Educational Institutions to Improve Learning Outcomes

by
Dr. Manish Gupta
Co-founder and CEO, Yen4Ken

on Monday, 26th December 2016
at 3:00pm
at Lecture Hall-I, JNU Convention Centre, New Delhi

Programme
3:00pm-3:05pm Welcome address
3:05pm-3:20pm Remarks by Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar, Vice Chancellor, JNU
3:20pm-3:30pm Address by Prof. Satish C Garkoti, Rector-II
3:30pm-3:35pm Introduction of speaker
3:35pm-4:35pm Presentation by Dr. Manish Gupta
4:35pm-4:40pm Vote of Thanks
4:45pm-5:30pm High Tea

Trialogue2047: Builder, Thinker, Visionary: Celebrating the Philosophy and Practice of Laurie Baker | at IIC Delhi, 28 December



Dear All,

Greetings from Development Alternatives! We are pleased to announce the 

18th Trialogue 2047
Builder, Thinker, Visionary: Celebrating the Philosophy and Practice of Laurie Baker
Screening and Discussion with the Director of :Uncommon Sense: The Life and Architecture of Laurie Baker 

in partnership with Heinrich Böll Stiftung

on 28th December 2016 from 5.00 to 7.30 PM 

at Seminar Hall 1 and 2, India International Centre, New Delhi




Block the date on your calendar!

Resource Centre

Development Alternatives         
B-32, Tara Crescent, Qutub Institutional Area
New Delhi - 110016



Monday, December 19, 2016

EAERE-FEEM-VIU Summer School 2017 - Macroeconomics, Growth, and the Environment - Call for applications


EAERE-FEEM-VIU European Summer School 2017

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
EAERE-FEEM-VIU European Summer School
in Resource and Environmental Economics
Macroeconomics, Growth, and the Environment 
2-8 July 2017 - Venice, Italy

www.feem.it/ess17/
Deadline for applications: February 15th, 2017
The European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE), Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) and Venice International University (VIU) are pleased to announce their annual European Summer School in Resource and Environmental Economics for postgraduate students.

The 2017 Summer School will take place from the 2nd to the 8th of July at the VIU campus on the Island of San Servolo, in Venice, located just in front of St. Mark's Square. The topic covered by the 2017 Summer School is the Macroeconomics, Growth, and the Environment.

Some of the most pressing environmental and resource problems – including climate change, deforestation, urban air pollution – are closely related to economic growth. Environmental policies have macroeconomic impacts. The aim of the 2017 Summer School is to provide tools and methods to study the intersection between macroeconomics, economic growth, and the environment.

The lectures will first present theories of how environmental problems are coupled to – and can be decoupled from – population growth and technical change in the long run and will present work on how environmental policies affect the macroeconomy, growth and the direction of technological change. We will study green growth policies, long-run carbon pricing policies and the political and distributional aspects of environmental policies, with special attention to threshold effects and tipping points. The methods used in the summer school are mainly analytically-solvable dynamic models, calibrated models, and stochastic models.

FACULTY and LECTURE TOPICS
Snorre KVERNDOKK, Frisch Centre Oslo, Norway
Topics: Inter- and intragenerational equity, climate finance, migration, north-south models.

Pietro PERETTO, Duke University, USA
Topics: Schumpeterian and Malthusian growth models with resources and population dynamics, sustainability, and the industrial-organization perspective.

Aude POMMERET, City University of Hong Kong, China
Topics: aspects of thresholds, irreversibility and uncertainty in macroeconomic environmental policies.

Armon REZAI, Vienna University of Economics, Austria
Topics: Social Cost of Carbon, political economy, overlapping generations models.

Sjak SMULDERS (School coordinator), Tilburg University, The Netherlands
Topics: directed technical change, green growth policies.
ADMISSION AND SCHOLARSHIPS
The Summer School is aimed at Ph.D. students who are writing a thesis on the dynamic macro-economics of environmental and resource problems or climate change and want to engage into a highly interactive exchange with experts in the field. Students will be asked to present an advanced version of their research work and will receive valuable feedback from fellow students and from the School professors.

Application is restricted to 2017 EAERE members, both European and non European citizens.
The application form, information on participation fee and scholarships, and the Summer School regulations are available in the Summer School website.
Summer School Secretariat
Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
ess@feem.it
www.feem.it/ess17
EAERE logoFEEM logoVIU logo 




New Book | The Politics of Innovation: Why Some Countries Are Better Than Others at Science and Technology | by Mark Zachary Taylor, OUP, 2016

The Politics of Innovation: Why Some Countries Are Better Than Others at Science and Technology
by Mark Zachary Taylor, Oxford University Press, 2016, Paperback, 441 pages, ISBN: 9780190464134.

About the Book
Why are some countries better than others at science and technology (S&T)? Written in an approachable style, The Politics of Innovation provides readers from all backgrounds and levels of expertise a comprehensive introduction to the debates over national S&T competitiveness. It synthesizes over fifty years of theory and research on national innovation rates, bringing together the current political and economic wisdom, and latest findings, about how nations become S&T leaders. Many experts mistakenly believe that domestic institutions and policies determine national innovation rates. However, after decades of research, there is still no agreement on precisely how this happens, exactly which institutions matter, and little aggregate evidence has been produced to support any particular explanation. Yet, despite these problems, a core faith in a relationship between domestic institutions and national innovation rates remains widely held and little challenged. The Politics of Innovation confronts head-on this contradiction between theory, evidence, and the popularity of the institutions-innovation hypothesis. It presents extensive evidence to show that domestic institutions and policies do not determine innovation rates. Instead, it argues that social networks are as important as institutions in determining national innovation rates. The Politics of Innovation also introduces a new theory of "creative insecurity" which explains how institutions, policies, and networks are all subservient to politics. It argues that, ultimately, each country's balance of domestic rivalries vs. external threats, and the ensuing political fights, are what drive S&T competitiveness. In making its case, The Politics of Innovation draws upon statistical analysis and comparative case studies of the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, Israel, Russia and a dozen countries across Western Europe.

Table of Contents
Cardwell's Law
1 Introduction: The Puzzle of Cardwell's Law
2 Measuring the Black Box
3 Cardwell's Law in Action
How Do Nations Innovate?: Policies and Institutions
4 Does Technology Need Government?: The Five Pillars of Innovation
5 "Why Nations Fail": Capitalism, Democracy, and Decentralization
6 How Nations Succeed: Networks, Clusters, and Standards
Why Do Nations Innovate?: Creative Insecurity
7 Technological Losers and Political Resistance to Innovation
8 Creative Insecurity: Olson's Nemesis
9 Critical Cases of Creative Insecurity
10 Conclusion: Creative Insecurity and its Implications
Appendices-Definitions, Measurement, and Data
A1 The Great Definitions (Non-) Debate
A2 A Brief History of Measurement
A3 Tour of Innovation Measures, Data, and Sources

About the Author
Mark Zachary Taylor is Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.


Saturday, December 17, 2016

New Book | Trinity for Development, Democracy and Sustainability | by RIS, India, 2016

Trinity for Development, Democracy and Sustainability
by Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, India, 2016, ISBN: 8171221238.

Preface
What evolved as a partnership among India, Brazil and South Africa at economic fora in late nineties eventually emerged as IBSA - a strong grouping of democracies from the South. The coming together of these countries provided a major impetus to the very idea of South-South Cooperation (SSC). In the beginning of this century, the Trinity from the South represented leading economies in the respective continents and represented complementary strengths and capabilities that could be exploited for mutual benefit. The shared political and economic history and similar development experiences provided further heft needed for the broad base of the engagement. 
The brief history of this grouping is extremely rich and needs to be preserved and be proud of. It has to be protected from associated angularities and external influences. IBSA partnership has great potential to make a major contribution to the economic development of the three subregions across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In this regard, issues such as IBSA and global governance, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), S&T cooperation, IBSA Trust Fund, among others, assume great significance. Keeping this perspective in view, RIS has brought out this Report. 
The Report has been prepared by the RIS Research Team and focuses on the current facets of IBSA in terms of global-strategies, protagonism on SSC, social sector commitments, S&T cooperation and collaborative strategy to achieve SDGs, IBSA Trust Fund and its effectiveness. 
...
I am sure the Report would serve as an important policy research reference by all policymakers, academics, practitioners and other stakeholders associated with deepening development cooperation among IBSA countries in the broader context of promoting SSC and implementation of SDGs Agenda.
Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi | Director General, RIS

Contents
Foreword by Ambassador Shyam Saran, Chairman, RIS
Preface by Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS
I. IBSA and Global Geo-strategies
II. Brazil, India and South Africa: Key Proponents of South-South Cooperation
III. IBSA Fund for Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger
IV. S&T Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Beyond in IBSA
V. Sharing of Social Sector Experiences in IBSA: Way Forward
VI. IBSA: Health Sector Cooperation Past, Present and Future

Friday, December 16, 2016

New Report | BIMSTEC, The Road Ahead | by RIS, India, 2016

BIMSTEC, The Road Ahead
by Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, India, 2016, ISBN: 81-7122-122-X.

About the Report
The present Report is the outcome of a Consultation that RIS organised in the context of BRICS outreach to BIMSTEC on 27 September 2016. The meeting deliberated on important issues of trade, investment and regional value chains and connectivity in regard to people to people contacts and BIMSTEC, BRICS and global governance. It contains an introductory chapter which highlights the key issues for strengthening economic cooperation among BIMSTEC countries alongwith brief contributions from eminent commentators in the field.
We are sure the academicians, stakeholders, policymakers and practitioners would find the publication interesting and a useful reference for future course of action for promoting economic development cooperation in the BIMSTEC sub-region.

Table of Contents
Foreword by Ambassador Shyam Saran, Chairman, RIS
Message by Sumith Nakandala, Secretary General, BIMSTEC
Preface by Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS
1. Overview: BIMSTEC Bay of Bengal Vibrant Community
2. Rejuvenation of BIMSTEC | Sumith Nakandala
3. Strengthening BIMSTEC Secretariat | Seshadri Chari
4. Challenges before BIMSTEC | Preeti Saran
5. Trade, Investment and Regional Value Chains | S. K. Mohanty
6. Multi-Dimensional Connectivity | Ram Upendra Das
7. Challenges to a BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement (FTA): A Sri Lankan | Janaka Wijayasiri
8. Energy Security in BIMSTEC Region | Jyoti Parikh
9. People to People Contacts | Baladas Ghoshal
10. Challenges in People to People Contact | Fahmida Khatun
11. BIMSTEC and Global Governance | Samir Saran

Thursday, December 15, 2016

New Book | India and Sustainable Development Goals: The Way Forward | by RIS, India, 2016

India and Sustainable Development Goals: The Way Forward
by Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, India, 2016.

About the Report
India along with other countries signed the declaration on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, comprising of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Sustainable Development Summit of the United Nations in September 2015. RIS through its work programme on SDGs in collaboration with UN in India pursued a rigorous research agenda to explore various facets of India's negotiations, adoption and implementation of SDGs.
As part of the work programme, RIS launched a special paper series on each of the 17 SDGs and two cross cutting themes – technology and finance authored by eminent experts in the related subjects. This publication is a compilation of the thematic papers and addresses key issues like: achievements under the respective/related MDG targets; remaining gaps in fulfilling targets under the respective/related MDG; philosophy and concept of the respective SDG and the targets; and implementation framework to be adopted by India in fulfilling the goal.
This Volume would be found useful by all those who are working for successful implementation of SDGs agenda, particularly from the point of view of India. 

Table of Contents
  • Message by Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Hon'ble Minister of External Affairs
  • Foreword by Amb. Shyam Saran, Chairman, RIS
  • Preface by Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS
  • End Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere | Shahid Ahmed
  • Hunger and Food Security Concerns for India | Bharat Ramaswami
  • Health for All by 2030: An Indian Perspective | T. C. James
  • India's Steadfast Approach to Quality, Equity and Inclusion in Education: Views from Experts | Based on deliberations at the National Consultation on Road to Sustainable Development Goals: Focus on Health and Education held on 9-10 February 2016.
  • Gender Equality: Achievements, Gaps, Future Challenges and Implementation Framework to be adopted by India | Nirmala Buch
  • Sustainable Management of Water and Sanitation | Indira Khurana
  • Where are we on the Missing MDG – Energy? | Kaushik Ranjan Bandyopadhyay and Kasturi Das
  • Enabling Sustainable Development: Challenges to Job Creation in India | Santosh Kumar Mehrotra
  • Industrialisation, Innovation and Infrastructure for Achieving SDGs in India | K.J. Joseph
  • Trade, Infrastructure and Inequality: A Cross Country Analysis |Saikat Sinha Roy and Rudra Prosad Roy
  • Incorporating Resilience and Inclusiveness in Policy Framework of Urban Development: Indian Case | Amitabh Kundu
  • Sustainable Consumption and Production | Nitya Nanda
  • Sustainable Development for Climate Action | Samir Saran and Vikrom Mathur
  • Marine Resources and the Challenges to Sustainability | Balakrishna Pisupati
  • Sustainable Management and Use of Terrestrial Ecosystem | Oommen V. Oommen and K. P. Laladhas
  • Peace, Justice and Institutions to Ensure "No One is Left Behind" | Amitabh Behar
  • Means of Implementation: An Indian Perspective | Sachin Chaturvedi, Sabyasachi Saha and Pratyush
  • Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM): A Review of the Current Proposals and Way Forward | K. Ravi Srinivas
  • Financing for Development: Emerging Modalities | Rathin Roy

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

CfA: Fifteenth Ischia Summer School on the History of the Life Sciences | 24 June – 1 July 2017 | Ischia, Italy

Ischia Summer School on the History of the Life Sciences

Fifteenth Ischia Summer School, 24 June – 1 July 2017

Ischia, Italy

Applications are invited for this week-long summer school, which provides advanced training in history of the life sciences through lectures, seminars and discussions in a historically rich and naturally beautiful setting. The theme for 2017 is 'Cycles of Life'. The confirmed faculty are Warwick Anderson (University of Sydney), Peder Anker (New York University), Ariane Droescher (University of Bologna), Guido Giglioni (Warburg Institute, London), Mathias Grote (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Shigehisa Kuriyama (Harvard University), Maaike van der Lugt (Université Paris Diderot), Lynn Nyhart (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Hans-Jörg Rheinberger (MPIWG, Berlin) and Lucy van der Wiel (University of Cambridge).

Course organizers: Janet Browne (Harvard University), Christiane Groeben (University of Naples), Nick Hopwood (University of Cambridge), Staffan Müller-Wille (University of Exeter) and the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn.

Introduction to the theme
In the early twenty-first century, organisms are understood as having life cycles, inherited sequences of stages through which they reproduce and adapt to environmental challenges. Strategies to disrupt pest and pathogen life cycles play key roles in agriculture, biomedicine and public health. Organisms are also connected to each other, as well as to the air, soil, rocks and water, by material fluxes forming 'biogeochemical' cycles. The continual recycling of such elements and compounds as carbon, nitrogen and water links the life and environmental sciences from biochemistry to geology and ecology. The effects of human activities on these nutrient cycles threaten us with climate change, resource depletion and pollution, some of the biggest challenges in global politics today. Yet if cycles are topical, they are neither all new, nor all the same. Cycles of various kinds are among the oldest ways of framing human existence on earth and in the cosmos, and of thinking about health and disease, animals and plants – and at least calendars and seasons remain fundamental. This summer school seeks to understand the history of 'cycles of life' from early times to the present day, to trace connections and to identify patterns of continuity and change.
Cycles of generation and corruption, and of the transformation of the elements, have long structured knowledge and everyday life. The revolutions of the celestial bodies were thought to shape repeated events in the sublunary sphere, from the succession of the seasons to women's monthly bleeding. Linking microcosm and macrocosm, William Harvey likened the circulation of the blood to the weather cycle. Human beings, their bodily constitutions and fever cycles determined by natal astrology, proceeded through the seven ages of man (or woman) in the hope that individual death would be followed by not just a new generation, but also spiritual rebirth. Religious festivals, calendars and almanacs followed an annual cycle, although Judaeo-Christian theology was based on a finite, arrow-like chronology that would provide an important resource for a transformation in conceptions of time around 1800.
In the Age of Revolutions this world was reconceived as a historical phenomenon subject to natural law. Enlightenment savants, notably James Hutton and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, proposed that nature ran in perpetual cycles. Hutton's earth was a machine like a steam-engine for producing worlds without beginning or end; in Lamarck's transformism spontaneous generation initiated series upon series of ascending forms. By the nineteenth century theories of evolution were founded on the reality of irreversible change, not least through extinction. Individual organisms were understood to develop through life cycles that occasionally showed 'alternation of generations', the phenomenon of a species appearing in two different forms, such that an individual would resemble its grandmother and granddaughters, but not mother or daughters. Rich studies of life cycles led to new understanding of the reproduction of plants and animals, with perturbations providing variations from which nature would select.
The ground was laid for a more general view of cycles of life and nutrition during the debates that in the mid-1800s pitted Louis Pasteur against Justus Liebig and defined the roles of biology and chemistry in explaining the phenomena of generation, contagion and putrefaction. Biologically, life, even microscopic life, came to be understood as arising not spontaneously, but strictly from reproduction of the same species. Chemically, the cycles were more promiscuous: in accordance with the principle of the conservation of matter, microbes made new life possible by rotting dead bodies, returning their molecules to the earth and making them available for another organism. Pasteur taught that life stems from death and death from life in an eternal cycle. Chemical changes in individual bodies — Liebig's 'metamorphoses', or 'metabolism' as it came to be known — were thus linked to life cycles and the larger circulation of elements. Fundamental cycles of photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation and carbon assimilation were identified in plants.
Biological cycles gained currency in the mid-twentieth century, from the citric acid (Krebs) to the menstrual cycle, from nutrient to cell cycles. On a larger scale, by deploying radioactive isotopes as tracers after World War II, ecologists such as Evelyn Hutchinson followed carbon and phosphorus through biogeochemical cycles that included living and non-living compartments of 'ecosystems'. Cyberneticians touted 'circular systems' as a general key to 'self-regulating processes, self-orientating systems and organisms, and self-directing personalities'; and feedback became a standard concept. Control techniques were invented to intervene in biological cycles and create artificial ones, from the oral contraceptive pill and IVF treatment to the thermal cycling that drives the polymerase chain reaction.
Historians have investigated only a few biological cycles and largely in isolation; this school aims to encourage synthesis. We shall explore shared properties of cycles, and the differences and relations between one discipline or research programme and another and over the centuries. Modern metabolic and diurnal cycles oscillate. Life cycles are directional and their individual spans finite. Heredity and evolution work through their succession and endless variation. Ecological cycles are open-ended — and yet the ideal of a return to an original state underpins all modern conservation and restoration work. Concepts of cyclicity in the life sciences thus operate on vastly different spatial and temporal scales, and at the same time constitute a productive point of intersection with physics, chemistry, geology and economics. How much the various modern and premodern cycles have in common, or what biological cycles share with those in other sciences, and other domains of knowledge and practice, are open questions. The theme 'cycles of life' invites fresh engagement with the history of the life sciences over the long term.

Draft lecture and seminar titles
  • Shigehisa Kuriyama | Lecture: Cycles, crises and slopes: Intuitions of life in the diverse medical traditions; Seminar: Cycles of life in traditional Chinese medicine
  • Maaike van der Lugt | Lecture: Life cycles and rhythms in medieval medicine and natural philosophy; Seminar: Urso of Salerno (fl. end of 12th century) and the rhythm of living things
  • Guido Giglioni | Lecture: The vital cycles of early modern bodies, natural and political; Seminar: Early modern cycles of life, death and illness
  • Hans-Jörg Rheinberger | Commentary: Times and cycles in biology
  • Lynn Nyhart| Lecture: The (developmental) life-cycle as a unifying concept in nineteenth-century biology; Seminar: Alternation of generations and life cycles
  • Mathias Grote| Lecture: Small bugs, large cycles: Microbes and ecology from Sergei Winogradsky to Lynn Margulis; Seminar: Cycles, regulation and intermediary metabolism
  • Ariane Droescher | Lecture: Lines or circles? Ways to understand the role of cells in biological phenomena around 1900; Seminar: Conflicting visions of cells in developmental and regeneration research
  • Warwick Anderson | Lecture: Microbial life cycles and population cycles; Seminar: From parasitic life histories to disease ecology
  • Peder Anker | Lecture: Ecological cycles in the twentieth century; Seminar: Ouroboros architecture: Histories of environmental design
  • Lucy van de Wiel | Lecture: Temporalities of reproduction: Life cycles and IVF cycles; Seminar: Viable rhythms: Cellular aging in time-lapse embryo imaging

Funding: The 2017 School is supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust and the National Science Foundation.

Cost: There is a charge for students of 300 Euros each. This will cover hotel accommodation and all meals, but students will need to pay for their own travel to Ischia.
The directors will consider requests to waive the fee from qualified students, especially from developing countries, who are unable to raise the money themselves and whose institutions cannot provide it. These must be supported by a detailed financial statement and a letter from the applicant's head of institution.

Applications: Applications should include:
  • a statement specifying academic experience and reasons for interest in the course topic (max. 300 words),
  • a brief cv,
  • a letter of recommendation.
Timetable:
  • 28 February 2017 | Deadline for applications – applications must have been received by Midnight CET
  • 15 March 2017 | Students to be notified of application outcome
  • 26 May 2017 | Registration fees and/or registration forms due
Procedure: Please send applications to this email address: administrator@ischiasummerschool.org. The body of the email should start with the applicant's full name (first name, surname and middle names or initials if desired). The statement, CV and recommendation letter should be attached as (preferably PDF) files, named surnamefirstname and statement ('st'), CV ('cv') or recommendation ('rec').
Example: Applicant Alfred E. Neumann attaches to his email (1) his 300-word statement named NeumannAlfred-st.pdf, (2) his brief CV named NeumannAlfred-cv.pdf and (3) his supervisor's recommendation letter named NeumannAlfred-rec.pdf.
You should receive confirmation within 24 hours of submission that your attachments arrived in readable form. Please contact the website administrator for any technical problems.
If email submission is impossible, you may send paper versions of the three documents to: Nick Hopwood, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RH, United Kingdom

The summer school is funded by the Wellcome Trust, the National Science Foundation, and the journal History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences.