Supported Projects

  • Impact of globalization on opportunities for human development
    Project Information
    Funding Opportunity: 
    Call for Projects 2011
    Project Start Date: 
    01.10.2011
    Abstract / Summary
    Abstract / Summary: 
    Literature on globalization and its impact is vast and growing and has highlighted both the positive effects and possible risks. While the pro-globalization camp emphasizes the economic gains from the deployment of factors on external markets, anti-globalization advocates consider those economic elements that have either fallen out or suffered from the process of globalization. However, most studies on globalization use outcome-based data and measure ex-post situations i.e. income per capita, employment etc. There are few studies that analyze whether increased openness has resulted in people having easier access to various socio-economic opportunities that could in turn enhance their human development potential. According to the capability approach, human development is defined as the enhancement of the choices that people have to lead the life they have reason to value and these choices cover a wide range of dimensions including economic, social, political, cultural, environmental and other dimensions. Though, according to economic theory, total welfare should increase when countries open out, the gains and losses generated in the process for different countries and groups have not yet been fully understood. The picture is even less clear when one looks at the impact on the quality of life which includes both economic and non-economic aspects. We would like to examine the missing area of investigation in the link between globalization and human development by looking at whether globalized economies are able to offer increased opportunities to their populations in different socio-economic domains and the quality of such opportunities. As both ‘globalization’ and ‘opportunities’ are difficult concepts to define in a precise manner, we will first identify the various components of these two concepts and build appropriate composite measures based on multiple indicators. Then we will go on to model the relationship between the two taking care to control for all other factors that could affect the opportunity set such as domestic growth (sector-wise if possible), factor costs, fiscal and monetary policies, institutional set-up, culture, religion, history and other home-grown stimulants for development. Our empirical analysis will use a panel data set consisting of as many countries as possible followed over time and will be innovative in examining the ex-anteconditions for development rather than the ex-post outcome thus providing lessons to less globalized economies on how they can catch up in reaping the benefits of openness by changing their home conditions on accessibility.

  • Examining Global Partnerships to Improve Innovation and Access to Medicines on a Sustainable, Priority Needs Basis: MDG 8, Target 8.E
    Project Information
    Funding Opportunity: 
    Call for Projects 2011
    Project Start Date: 
    16.12.2011
    Abstract / Summary
    Abstract / Summary: 
    To achieve several of the Millenium Development Goals (4,5,6,8), significant improvement must be made in innovation and access to affordable medicines, particularly in developing countries. New and existing treatments remain unavailable and unaffordable to those who need them. But while solutions are urgently needed, evidence shows that progress to achieve the health-related MDGs has been slow (MDG Gap Task Force Report 2010, WHO Report EB128/7). This research project will examine existing, and new ideas, for Global Partnerships as agreed under the MDG 8 to address the problems of lack of access and innovation for medicines on a sustainable, priority needs basis. In particular, our research questions deal with the economics of Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) for neglected diseases in order to better understand whether it may be an efficient mechanism in the economics of R&D for neglected diseases and how policy at the international level should support and enhance the formation and sustainability of PDPs as an efficient institution.

  • LARGE-SCALE LAND ACQUISITIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: Rural transformations between global agendas and peoples’ right to food
    Project Information
    Funding Opportunity: 
    Call for Projects 2011
    Project Start Date: 
    01.09.2011
    Abstract / Summary
    Abstract / Summary: 
    In this project we ask about the socio-political, economic and environmental potentials and problems characterizing transnational large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA). This proposal is motivated by the documented forceful eruption of cross-border land acquisitions over the last years and the relatively limited academic knowledge of the circumstances in which these land deals take place – in terms of processes and contexts – as well as in respect to their impacts on local populations. Based on comprehensive case studies in Laos and Cambodia, the project aims at producing generalised insights for evidence based decision and policy making. LSLA may have significant and uneven impact on the livelihood systems of local populations. Yet, it is acknowledged that the promises are not fulfilled and that land acquisitions are in some cases detrimental to large number of populations. Our preliminary findings from field research indicate that the on-going agrarian transformation associated to rubber-tree plantation in Cambodia and Laos increases the vulnerability of the less well-off segments of the population. Despite a growing body of academic research on the topic, three key limitations can be identified and open the field for innovation within this project: the absence of a human rights perspective; the insufficiency of empirical material analyzing how land deals are implemented on the ground; and the missing link between processes of land acquisitions and the (highly heterogeneous) development contexts in which they typically occur. The research will be structured around three core questions: (1) What are the processes among various actors and institutions across different administrative scales determining the negotiation and implementation of land acquisition? (2) What are the impacts of land deals on local populations in terms of livelihood system and vulnerability? (3) What role do existing policies, institutions and mechanisms play (and what role could they play) in mitigating the tensions related to LSLA and protecting the human rights of local populations? The research will draw (1) on land change science as a strand of geography and sustainability science, (2) on a perspective that is grounded in political economy with a strong emphasis on agrarian transformation, and (3) on legal and human rights studies with particular attention to the right to food. The project will produce primary data through semi-structured interviews and questionnaire based surveys, and analyse the jurisprudence and work of international and national bodies to assess the availability of human rights remedies. Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing will be used to integrate secondary data with satellite imagery and other spatial datasets. Beyond its contribution to the academic debates related to the “land grabbing”, the project will provide material for policy dialogue with authorities, UN agencies, international financial institutions and non-governmental organizations in their effort and programs to accompany the implementation of large-scale land deals and to mitigate their possible negative impacts. The project is designed within a collaborative framework that includes scholars from various sciences as well as international and state organizations for the purpose of policy dialogue.

  • Individual Preferences for International Environmental Cooperation
    Project Information
    Funding Opportunity: 
    Call for Projects 2011
    Project Start Date: 
    01.10.2011
    Abstract / Summary
    Abstract / Summary: 
    Addressing the global challenges arising from climate change requires international environmental cooperation. Previous work on the design of international institutions highlights the role of reciprocity and burden sharing for the evolution of lasting cooperation between countries. While scholarship acknowledges that in democratic systems domestic support for international cooperation eventually determines its long-term prospects, we know very little about how the design of international agreements affects individual support for establishing and joining such institutions. Our comparative research project starts filling this gap by exploring how reciprocity and the distribution of costs arising from climate change mitigation efforts stipulated in international climate agreements affect mass support for these institutions. Empirically, the project examines the determinants of preferences for international environmental agreements using randomized experiments embedded in representative surveys in four economically important democracies (United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany). The findings speak to the literatures on the design of international institutions and cooperation in environmental policy and will provide policymakers with important knowledge about which types of international environmental cooperation are likely to have long-term prospects in democracies and which will not.

  • A multi-scale approach to land governance in complex cultural, environmental and institutional contexts. Development of a comparative GIS methodology linking land use, land cover and land tenure from the cases of Bolivia and the Lao PDR
    Project Information
    Funding Opportunity: 
    Call for Projects 2011
    Project Start Date: 
    31.12.2011
    Abstract / Summary
    Abstract / Summary: 
    The overall aim of this project is provide a methodological and conceptual contribution to address the governance of natural resources as a complex process involving multiple levels and scales. We focus on land as a key natural resource. Land use and land cover change deeply impact biological diversity and respond to the complex interplay between economic opportunities and institutional and cultural factors. The main objective of the project is to develop a comparative GIS methodology to address land governance at multiple levels by investigating interrelations between land tenure, land use, land cover and biodiversity in the cases of Bolivia and Laos. Both countries have highly diverse institutional, socio-economic and cultural contexts and have recently experienced partial transfers of governance from central state to sub-national and local levels, in parallel with an increased recognition of traditional or indigenous authorities. The project will build on existing methodological and empirical research achievements in both countries. In Laos, a methodology has been developed to bridge socio-economic and ecological data by identifying landscape types and relate them to socio-economic and demographic characteristics at national and sub-national levels. In Bolivia, case studies have shown the interplay between land distribution and use on the one hand, and cultural group composition and socio-economic differences within these groups on the other hand. The methodology of the project will consist in using cartography and GIS to superimpose maps of land use, land tenure, land cover and biodiversity at different scales, and relate local dynamics of land governance with identified geographical and cultural contexts. An initial seminar involving a panel of experts will allow transferring and adapting the methodology already developed for one country to the other. While emphasis will be given to the identification of land cover mosaics and landscape types in Bolivia, the focus in Laos will be on the local level by performing two case studies on the dynamics of land governing institutions. Collected data will be processed together with already existing ones to identify so-called “geopolitical” hotspots where land governance is at stake, and link them with biodiversity hotspots. The identification of these complex geographical contexts and their local dynamic outcomes will allow highlighting processes and patterns that are globally relevant to policymakers in development and conservation. The generalization of the developed methodology in light of both countries’ cases will be carried out in a final seminar involving the expert panel, researchers and policymakers, to ensure exchange and transfer of knowledge and methodology within Global South. Besides the several peer-reviewed publications, outcomes of the project will be conceptual and methodological training, as well as a strengthened interdisciplinary knowledge exchange between Swiss, Bolivian, Lao, Canadian and Chinese universities, international organizations (IUCN, UNEP, UNDP), governments, and NGOs (The Global Diversity Foundation, HEKS).

  • Mountlennium: Reaching Millennium Development Goals through Regional Mountain Governance
    Project Information
    Funding Opportunity: 
    Call for Projects 2011
    Project Start Date: 
    01.10.2011
    Abstract / Summary
    Abstract / Summary: 
    The Mountlennium project analyzes regional mountain initiatives with the aim of assessing the contribution of regional governance architectures to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs – 7A: integration of sustainable development principles in national policies  & 7B: reduction of biodiversity loss). Whereas progress towards meeting the MDGs has focused on the policies and practices of countries and intergovernmental organizations of the UN system, the originality of the project is to look at the role of the regional scale in policy diffusion. Mountain regions have been recognized as critical human-environment systems on the world’s environmental agenda. They also represent an important empirical domain at the interface of rescaling and governance. Implementing sustainable development strategies through regional initiatives entails processes of rescaling, which impacts governance, collective action, and identity formation. This is particularly relevant for sustainable development strategies, for which mountains have been identified as laboratories for implementation. The Mountlennium project approaches the worldwide spread of mountain governance – and its potential for diffusing MDG goals – from an interdisciplinary view of the politics of scale involved in creating governance arrangements and processes. The Mountlennium project sheds light on two processes of diffusion – institutional diffusion  of regional governance (form) and policy diffusion (function) through regional governance architectures – and the implications of their interplay for the achievement of MDGs 7A and 7B. Three analytical dimensions of diffusion are distinguished: cognitive-cultural diffusion (vision), institutional diffusion (structure) and policy diffusion (tools and practices). In order to assess the potential of MDG diffusion through regional initiatives, the Mountlennium project focuses on five mountainous areas where regional governance initiatives have been launched: the European Alps, the Carpathians, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The five case studies are analyzed as linked empirical domains in order to assess the institutional diffusion of a “mountain governance” model inspired by the Alpine Convention in terms of sustainable development. In turn, the five mountain governance initiatives are compared on the basis of how MDGs 7A and 7B resonate with prevailing provisions so as to ascertain regionalization`s potential for mainstreaming sustainable development principles and reducing biodiversity loss.

  • Mobile Access to Knowledge: Culture and Safety in Africa. Documenting and assessing the impact of cultural events and public art on urban safety.
    Project Information
    Funding Opportunity: 
    Call for Projects 2011
    Project Start Date: 
    19.12.2011
    Abstract / Summary
    Abstract / Summary: 
    As the Millennium Development Goals declare, the achievement of a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers is essential. Safety is a priority, as the UN-Habitat publication on enhancing urban safety and security has recently shown. This research focuses on safety, but with a very specific, pluri-disciplinary and comparative approach. The study is based on the analysis of innovative and reviewed cultural events and public art installations produced in three violent and unsafe African cities: Douala (Cameroon), Johannesburg (South Africa), and Luanda (Angola). Cultural events and public art are not meant to produce safety: they are a space of experimentation with side effects: one of those is safety. Douala is the location of a major cultural event on public art and of a critical number of public installations conceived in over twenty years. Johannesburg is at the centre of a policy of urban renovation implemented through cultural initiatives. Luanda has assisted in the last seven years to a post-war cultural strategy. Informal studies have assessed the experimental capacity of those experiences of producing livability, civil cohabitation and social cohesion, the main features of urban safety. Further knowledge and a pluri-disciplinary and comparative approach is needed to acknowledge the role and the impact of cultural events and public art on safety. This knowledge made available at a local and international level through ICT and mobile phone technology is essential in order to allow researchers, NGOs and policy makers to consider new ways of improving the lives of slum dwellers. The research involves sociology, economy, urban planning, visual arts and information design, and it is developed in collaboration with the triennale programme of the public art festival SUD-Salon Urbain de Douala, with the research center African Center for Cities/University of Cape Town, and with lettera27, a foundation focused on access to knowledge and ICT. The research relies on the Mobile Access to Knowledge think-tank, established in 2008 during a conference at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center. "Mobile A2K" focuses on resources, interfaces and contents on urban transformations and it involves a network of cultural institutions, research centres and ICT companies (such as Orange, IBM, Olivetti).

  • Socio-ecological networks and resilience of vulnerable communities to global environmental change: an Arctic-Alpine comparison of social network governance (ArcAlpNet).

    Project Information
    Funding Opportunity: 
    Call for Projects 2011
    Project Start Date: 
    01.09.2011
    Abstract / Summary
    Abstract / Summary: 
    Isolated mountain and Arctic (island) communities and ecosystems are suggested as being some of the most sensitive to climate change, while historically suffering from economic, cultural and political neglect leading to challenges in adaptive capacity. While a focus has been on determining resilience from a natural science climate exposure angle the social construct of adaptive capacity requires more attention. A systematic identification of cross-sectoral social network patterns delivers a governance network in which positions of communities and communication flows can be analyzed in their influence on adaptive capacity. Social Network Analysis (SNA) has been shown to contribute to a better understanding of the role of both vertical and horizontal stakeholder integration and communication flows to a cross-sectoral governance network relating to resilience to global environmental change. Little research has been done using SNA in a relational context of resilience of isolated communities vulnerable to environmental change and even less where tourism is a livelihood focus, often a major economic factor in mountain and Arctic regions. One hypothesis is that the main barriers for resilience building are weak social ties and low participation and communication, high levels of which are found in more dynamic and resilient communities.. This hypothesis will be tested by identifying key socio-cultural, relational and behavioural factors that increase or inhibit adaptation and resilience in the two case study regions, the Norwegian Arctic Island of Svalbard and the Surselva-Andermatt Region in Switzerland. The focus will be on context-specific characteristics of communities’ adaptive capacity and the link to local context-specific characteristics within the existing local social networks and their embeddedness within the broader political and natural environment. SNA will be undertaken with an initial sample of key actors, and further snowball sampling will allow the collection of data on other stakeholders. The results of this transdisciplinary project will provide insights into the barriers and mechanisms supporting or preventing adaptive capacity to environmental change from a governance angle. Aspects of horizontal and vertical governance, and their interactions, will emerge. Comparing the case studies will contribute to identifying the case studies’ contextual aspects, especially cultural, and socio-graphic aspects of internationalization, and how these relate to more quantitative degree of centrality aspects. Since a first SNA data collection in Surselva sent out to all stakeholders simultaneously did not deliver the expected results for identifying gatekeepers for governance adaptation, a variation in SNA data collection is being applied to both case study sites, yielding an opportunity to compare the two methods for the Swiss case study site. Contributions to the literature will be applying SNA in isolated communities and in tourism contexts and comparing different approaches to collect SNA data. Understanding the governance and business dynamics for increasing resilience to climate change will be improved. Practical outcomes will include interactions with policy makers, leading to specific recommendations for strengthening network governance for adaptive capacity. Communication with wider, non-scientific audiences will engage local people.