This time we catch up virtually with Maria Espinosa Romero, who will shortly defend her thesis on "The shadow of hierarchy in marine fisheries governance". Her research at UNU-MERIT contributes to the designing of policies that supports the sustainable development of fisheries....
Are production activities sustainable along Global Value Chains? A new article, which considers the empirical evidence on social and environmental sustainability, gives ambiguous results. On the one hand, GVCs can lead to sizeable amounts of carbon leakage, as they allow firms to offshore polluting production activities. On the other hand, GVCs make firms more energy and emission efficient than domestic peers, thus dampening overall emission growth. In terms of social sustainability, GVCs are l...
How should the ‘Greater Mekong Subregion’ — flowing through Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam — close the gap with the world’s most advanced economies? A new report for the Asian Development Bank says the region can improve its prospects by further integrating into the global economy, significantly upgrading production and exports, enabling cities to be engines of growth, and improving road infrastructure and connectivity. How does digital infrastructu...
When it comes to innovation in mining, what are the challenges and opportunities for Latin America? A new journal article takes the examples of Australia and Canada to highlight high-tech windows of opportunity for equipment and service suppliers along the value chain in Latin America. Youth employment is so important for social justice and sustainable development, but is it truly a priority for policymakers? A new book chapter discusses the hopes and dreams for decent careers of the next genera...
Have COVID-19 measures affected food prices in low to middle-income countries? A new paper finds that stricter lockdowns increased food prices among major urban markets, although impacts were also linked to mobility and previous reliance on trade. Read the full working paper here. Is artificial intelligence starting to have an effect on the economy? A new article finds clear evidence of improved labour productivity, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises and the services industries....
How can Artificial Intelligence help rural entrepreneurs succeed in business? A new article applies five machine learning techniques, providing new insights into factors related to trust, awareness of current trends, use of media tools, etc. How can private sector initiatives, including venture start-ups and social impact funds, best contribute to the 2030 Agenda? The key, according to a new paper, is to ensure innovations are aligned with public policy impact. How can firms in developing countr...
Climate change is already impacting water resources across Africa. But what should African policymakers prioritise: water security or societal challenges linked to water? And how much influence should local communities and the private sector have on decision-making? A new article takes a social innovation perspective in a bid to reinforce the knowledge base for policymaking. The service sector plays a growing role in economies worldwide, despite claims of stagnation. But what is the relationship...
“The results for 2019 reinforce UNU-MERIT’s reputation in academic and policy circles as a leading institute undertaking societally and policy relevant research — particularly in the economics of innovation and technological change, including the governance of science and technology and on factors limiting the access to knowledge; in policy analysis and evaluation; in the social aspects of growth and development, in particular the policy challenges posed by low levels of development including th...
What are the links between migration, remittances and sustainable development in Africa? A new book considers how they relate to economic transformation, knowledge generation, corruption and conflict. It concludes with evidence-based policy recommendations in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. Would a greater focus on human security improve the planning and roll out of the 2030 Agenda? A new paper argues that this lens draws together many disparate tools, while also increasing human r...
Our ‘Dual Focus PhD’ series tracks the working lives of our part-time PhD fellows. Many work at the highest of levels, both nationally and internationally — and in normal times they come to Maastricht in person for our unique PhD Dual Career Training Programme in Governance and Policy Analysis (GPAC²). This time we catch up virtually with Ornsaran Pomme Manuamorn, who will shortly defend her thesis on the ‘Governance of international adaptation finance for local climate change adaptation: An ana...