Amid profound instability unleashed with the Libyan civil war and rival factions vying for power, conditions facing the roughly 650,000 migrants who remain in Libya have been dire. Those living in the community are vulnerable to extortion, violence, and slave-like work conditions, while migrants held in detention centres may experience overcrowding, sexual abuse, forced labour, torture, and deprivation of food, sunlight, and water. Amid entrenched fighting around Tripoli, including a deadly airs...
I work as a freelance consultant, and the bulk of my career has focused on project evaluation, research and supporting humanitarian development organisations in designing projects and programmes. I chose this course because I thought it would address my needs and improve my performance, especially during commissioning assignments for NGOs working in conflict areas such as Iraq and Syria. Also, as a large part of my work is to evaluate research and projects, I needed a course that would help me u...
This study programme is very comprehensive and includes a blend of research tools that are relevant to developing countries and to practical work in the field. The best part, though, is that my studies are clearly connected to research and to strengthening policy and strategies. Another major aspect is that fellow participants come from all around the world: from Asia, Africa, and Europe – so I’ve gained exposure to numerous cultures and learned all their various problem-solving techniques. Fina...
Indonesia has long aspired to become an upper-middle income economy and is now seeking ways to kickstart growth. The government is particularly interested in the role of the manufacturing sector and how to diversify and upgrade industry — which, in parallel, means reviewing industrial, fiscal and monetary policies in support of higher growth rates. Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) worked with the Asian Development Bank and a range of international expe...
A guest post by EPRM student, Dessislava Ivanova. Most people, especially those with full-time jobs, think long and hard before enrolling on a research training programme. There are many reasons to hesitate. Maybe the last time you studied was years ago; perhaps you’re very busy with your career; or maybe your work-life balance is already tipping the ‘wrong’ way. These are all valid reasons and ones that make sense to anyone who has thought of starting a research track, years after they have gra...
A joint post by Shivani Achrekar and Dr. Mindel van de Laar. In e-learning courses, fully online or blended, the biggest challenge for course providers is to ensure retention, allowing participants to finish their online course. While sign-up rates can look promising, drop-out rates are often high, and completion rates could be improved. Our blended learning programme in Evidence-Based Policy Research Methods (EPRM), designed for working professionals, is no exception to the rule. The course des...
Today is the first anniversary of the death of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned with half his family while trying to reach Europe in search of asylum. First and foremost, his death, like that of more than 5,000 other migrants who died crossing the Mediterranean last year, is a human tragedy....
January 2016 marks a new round for our programme on ‘Evidence-based Policy Research Methods’ (EPRM) – specially developed for working professionals. For people who want to improve their understanding of research methods, but don’t have the time to spend months away; for people with duties at home or who are simply unable to stop working. In order to serve this group, we developed a blended learning programme. By this time last year, with a small team including PhD fellows, admin and communicatio...
In early September, Dr. Jinjing Li, a graduate of our PhD programme in 2011, returned to his alma mater. He was accompanying his wife, Jasmin Kientzel, who was here to (successfully) defend her PhD thesis. This smart couple now lives in Canberra, Australia, so it’s a rare honour to welcome them back to Maastricht. Dr. Mindel van de Laar spoke to Jinjing about the new life he’s started on the other side of the world, and his activities outside of research. … Jinjing, can you tel...
The emerging trends of service innovation for smart industry, traceability across the value chain, and the Internet of Things are the focus of a new trend report for the EU’s Business Innovation Observatory, co-authored by Dr. René Wintjes. There is one common factor in these emerging trends: how innovations are helping to grow smart value chains. Disruptive solutions are improving output and productivity, saving time and money, while cutting time-to-market and respecting the environment —...