"For two centuries or more new technology has impacted upon employment in manufacturing and other sectors. Technological developments have led most notably to the loss of jobs that required physical capabilities. In the past, however, these new technologies have ultimately created more jobs than have been lost due to the development of new sectors and new tasks within sectors. The new wave of technology that constitutes the Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to be far more disruptive...
Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi — and the day Prime Minister Modi had planned to make India “open defecation free”. Over the last five years millions of toilets have been built across the country and its citizens have been “nudged” to use them in various ways. To recognise the reduction in open defecation brought about by the Swachh Bharath Abhiyan (SBA) or Clean India Mission, Modi received a Gates Foundation Global Goals Award on 24 S...
The excessive use of technical language in international development can keep vital information away from the people who need it the most. Gender-empowering multi-sectoral capacity building facilitates knowledge sharing and engages stakeholders in inclusive sustainability. If you understood that sentence, you probably work in the world of international development. If you did not understand it, you are part of the rest of the world that is essentially locked out of understanding much of the publ...
The male perspective dominates in times of conflict – think of the generals, the diplomats, the doctors. But what about the women? What is a gendered perspective of war and what value can it add? Female narratives in conflict scenarios have long been neglected, overlooked or forgotten. Recently, however, more and more stories have emerged – including Doaa Al Zamel’s incredible story written by UNHCR’s Melissa Fleming – which among other things moved me to share the stories of my own grandmothers...
The Peruvian in-service programme is a nationwide intervention intended to improve teachers’ ability to perform, and its final objective is to increase student achievement. The programme, delivered since 2008, includes a three-year systematic process of monthly meetings with a supervisor (coach), which usually take the form of personal coaching, workshops and conferences. During those meetings, the coach discusses directly how to improve with the selected teachers and suggests pedagogical proces...
Technology has been blamed for a lot recently. Automation and artificial intelligence have supposedly led to substantial job losses, reduced bargaining power for workers and increased discrimination. It is even blamed for growing income and wealth inequality and, as a result, the presidency of Donald Trump, Brexit, the rise of far-right populism in Europe and the spectre of climate change....
“It's the first time I've felt 'at home' so quickly in a new environment. Every day at UNU-MERIT is a pleasure. The tutorial sessions are alive, dynamic and very interesting! You can tell that every student is happy to be here and entirely committed.” ...
Universities are increasingly entrepreneurial, working with partners across borders while navigating ever-more-complex international, national and regional policies. In an ideal world, universities would lead the “ecosystem of knowledge” in which researchers, business leaders and policymakers come together to tackle an array of complex issues – issues like the circular economy and green technology, equal opportunity for decent work and quality education, and city resilience and sustainable urban...
"Clearly, policy designs can look great on paper but their ultimate success is shaped by many factors. Unlike in Western Uganda, the government does not own the land in the West Nile region. The land belongs to local communities. As a result, the government relies on the willingness of host communities to make land accessible to refugees." Elsemarie Jorissen, MSc. Student, UNU-MERIT
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This series tracks news and views from our ‘Evidence-Based Policy Research Methods’ (EPRM) course. Many participants work at the highest of levels, both nationally and internationally, including for other parts of the UN system. They come to Maastricht for this unique blended learning programme, covering three weeks in class and 10 weeks online. This time we speak with Agata Petrelli, an award-winning child rights researcher. … Congratulations on winning the Mac Robertson Scholarship from the Un...