Post-pandemic, should we move away from resource extraction and accelerate moves to a circular economy? What new economic policy theories and approaches should we entertain? And how might these innovations more effectively address pre-coronavirus issues such as social and economic inequality? A Chatham House webinar considered all these questions on 18 November 2020. Following the presentations and inspired by our recent policy brief, I asked the question: ‘What does the panel think of Ursula vo...

As a research institute, UNU-MERIT has some of the brightest minds investigating the topic of entrepreneurship. In this brief Q&A, PhD fellows Maria Tomai and Tamara Kool describe how entrepreneurs can drive positive change, particularly in the fields of migration and sustainability. Maria looks at the Circular Economy in cities of the Global South, before Tamara speaks about policies that are helping refugees rejoin the labour market. … How does your research relate to entrepreneurshi...

                                #EarthDay2020 The Green Academy Project proved to me yet again that if we as academics participate in co-designed projects with social enterprises and NGOs, we can create real community value as well as scientific papers! This project is also a milestone for SITE4Society for it is serving to train students from Maastricht University’s School of Business and Economics, making them grow and providing them with splendid material for their Bachelor dissertations...

Ride the butterfly, fight the good fight, square the circle – these were just a few of the metaphors at play at the latest SDG Global Festival of Action. UNU-MERIT’s SITE4Society team joined the conference on 3 May 2019, in partnership with our sister institute UNU-FLORES. Put simply, our event aimed to break down the barriers to sustainable behaviour and trigger a different way of thinking. The Circular Economy (CE) is all about restoration and regeneration by design, whereby products are optim...

Our researchers regularly meet and interact with policymakers, not only in New York and Geneva at UN level but also in Brussels for EU events. In March 2019, Maria Tomai joined an event on the Circular Economy, where she was able to brief EU policymakers on the work done at UNU-MERIT, particularly the SITE4Society initiative. The Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference, led by the European Commission and European Economic and Social Committee, gathers researchers and policymakers every year to d...

“Europe isn’t rich in natural resources, but we are very rich in human resources, and the circular economy can draw on those and export the technologies they spawn to the rest of the world,” said Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, announcing the roll out of the EU’s Circular Economy Package. His words serve as a guiding theme for much of our work at SITE4Society, including our latest event in January 2019. … The ‘tr...

A joint post by Profs. René Kemp and Shyama V. Ramani From entertainment to healthcare, innovation is everywhere. Yet, what is the end goal of all these new products and processes — and what should be the EU’s policy priorities? Should ‘we’ improve sustainability among rich consumers or better apply innovation for the poor, both at home and abroad? The basic answer is both, according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by world leaders back in September 20...

A joint post by Prof. Shyama V. Ramani and Maria Tomai The many varied possibilities of the ‘Circular Economy’ are starting to enter the public consciousness. But what is it exactly? “Looking beyond the current ‘take, make and dispose’ extractive industrial model, the circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design. Relying on system-wide innovation, it aims to redefine products and services to design waste out, while minimising negative impacts. Underpinned by a transition to renewab...