Co-authored by researchers Hugo Hollanders and Nordine Es-Sadki, the European Innovation Scoreboard gives a comparative analysis of innovation performance across EU member states, other European countries, and regional neighbours. According to this year’s results, EU innovation performance continues to increase, partly thanks to improvements in human resources, the innovation-friendly environment, own-resource investments, and attractive research systems. Overall, Sweden remains the EU in...
A joint post by Prof. Wim Naudé and Dr. Paula Nagler. — Society has perhaps never been more unequal than at present, in terms of the distribution of income and wealth. Within-country income inequality (as measured by the Gini coefficient) is, according to the UN Development Programme, “more unequal today than at any point since World War II”. These inequalities, and the resulting societal divisions, were one cause of the 2008 global financial crisis — and were, in turn, amplified by it. Th...
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...
Two senior fellows, Prof. Luc Soete and Dr. Alessio Brown, recently featured in articles by the Financial Times and T-Systems magazine. Both wrote about the future world of work amid accelerating technological change — touching on the risks and rewards and the assumptions and disruptions. In a guest post for the FT, Prof. Soete explored the challenges posed to labour markets by growing automation — a notion he roundly dispelled as a red herring. “Historically the evidence of di...
The annual European Innovation Scoreboard, co-authored by Hugo Hollanders, Nordine Es-Sadki and Minna Kanerva, provides a comparative analysis of innovation performance in EU Member States, other European countries, and regional neighbours. It assesses relative strengths and weaknesses of national innovation systems and helps countries identify areas they need to address. According to the 2016 Scoreboard, the EU is continuing to catch up with global innovation leaders. But innovation is still he...
As Africa’s economic outlook continues to improve it is now more crucial than ever to ensure that the next generation of African scholars and policy experts can meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Our CoLA initiative seeks to establish a network of young African researchers with the aim of giving them exposure to specialist resources and knowledge, while also helping them with their doctoral dissertations. UNU Editor Howard Hudson spoke with course coordinators Dr. Mindel van de Laar (ML) a...
Gone are the days of peacekeepers patrolling buffer zones between two conflict parties. Instead, they face ever more complicated large-scale situations, with diverse and fragmented actors, both state and non-state, while at the same time receiving more complex multi-layered mandates....
‘UN peace operations need less jargon and more direction’ ran a headline in early April – just as we were testing a new version of our app, and just as we were posting a new blog in our peacekeeping series. It was virtual serendipity. The article asks if a new UN mission in Colombia should be designated a ‘peacekeeping operation’ or a ‘special political mission’. First, say the authors, it’s a question of image: as the former is generally associated with failed states. Then it’s a question of fu...
How far can ICT help education and development in Africa? Will too much emphasis on ICT cause a ‘digital divide’, leading to ever greater inequalities? Dr. Mindel van de Laar sends her insights from this year’s eLearning Africa conference. In the heart of the Ethiopian capital, the African Union Conference Centre is a modern and mostly glass building — one that would fit well in many cities across the world. Yet it seems rather incongruous in this dynamic East African met...
Innovations from ICT — and the roll out of these technologies — touch every aspect of our lives. They are shaping political agendas and can help us achieve our development goals. Ahead of this Sunday’s ‘World Telecommunication & Information Society Day‘, PhD fellow Shuan SadreGhazi explains more on the links between ICT and innovation. Innovations from ICT and the implementation of these technologies have pervaded different aspects of our lives. Look everywhere...