Conflicts raged across Latin America for many decades. But what exactly brought peace? Purely military ‘solutions’ or more social interventions linked to welfare spending, reduced inequalities, and institutional trust? Across Central Asia, return migration is often linked to greater entrepreneurship and economic development. But how clear, lasting and voluntary is this link? Globally, scientific knowledge is key to developing nano medical technologies. But what countries are leading ...
Food security is doubly threatened by climate change and population growth. Could better storage technologies address some of these challenges, in Ethiopia for example? Meanwhile, China is providing more and more development assistance across Africa. But how does this affect individuals in terms of wealth and educational attainment? Finally, migration is often stressful but what are the long-term health effects on children, in Eastern Europe for example? These are just a few of the questions tac...
Governments worldwide have pledged to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. But given the scale of the task, not even national governments can manage alone. This has sparked a new phenomenon: whereby non-governmental players – from start-ups to social enterprises to multinationals – are aligning strategies and working toward the same sustainable ends. This new reality is also an opportunity to study how these supposedly ‘selfish’ players can be corralled for the common good. ...
Many institutions play a vital role in sub-Saharan aid effectiveness — but how important is donor specialisation? Foreign-owned firms are more likely to cooperate with foreign universities — but is this true across Europe? And when it comes to regulating the digital economy, are we moving towards a ‘win-win’ or a ‘lose-lose’ scenario in WTO policymaking? These are just a few of the questions tackled by our researchers in January 2018 — in two policy briefs, fo...
West Africa is known for its diversity: from the island nation of Cape Verde deep in the Atlantic, to the regional giant of Nigeria. One might expect a region of barriers, at least in terms of language and logistics. Yet our latest ‘DEIP’ workshop demonstrated clear and consistent engagement among a dozen West African nations — testament to regional partnerships built up in recent years at government and senior policy officer levels. … Policy Brief now available to downlo...
Innovation spurs employment across South Asia — but what kind of innovation and in what industries? More and more states are investing in social protection for their citizens — but how do countries compare in the latest indices? And many Afghan migrants pass through Greece and Turkey — but why do some stay while others continue on to other European countries? These are just a few of the questions tackled by our researchers in December 2017 — in two book chapters, four PhD disse...
Across Africa, mobile broadband has helped drive technological development. But as one problem is solved another arises — like the growing digital divide between men and women, and urban and rural areas. How can public policies narrow these gaps? In post-conflict states, e-government ‘solutions’ can streamline official workloads. But how far do they influence reconstruction? In India, the spread of diarrhoea is not only about access to sanitation but also about engrained habits...
Many policymakers have backgrounds in academia – a fact that goes a long way to building understanding and trust. Trust not only among individuals but also in academic research per se. UNU-MERIT’s 10th ‘MEIDE’ conference put this theory to the test, revealing among other things how much, and under what conditions, academic researchers are able to influence decision makers. Held in Montevideo, Uruguay, 16-17 November 2017, this edition of the ‘Model-based Evidence on Innovation and Development’ (...
You’ve worked on your PhD for the last five years, alongside a full-time job at the United Nations. What were your aims? Why did you choose to do that? / My aim was to develop a deeper understanding of the issues I was dealing with at the UN. For example, promoting the catch-up and long-term development of developing countries, particularly countries in ‘special situations’ such as least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing states. Innovation and tech...
In Ethiopia, firms innovate to improve their competitiveness. But do they, or would they, innovate to reduce their environmental footprint? If not, should the government encourage change through incentives or sanctions? In Latin America, there is normally some interplay between research institutions and private companies. But how close or intense are these partnerships, and to what end? Worldwide, migration can be a harrowing experience, driving some into drug and substance abuse. But for new ar...