| WELCOME to our seventh quarterly newsletter, rounding up the latest news and events from UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. We explore the push and pull of international development: innovation through science and entrepreneurship, and governance through public policy analysis. | ||
 |
Coming Up: Charles Cooper Memorial Lecture Renowned economist Sidney Winter will give the 5th Charles Cooper memorial lecture at 4pm on Wednesday 6 November 2013. Professor Winter will speak about “dynamic capability” – the holy grail of business strategy – and how it helps us to understand economic change. Winter was Chief Economist of the US General Accounting Office between 1989 and 1993 and is Vice President of the International JA Schumpeter Society since 2005. This lecture series is held in honour of Charles Cooper, the founding director of UNU’s Maastricht operations. The session will be recorded in HD video and a reception will follow. Please register your attendance via the link above. |
|
 |
Jobs: Two Migration Postdocs UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance are pleased to announce two new postdoctoral positions, to start in January 2014. The first will examine the links between migration, poverty and human development in Afghanistan, Burundi, Ethiopia and Morocco. The second will study the effects of migration on the left behind in Angola, Georgia, Ghana, Moldova and Nigeria. The new posts will form part of the interfaculty Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE). Requirements include a relevant PhD plus strong econometric and statistical skills. Please apply by 30 October 2013. |
|
 |
Conference: Sustainable Growth and Development in Africa UNU-MERIT and the Consortium pour la Recherche Economique et Sociale (CRES) are pleased to invite you to contribute to the International Conference on 'Sustainable Growth and Development in Africa', to be held on 25-26 November 2013, in Dakar, Senegal. UNU-MERIT and CRES have launched the initiative to establish a new UNU institute in Dakar. The new institute will work on the broad topic of human resources for development in Africa, reflected in research topics including growth, equity and redistribution; sustainable employment and development; and knowledge, innovation and development. |
|
 |
Conference: Micro Evidence on Innovation in Developing Economies UNU-MERIT is pleased to announce that the 7th Conference on Micro Evidence on Innovation in Developing Economies (MEIDE) will be held on 7-8 November 2013 in Santiago, Chile. The conference will gather researchers from around the world to discuss the importance of innovation for economic development and growth. This year we would like to emphasize research on novel collaborative approaches to research and innovation, and the role of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in innovation strategies and economic performance. |
|
 |
Course: Migration Management Diploma Programme (MMDP) We are now accepting applications for the Migration Management Diploma Programme (MMDP), which starts on 1 April 2014. Sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we offer 10 scholarships per year to government officials from 40 developing countries with at least three years’ experience in the field of migration and/or asylum. Our three month course includes three different courses: 1) Migration management and protection, 2) Migration and development, and 3) Migration Policy. The course is also open to practitioners and students interested in migration issues. |
|
 |
EU Workshop: Engaging the Private Sector in Regional Innovation A new workshop organized by the Regional Innovation Monitor Plus (RIM Plus) project will discuss public-private partnerships for innovation on 29 October 2013. Hosted in Brussels, the event will look at stakeholder participation in the development of strategies and the design of support measures for European regions. Highlights will include policy practice reports from British, Dutch, French, German and Polish regions. All those interested or involved in regional innovation policy are encouraged to attend the workshop. |
|
 |
UN Workshop: Green Energy in Africa Green technology in Africa, from industrial capacity to mass diffusion, was the focus of a policy workshop co-run by among others UNU-MERIT and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Nairobi, Kenya, 14 June 2013. Hosted by the African Technology Policy Studies Network, researchers met with Kenyan decision makers to discuss research findings and policy issues as part of the ‘GT in Africa’ project. The project studies the markets for renewable energy technology and energy efficiency in Nigeria and Kenya, with special attention to the cassava and maize staple value chains. |
|
 |
Innovating Development: DEIP Barbados and Bolivia Our ‘Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policies’ (DEIP) programme went to Bridgetown, Barbados in June and then Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in September. Each course gathered scores of representatives from the private and public sectors, including government officials, with a view to building innovation capacity. In Bolivia, the course fed directly into a programme that aims to reform the country’s science and technology policy. |
|
 |
Book: Capability Building in Developing Countries A new book co-edited by Prof. Luc Soete argues that capability building is an active, not a passive, process demanding a clear effort from learners in developing countries. Dedicated to Jorge Katz, a renowned scholar on the economics of innovation and technological change, the book claims that development is a process of creative destruction. In a related blog, co-author Dr. Michiko Iizuka explains these key concepts and the overall thrust of capability building for development. |
|
 |
Award: Online Communities for Senior Citizens UNU-MERIT and SeniorWeb have won the Learn for Life Encouragement Award, in the category of adult education with an international dimension, for their project Third Age Online. “The jury was excited about this sympathetic European project,” said the press announcement. “Best practices are shared with regard to the establishment and operation of an online platform for and by seniors, how to manage volunteers in such a platform and to providing educational products for and by seniors. This project offers good prospects for broad dissemination and further follow-up activities.” |
|
 |
Award: Innovation for Sustainable Development Pierre Mohnen and Mingqian Zhang won the best innovation paper award at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Oxford, England. Running from 29-30 August 2013, this year’s conference looked at ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Inclusive and Sustainable Development’ and featured speakers from among others Harvard and Oxford Universities and three UN organizations. The winning paper was a product of the CO-REACH project. |
|
 |
Events: TEDx Maastricht, 9 Billion and You UNU-MERIT put up three speakers for TEDx Maastricht, which this year focused on population issues. PhD fellow Carlos Cadena Gaitán joined the first ever TEDx ‘BrainTrain’ with an appeal for greater urban sustainability. Editor Sueli Brodin also rode the train with a talk on language, migration and (mis)communication in a globalized world. Then, at the Vrijthof Theatre in Maastricht, Professor Shyama Ramani spoke of her personal quest to improve sanitation – and not only improve but also save lives – in India and beyond. |
|
 |
Events: Welcoming New PhD Fellows and Master Students A total of 96 students from 31 countries joined our Master’s in Public Policy and Human Development for the 2013-2014 academic year. Welcomed on 29 August by Dean Bart Verspagen and Education Director Lutz Krebs, they were given a chance to mix and mingle, learn about our Problem-Based Learning, and get tips from recent graduates. Then on 9 September, a group of 17 fellows from 14 countries joined our PhD programme in Economics and Governance. Hailing from as far afield as Argentina, Cameroon, Egypt and India, they will be accompanied by four interns from Brazil and Ethiopia. |
|
 |
MAA Blog: From the Balkans through Nigeria to India Over the last few weeks our blog has looked at the skills gap in India, e-governance in Kosovo, and tax regimes for migrant workers. We also tackled the thorny subject of 'Earth Overshoot Day', which this year fell on 21 August. Since that date we’ve ‘borrowed’ from 2014: essentially taking from our children and future generations. See our blog for more contributions by PhD fellows, professors and researchers, covering everything from hi-tech innovation to urban sustainability. |
|
 |
Meantime Media Until next time, in early January, please keep an eye on our media channels below. Recent highlights include a series of interviews with lecturers, participants and government officials from our DEIP programmes in Barbados and Bolivia. Also check the lecture by Prof. Chris de Neubourg, founder of the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, on consolidating progress in multidimensional poverty research. YOUTUBE video channel PREZI visualizations channel Image credits: Flickr / CIMMYT, L.Carneiro Jr, Intelfreepress, plus via links. |
|
UNU-MERIT Newsletter
Our Newsletters
© 2023 UNU-MERIT | Maastricht University