| WELCOME to our eighth 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. | ||
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Next Up: Migration and Development Conference The closing conference of the IS Academy Migration and Development project will be held in Maastricht from 22-24 January 2014. Sessions will focus on Afghanistan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Morocco and the Netherlands, and on themes such as remittances, entrepreneurship and diasporas. Participants will share analysis of project data and examine research from around the world; the best papers will be published as a United Nations University book. Follow our media posts on the UNU-MERIT website during the conference. Read on... |
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Nano Future: Organic Solar Cells Conference The third ORGANEXT cluster meeting is being held at Maastricht University on 14 January 2014. It aims to gather and inform industrial partners (SMEs and large companies), policy makers and knowledge centres, specifically on the future of organic solar cells and requirements prior to market introduction. The ORGANEXT project comprises 12 partners from the 'EUREGIO' Meuse-Rhine, Eindhoven and Leuven with expertise in nanotechnology, new materials, organic solar cells and economic analysis / valorization. See our media posts on the UNU-MERIT website shortly after the conference. Read on... |
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Register Now: Master's Open Day February 2014 UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance will host the next Master's Open Day on Saturday 22 February 2014. The MSc in Public Policy and Human Development emphasizes the connection between public policy and decision-making processes, as well as the principles of good governance. Students who successfully complete the programme receive a double degree issued by the United Nations University and Maastricht University. Several information sessions will be offered during the day and visitors will have the chance to talk one-on-one with staff and students. Join us... |
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Last Chance: Migration Management Programme We are still accepting applications for the Migration Management Diploma Programme (MMDP), which begins 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. Application deadline: 31 January 2014. Apply now... |
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Join Us: Visiting Researchers and Professors UNU-MERIT has openings for visiting researchers and professors in Innovation, Governance and Development. These are available at all levels after completion of a PhD, and for periods of between one and six months in 2013 and 2014. Proven prior research experience in a relevant theme (as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications) is a strict requirement. The purpose of the visiting period should be to realize a concrete result, such as a research paper, a policy brief, etc. Proposals will be evaluated as and when they come in and as long as available resources permit. There is no deadline for submissions. Apply now... |
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New Year Honours: MBE for Prof. Khalid Koser We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Khalid Koser has been appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "for his services to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK". The appointment was announced as a part of the British Queen's New Year Honours List for 2014. The Order of the British Empire recognizes distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services outside the Civil Service and work with charitable and welfare organizations of all kinds. Koser is the Deputy Director and Academic Dean at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and holds a Professorship in Conflict, Peace and Security at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. Read on... |
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Relocation: New Building Signing Ceremony UNU-MERIT has found a new home in the ex-Sphinx offices on Boschstraat, Maastricht. We will rent the property for 20 years and, after a renovation period, move in during the course of 2015. The new building will provide around 3,000 square metres, roughly a quarter more than our current facilities, which were increasingly cramped due to a recent growth in staff and student numbers. Alderman Gerdo van Grootheest (Urban Planning, Nature and Sport) welcomed the resettlement of UNU-MERIT within the Belvédère Development Project, calling it "a perfect example of reuse". Read on... |
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Corruption and Conflict: How to Break the Vicious Circle? Can strong institutions prevent abuse of power on the one hand or collapse into anarchy on the other? Can efficient bureaucracies help achieve long-term growth and development goals? Can governance indicators reliably measure — and help prevent — state corruption and conflict? These were among the questions of a one-day workshop hosted on 2 December 2013 by UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. Focusing on 'Institutions, Governance and Development', it was part of a long-running project with the French Development Agency (AFD); a project in which we assess institutions in 148 countries via the Institutional Profiles Database. Read on... |
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Priority Africa: Sustainable Growth and Development The conference 'Sustainable Growth and Development in Africa', Dakar, 25-26 November 2013, aimed to create a bridge between research, policy and practice and to promote evidence-based policy making. It was attended by researchers from various countries, mostly African, as well as policy makers and other development agents. The event was opened by Senegal's Minister of Higher Education and Research, Prof. Mary Tew Niane, who stressed the need for evidence-based policy making to promote sustainable growth in Africa. He also highlighted the willingness and commitment of the Senegalese government to work with UN University towards its implementation. Read on... |
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Innovation in Developing Countries: Intellectual Property Rights How is innovation being internationalized? How important are intellectual property rights for development? How well are these rights managed in developing countries? These were the questions driving the 7th annual conference on 'Micro Evidence on Innovation and Development' (MEIDE), Santiago de Chile, 7-8 November 2013, which focused on intellectual property rights (IPR) policy in developing countries. Among the topics covered, two major sessions were devoted to the internationalization of innovation on the one hand and to innovation and productivity in services on the other. Read on... |
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Meantime Media Until next time, in early April, please keep an eye on our media channels below. Recent highlights include our biennial report for 2012-2013, an interview on state capacity and development goals, and a related interview on corruption and good governance indicators. We also featured blogs on sustainable mobility and a post on lifting the embargo on Iranian children. YOUTUBE video channel BLOG ideas channel Image credits: See links. |
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