Friday, March 29, 2019

CfPs: International Symposium on "Advances in Coastal Research with special reference to Indo Pacific- 2019 (AdCoRe IP-2019)" | 17-19 December; Chennai, India

International Symposium on "Advances in Coastal Research with special reference to Indo-Pacific (AdCoRe IP-2019)"
17-19 December 2019 | Chennai, India
Organized by National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) and Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)

Background
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) commits countries to unite over what is a truly global responsibility – the protection of our oceans and the lives below the sea. By 2020, countries commit for achieving the sustainable management of marine ecosystems and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds. This will require an international scientific partnership, regulation for fish harvesting, fishing, and enhance our research knowledge on critical issues concerned to the survival of life below water. The Ministry of Earth Sciences is the focal point in the country to provide input on regional and global science based issues for policy making.
Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and NITI Aayog, Government of India, and with support from the UN in India, is spearheading a programme of national consultations among lawmakers, policymakers, academia, private sector and the civil society on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai is an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. NCCR aims to apply scientific tools and techniques in addressing problems like erosion, ecosystem changes and seawater quality monitoring to monitor the levels of marine pollutants in the seas around India. The NCCR implemented programmes on integrated coastal and marine area management (ICMAM) plan, GIS-based information for critical habitats, determination of waste assimilation capacity, development of EIA guidelines, determination of 'no impact zone', determination of best use classification for coastal waters, shoreline management plans, ecosystem modelling for coastal habitats, marine ecotoxicology and storm surge inundation modelling. NCCR attracts more interaction by research communities at the national and international level with its competence and capabilities developed for the last three decades and enhance the countries capabilities in addressing the challenging problems prevailing in the coastal zone.
India's focus on oceans and marine resources management has been forward looking. With close to 129 institutions in the country working on marine and ocean related issues, largely supported by four ministries of Government of India. NCCR has a mandate to address the coastal issues and challenges across the coastal states of India. Countries across the Indo-Pacific region are having common coastal problems and issues to be addressed. Hence, to share the scientific knowledge on advances in coastal research an International Symposium on Advances in Coastal Research with special reference to Indo Pacific- 2019 (AdCoRe IP 2019) is being organized by the NCCR, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India in collaboration with RIS. The symposium is expected to attract the global scientific experts, academician, researchers and policy makers onto the common platform of collaborating in the area of global challenges facing coastal regions worldwide. Outcome of the symposium will be useful to better understand the common coastal issues of concern, enhance regional cooperation, devise unique strategies and fine tune national policies across the Indo Pacific region.

Themes of the Symposium
Keeping the focus on "Coastal Research Advances", we invite papers on topics of interest to Ocean Scientists / Academicians /Engineers and Technologists in the following areas:
  • Coastal Erosion and Sediment Transport
  • Marine Pollution and Marine Litter
  • Forecasting Coastal Hazards and Sea Level Change
  • Coastal Vulnerability, Floods and Modeling
  • Coastal Ecosystems and Modeling – SDG 14
  • Climate Change and its Impacts on the Coasts
  • Blue Economy (Resources, Energy) and Coastal Governance
  • Ocean Technologies and Small Island Developing States
Call for Extended Abstracts
One page extended abstract of research papers giving details on objective, methodology, salient results and conclusions may please be submitted through conference portal online https://www.niot.res.in/Adcore19/themes.php on or before 31st August 2019. Times New Roman Font of 10pt size with single space may be followed for preparation of abstract. The title of paper, authors' names and their affiliations and the E-mail Id for correspondence may be given along with the abstract. 


Thursday, March 28, 2019

New Report "Addressing Barriers to Scaling-up Renewable Energy through Industry Involvement" | by Indian Renewable Energy Federation

Addressing Barriers to Scaling-up Renewable Energy through Industry Involvement.
by V. Subramanian, Partha S. Banerjee, Vineet Kumar & Manisha Mukherjee; Indian Renewable Energy Federation (IREF), New Delhi, 2019. 

About the Report: While the renewable energy sector has grown considerably, there is still immense potential to be realized. This report identifies some of the key barriers that are hindering the growth of renewable energy in India. An important focus of this report is to identify gaps in the implementation of renewable energy efforts at the national and state level approaches, with involvement and inputs from industry, and find solutions for a more enabling ecosystem for investment and development.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

CSSP Talk on "Scientometrics in the Twenty-First Century" | Tomorrow at SSS-I, JNU at 4.00 p.m.

Centre for Studies in Science Policy 
Jawaharlal Nehru University

 

Invites you to a Special Lecture on

 

Scientometrics in the Twenty-First Century

 

By

Bidyarthi Dutta

(Vidyasagar University, West Bengal)

 

Venue: Room No. 227, 2nd Floor, CSSP, SSS-1 Building, JNU

 

Date: Wednesday, 27th March 2019 | Time: 4:00 pm

 

Abstract: The classical bibliometric indicators were introduced before the year 2000, whereas the modern bibliometric and scientometric indicators were introduced after 2000 (i.e., 21st century). The notable point is that all classical indicators are mainly based on simple citation counts and some normal averaging processes. The normalization of impact factor was initiated by BK Sen in CSIR-INSDOC in around 1987. The normalization process showed a new way towards the standardization of the impact factor. Whereas, the post-2k scientometric indicators or modern indicators that were all introduced in the beginning of the 21st Century, are based on other various factors apart from simple citation count. These other factors mainly include a number of publications, the relation between top-cited papers' citations and number of publications, number of shares, or views, downloads, likes, etc. The last factors developed another new metrics, i.e., altmetrics, a new metrics concept introduced in 2010. The classical indicators were mainly source-based or journal-based indicators, i.e., it evaluated the source items or the journals. But the post-2k metrics emphasized on individual articles and authors. Starting from h-index, the other related indicators, like g-index, i-10 index, e-index, a-index, and R-index et al. are author-level indicators. A glimpse of all classical and modern metrics is discussed here with relative pros and cons.

 

About the Speaker: Dr. Bidyarthi Dutta is an Assistant Professor, working in the Department of Library & Information Science, Vidyasagar University in West Bengal. He was awarded PhD from Jadavpur University in 2008. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Scientometric Research (Jscires.org).

 

 

 

All are welcome to attend the Lecture. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Centre for Studies in Science Policy
School of Social Sciences

SSS 1 Building, 2nd Floor
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi - 110067, India
Tel: +91-11-26704461
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, March 25, 2019

New Book: "Open Access: The Road to Freedom"

Open Access: The Road to Freedom
Edited by Narayan Chandra Ghosh, Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay, Bhaskar Mukherjee, and Jiban K. Pal.; Prova Prakashani, Kolkata, 2018, ISBN 9789383658206.

About the Book:
This is published as the Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Society for Information Science (SIS), held in Kolkata during 7-8 April 2017. It contains 27 essays placed in six Sections.

Table of Contents
Section 1: Open Access - the Context
Section 2: Open Access Evaluation
Section 3: Open Access Repositories
Section 4: Open Access Policies
Section 5: Open Access Publishing
Section 6: Open Learning


Sunday, March 24, 2019

New Book "Constructing a Global Technology Assessment : Insights from Australia, China, Europe, Germany, India and Russia"

Constructing a Global Technology Assessment: Insights from Australia, China, Europe, Germany, India and Russia
Edited by Julia Hahn & Miltos Ladikas, KIT Scientific Publishing, Karlsruhe, ISBN: 9783731508311.

Abstract: Worldwide simultaneous effects of technologies, international challenges such as climate change as well as shifting relationships between science and society call for approaches that can address these issues on a global level. This book examines the potential of Technology Assessment (TA), as an until now mainly national and Western concept, to take on this global level and provide answers to these pressing questions.

Table of Contents 
The Case for a Global Technology Assessment
Technology Assessment in Germany
European Concepts and Practices of Technology Assessment
Technology Assessment in Australia
Technology Assessment in China
Technology Assessment in India | by Poonam Pandey, PN Desai & S. Chaturvedi
Technology Assessment in Russia
Constructing a Global Technology Assessment: Its Constitution and Challenges

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Call for Research Proposals under DST's Water Technology Initiative: Research, Technology and Innovation on Nexus of Water with Energy, Food, Health.

Call for Research Proposals under DST's Water Technology Initiative: Research, Technology and Innovation on Nexus of Water with Energy, Food, Health.

1. Preamble:
Water Technology Initiative is a demand oriented user-centric initiative which includes development research in laboratories as well as application research in field. The scope of initiative covers the entire value chain of R&D right from water oriented applied research, pre competitive technology development, technology based classification & assessment of technology options, pilot-demonstration of technology leads from laboratories and academic institutions to evolve a basket of technology options and mounting of technically, socially, environmentally and eventually affordable convergent solutions suited to socio-economic context.
Based on stakeholders' consultation, it is being inferred that there is a need to promote research for cross sectoral interface in the water domain. This is necessary to enhance access to water supply and services and reduce disparities among different sections and regions which calls for a multi-goal optimisation process accounting for sectoral integration of water-food-energy with health-education-equity. 

2. Objective of Call:
The objective of the call is to mobilize study, research, innovation and technology proposals to explore, understand and address nexus of water issues with the sectors e.g. energy, food, health, infrastructure etc. in the context of existing and emerging water challenges in the country especially with reference to reliable availability of water for drinking, municipal, and agricultural requirements. The scope of this call will not include sensing and treatment of industrial waste water and water use efficiency in industrial sector. The present call would support thematic lab based Research Development and Demonstration (RD&D) on Water quality sensing, analysis, treatment and management for addressing issues related to Water-food, Water-Energy, Water-Health, Water-Energy-Food-Health and other cross sectoral Nexus. The topics could include:
I. Treatment and management of Water quality for Public Health, water related disasters, cleaning the rivers etc.
II. System optimization of water supply &treatment systems for optimal water & energy use.
III. New Sensor technologies and intelligent sensor products for real time measurement of water quality and quantity in energy operations.
IV. Sustainable options for water quality such as in-situ remediation.
V. Study of transport and fate of Emerging Contaminants, PPCP and Pesticides.
VI. Sustainable water harvesting, recharge and porous cities (usability, health impacts, efficiency & safe use etc.)
VII. Sustainable Desalination Technologies.
VIII. Optimizing water quality and quantity for different usage.
The above topics are only illustrative and any other topic addressing call spirit can be considered under this call. The call would include following components: 
  • 3.1 Action Research Sustainable Integration of alternate energy sources Stream. Proposal should aim at conducting scientific study of the nexus of water issues with other sectors and the outcome should be evidence based action plan. 
  • 3.2 Applied Research Stream: Leading to establishment of Proof-of-Concept. Proposal should explore innovative ideas with a view to showcase the unique advantages of their idea over existing alternatives and to demonstrate that their innovative idea has the ability to address a significant end user need. This has to be substantiated by clear articulation on need supported by quantitative performance statement from the participating user. 
  • 3.3 Technology Stream: Leading to Lab Scale Demonstration.
  • 3.4 Solution Stream: Leading to Pilot Scale Demonstration for technology in field setting. 
Deadline/ Call Closing Date: 15th May, 2019 

Sunday, March 17, 2019

CfPs: 5th IndiaLICS International Conference "Innovation Systems in India: Contexts and Challenges" | 29-31 August, Ahmedabad

5th IndiaLICS International Conference 2019

Innovation Systems in India: Contexts and Challenges

 

August 29-31, 2019

 

Co-organisers

Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, India

Gujarat Institute of Development Research, Ahmedabad, India

 

Venue

Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, India

 

Call for Papers & Research Proposals

 

Increasing realisations over perspectives and role of innovations –including but beyond the technological – in impacting economies and societies at the macro, meso and micro levels call for a serious rethink on national, regional and sectoral innovation systems in India. While no clear-cut policies on innovations exist, especially addressing local and sub-national dynamics, absence of comprehensive statistics on innovation and related aspects remains a first major roadblock. Further, innovation potential of subsectors, regions and resources (both physical and knowledge-based) has been poorly articulated as we have limited understanding of interrelationships between diverse stakeholders of science, social-economy and democracy. A common concern is over innovative governance of access and use of resources (particularly, natural) to ensure broad-basing of sustainable production, consumption and conservation.

 

IndiaLICS is the India chapter of Globelics, an international network of scholars who apply the concept of Learning, Innovation and Competence building System (LICS) as a framework for promoting inclusive and sustainable development in developing countries, emerging economies and societies in transition. IndiaLICS engages in and pro-actively promotes domestic and global exchange of scholarship in innovation systems and the translation of innovation to development outcomes. It organizes seminars/conferences and undertakes capacity building activities as well as research with academics, policymakers, entrepreneurs and workers. For details, please visit: www.indialics.org

 

The Conference aims to be multidisciplinary in its approach by including scholars/practitioners/members from social sciences, physical/natural sciences and development/civil society organisations. Although the focus is on India lessons from other developing and developed countries shall be discussed in a comparative perspective.

 

Special sessions are planned for interactions of subject experts and activists with young scholars/practitioners.

 

Pertinent/Suggestive Themes by Broad Intersectional Categories:

 

National Level:

o Innovation, trade and development

o Comprehensive database and indicators of innovations

o IPRs, standards & regulations

o Foresights and futures for technology

o Skills, knowledge and learning – gaps and solutions

o Innovation activity and firm size in the context of changing technology regimes and market structures

 

Regional/Sub-national Level:

o Global production networks and governance of value chains

o Enterprise-academia-state-society inter-linkages

o State and STI

 

Sectoral/Sub-sectoral Level:

o Skills, knowledge gaps in traditional and modern sectors

o Innovations in agriculture, forestry, livestock and fisheries

o Informal sector and innovation (both rural and urban contexts)

o Innovation in services and business model innovation

o Innovations in social sectors (education, health and water)

 

Overarching Concerns:

o Science, technology and innovation links

o Climate change and protecting the environment

o Gender and innovation

o Inclusive and responsible innovation

 

These are indicative themes only. Papers beyond these themes shall also be considered.

 

Important Dates:

• Submission of Extended Abstracts or Research Proposals by April 20, 2019

• Information on Acceptance/Rejection of Abstracts/Proposals by April 27, 2019

• Submission of Full Papers by July 31, 2019

 

Format for Extended Abstract/Research Proposal:

The abstract/proposal (around 1000 words) must be new (neither published nor being submitted/considered for publication elsewhere) and should preferably be organised around the following subsections (a) Central Concerns (b) Methodology/Approach (c) Main Findings (d) Policy Implications (e) Originality/Value (f) Keywords (upto 5). Papers by young scholars are particularly encouraged. All submissions and enquiries have to be emailed to: indialics2019ahd@gmail.com

 

Travel and Hospitality:

Efforts are on to offer travel cost support to participants; details on that shall be conveyed to authors of papers selected. Local hospitality shall be taken care of.


Further Details

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Billions deprived of the right to water --- World Water Development Report 2019

UNESCO- UN-Water Press Release No.2019-18

 

EMBARGO UNTIL 19 MARCH 00:01 GMT

 

Billions deprived of the right to water

UNESCO Publication on behalf of UN Water

 

Launch of the United Nations World Water Development Report on 19 March

 

Paris/Geneva, 19 March–Access to water and sanitation is internationally recognized human right. Yet more than two billion people lack even the most basic of services. The latest United Nations World Water Development Report, Leaving No One Behind, explores the symptoms of exclusion and investigates ways to overcome inequalities. The report will be launched in Geneva, Switzerland, on 19 March during the 40th Session of the Human Rights Council, ahead of World Water Day (22 March).

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing "the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right" and in 2015 the human right to sanitation was explicitly recognized as a distinct right. These rights oblige States to work towards achieving universal access to water and sanitation for all, without discrimination, while prioritizing those most in need. Five years later, Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to guarantee sustainable management of, and access to, water and sanitation for all by 2030.

Yet, despite significant progress over the past 15 years, this goal is unreachable for much of the world's population. In 2015, three in ten people (2.1 billion) did not have access to safe drinking water and 4.5 billion people, or six in ten, had no safely managed sanitation facilities. The world is still off track in achieving this important goal.

"Access to water is a vital right for the dignity of every human being," declared UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. "Yet, billions of people are still deprived of this right. The new edition of the UN World Water Development Report shows that collective determination to move forward and efforts to include those who have been left behind in the decision making process could make this right a reality."

"The numbers speak for themselves. As the Report shows, if the degradation of the natural environment and the unsustainable pressure on global water resources continue at current rates, 45% of global Gross Domestic Product and 40% of global grain production will be at risk by 2050. Poor and marginalized populations will be disproportionately affected, further exacerbating already rising inequalities […] The 2019 Report provides evidence of the need to adapt approaches, in both policy and practice, to address the causes of exclusion and inequality," said Gilbert F. Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water and President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

 

Wide disparities between the rich and the poor

These figures hide significant disparities. On a global scale, half of the people who drink water from unsafe sources live in Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only 24% of the population have access to safe drinking water, and 28% have basic sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households.

Significant discrepancies in access exist even within countries, notably between the rich and the poor. In urban areas, the disadvantaged housed in makeshift accommodations without running water often pay 10 to 20 times more than their neighbours in wealthier neighbourhoods for water of similar or lesser quality purchased from water vendors or tanker trucks.

The right to water, the report's authors explain, cannot be separated from other human rights. In fact, those who are marginalized or discriminated against because of their gender, age, socio-economic status, or because of their ethnic, religious or linguistic identity, are also more likely to have limited access to proper water and sanitation.

Almost half of people drinking water from unprotected sources live in Sub- Saharan Africa, where the burden of collecting water lies mainly on women and girls, many of whom spend more than 30 minutes on each journey to fetch water. Without safe, accessible water and sanitation, these people are likely to face multiple challenges, including poor health and living conditions, malnutrition, and lack of opportunities for education and employment.

 

Refugees particularly vulnerable

Refugees and internally displaced people are often face severe barriers to the access of water supply and sanitation services and their numbers are higher than ever before. In 2017, conflicts and persecution forced 68.5 million people to flee their homes. Moreover, an annual average of 25.3 million people are forced to migrate because of natural disasters, twice as many as in the early 1970s – a number expected to raise further due to climate change.

Inclusive policies are needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6. They are also needed to defuse conflicts between different water users. In a context of increasing demand (1% yearly increase since the 1980s), the Report observes a significant rise in water-related conflicts: 94 from 2000 to 2009, 263 from 2010 to 2018.

The Report demonstrates that investing in water supply and sanitation makes good economic sense. The return on investment is high in general and for the vulnerable and disadvantaged in particular, especially when broader benefits such as health and productivity are taken into account. The multiplier for the return on investment has been globally estimated at two for drinking water and 5.5 for sanitation.

Coordinated and published by UNESCO's World Water Assessment Programme, the United Nations World Water Development Report is the result of a collaboration between the 32 United Nations entities and the 41 international partners who make up UN-Water. It is published every year on World Water Day.

 

****

Media contact:

Agnès Bardon, UNESCO Press Service. Tel: +331 45681764, a.bardon@unesco.org

Daniella Bostrom Couffe, UN-Water. +41 79 159 92 17, daniella.bostrom@unwater.org

 

 

The report is available upon request

 



If you would rather not receive future communications from UNESCO, let us know by clicking here.
UNESCO, 7, place de Fontenoy, PARIS, NA FRANCE France

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

DirectAxis Financial Services

Welcome To DirectAxis Financial Services

We are currently on a promotion, giving out loan for only 5% interest rate per year. The offer covers all types of loan and the offer is open to blacklisted individual and those under debt review. The Loan ranges from R10, 000.00 to R5, 000,000.00 Kindly reply back to us with your ID and your cell number, we await your swift response.


Kind Regards

Mrs. Renee Knox
Contact No: 065 532 3407
Email: mrsreneemknox@mailfence.com
Loan Service Desk

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

DJLIT Special Issue "Promoting and Maintaining Integrity in Higher Education and Research" Published Online

DJLIT Special Issue on 'Promoting and Maintaining Integrity in Higher Education and Research' Published

March 2019 Issue

Guest Editor: Dr Manorama Tripathi, JNU Delhi, DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology 

Vol 39 No 2 (2019), pp. 57-139 | Online Published on 11 March 2019  
  

Friday, March 8, 2019

18th STIP Forum Lecture "Development of Solar Energy in India" by Dr Arun K Tripathi | 12 March, IHC New Delhi


Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) Forum Lecture Series

 

Development of Solar Energy in India


by

Dr. Arun Kumar Tripathi 

[Director General, National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE)]

 

 

Date: 12 March 2019 (Tuesday) Time: 7:00 PM 


Venue: Casuarina Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi (Entry from Gate No. 3)


RSVP: Dr. Manish Anand, Tel: 011-24682100, e-mail: manand@teri.res.in

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Participants at Global UNESCO Conference on Artificial Intelligence urge rights-based governance of AI


UNESCO Press Release No.2019-17

Participants at Global UNESCO Conference on Artificial Intelligence urge rights-based governance of AI

Paris, 06 March—A clear consensus emerged on the need to ensure a human-centred governance of artificial intelligence (AI) during UNESCO's Principles for AI: Towards a Humanistic Approach? Global Conference on 4 March at the Organization's Headquarters.
As she opened the Conference, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said, "The issues raised by artificial intelligence are not technological. They concern our own humanity, raising scientific, political, philosophical and ethical questions."
Ms Azoulay declared that "the time is more than ripe to define the ethical principles that must serve as a foundation and framework of this disruption; to ensure that AI serves collective choices, based on humanist values."
Referring to UNESCO's work on AI, the Director-General announced that "We will now be able to work on the basis of a first report of the Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology, COMEST. This new report, dedicated to artificial intelligence, will certainly provide major scientific support to Member States' reflection and initiatives."*
Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) spoke of the need for cooperation to ensure that AI becomes a driver of inclusive and sustainable growth. "We have to get this right, because while AI is driving optimism, it is also fuelling anxieties and ethical concerns."
Mr. Gurría spoke of the need to work with UNESCO in a concerted effort to "make AI less artificial and more intelligent."
Throughout the day, academics, representatives of intergovernmental organizations, government ministers, the private sector, members of the technical community, the media, academia, and civil society called for the development of ethical principles to govern AI on the basis of transparency and accountability. They stressed the need for open data that is respectful of privacy. They stressed the importance of data, which goes beyond information traditionally collected by public services, as it informs the predictions and decisions that already allow AI to contribute to the treatment of diseases, the management of water resources and agricultural planning, for example.
But data is not neutral, and several participants pointed out that making technology serve humanity required data that is truly representative and inclusive, which poses a problem considering that half the world's population remains unconnected to the internet.
Cédric Villani, winner of the Fields Medal in Mathematics and member of the French parliament, spoke of the need to preserve human sovereignty in the face of algorithms, and geopolitical sovereignty in the face of the present competition to develop AI. Speaking of the challenge of developing AI to serve human goals, Mr. Villani cautioned, "The danger is ourselves, if we fail to rise to the challenge."
Bunmi Banjo, Managing Director of Kuvora Inc warned against falling into the "efficiency trap" without considering what is just and fair, as decisions taken today will affect humanity for decades to come.
But speakers pointed to the slowness of international standard-setting instruments that have historically followed technological innovation rather than anticipating them, which is what is now required where AI is concerned.
While all speakers highlighted the need to develop principles for AI, Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond, Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination, Executive office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, warned, "the current preference for non-binding international agreements, part of the shift from cooperation to competition, is making non-binding treaties much more attractive. But we cannot rely on everyone to be good. […] If we let the invisible hand of the market operate freely, we will get useful applications, but our privacy will be eroded and inequalities will grow, contributing to the polarization of our societies," he argued.
The conference was part of a series of UNESCO events on AI, following the debate on ethics of new technologies and artificial intelligence, Tech Futures: Hope or Fear? (22 January), and the Forum on Artificial Intelligence in Africa (12 and 13 December 2018). UNESCO is planning a major event on Artificial Intelligence and Education to study emerging AI technologies and innovative practices of the use of AI in education in Beijing, in partnership with the Government of the People's Republic of China (16-18 May).
****
Media Contact: Roni Amelan, Press Service - r.amelan@unesco.org ; +33 (0) 1 45 68 16 50

*The COMEST Extended Working Group on Ethics and AI finalized a preliminary study on AI ethics, which recommends a standard-setting instrument in this field. This study will be presented to UNESCO's Executive Board in April, as an introduction to dialogue with Member States whose purpose is to make progress towards the development of a new standard-setting instrument.



UNESCO, 7, place de Fontenoy, PARIS, NA FRANCE France

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

New Book | The Oxford Handbook of Higher Education Systems and University Management | edited by G. Redding, A. Drew, & S. Crump, OUP

The Oxford Handbook of Higher Education Systems and University Management
Edited by Gordon Redding, Antony Drew, and Stephen Crump, Oxford University Press, 2019, ISBN: 9780198822905.

About the Book: The world's systems of higher education (HE) are caught up in the fourth industrial revolution of the twenty-first century. Driven by increased globalization, demographic expansion in demand for education, new information and communications technology, and changing cost structures influencing societal expectations and control, higher education systems across the globe are adapting to the pressures of this new industrial environment. To make sense of the complex changes in the practices and structures of higher education, this Handbook sets out a theoretical framework to explain what higher education systems are, how they may be compared over time, and why comparisons are important in terms of societal progress in an increasingly interconnected world.
Drawing on insights from over 40 leading international scholars and practitioners, the chapters examine the main challenges facing institutions of higher education, how they should be managed in changing conditions, and the societal implications of different approaches to change. Structured around the premise that higher education plays a significant role in ensuring that a society achieves the capacity to adjust itself to change, while at the same time remaining cohesive as a social system, this Handbook explores how current internal and external forces disturb this balance, and how institutions of higher education could, and might, respond.

Table of Contents
Part I: Education and Societal Evolution
1: The Description and Comparison of Societal Systems of Higher Education and University Management, Gordon Redding, Antony Drew, and Stephen Crump
2: Criticality, Academic Autonomy, and Societal Progress, Gordon Redding
3: Socializing Human Capital for 21st Century Educational Goals: Suggestive Empirical Findings from Multi-National Research, Michael H. Bond and Yiming Jing
4: Changing the Nature and Role of Universities: The Effects of Funding and Governance Reforms on Universities as Accountable Actors, Richard Whitley
Part II: Strategic Autonomy and the Main University Types
5: Recent Trends in East and West University Governance: Two Kinds of Hollowness, Gabriel Donleavy and K. C. Chen
6: Cycles of Evolution of Ideal Types of Universities: Causes and Consequences for the University Mission - The Case of Poland, Svetlana Gudkova, Anna Pikos, and Valentyna Guminska
7: The Implications of a Diversifying Workforce for Institutional Governance and Management in Higher Education, Celia Whitchurch
8: The Collegial Tradition in English Higher Education: What Is It, What Sustains It, and How Viable Is Its Future?, David Palfreyman and Ted Tapper
9: Managing a University in Turbulent Times, Gordon Redding
Part III: Large Scale Changes and Their Implications
10: Critical Factors and Forces Influencing Higher Education in the 21st Century, Antony Drew, Gordon Redding, and Trevor Harley
11: A New World of Communications in Higher Education and Its Implications, Liam Phelan, Antony Drew and Andrew Yardy
12: Leading in Higher Education, Maurits van Rooijen
13: Policy and Practice in University-Business Relations, Ewart Keep
14: Macro Changes and the Implications For Equality, Social, and Gender Justice in Higher Education, Miriam David, Penny Jane Burke, and Marie-Pierre Moreau
15: Macro Changes and the Implications for Higher Education Research: A Case Study in the Health Sector and Graduate Practice, Tracy Robinson, Kylie Twyford, Helena Teede, and Stephen Crump
16: Canada in a Global System of Higher Education: The Role of Community Engagement, Brent Epperson, Britta Baron, and Carl G. Amrhein
17: Developing and Maintaining Transnational Research Collaborations: A Case Study of Australian Universities, Fazal Rizvi and Ranjit Gajendra
18: Scholarship in the University: An Ecological Perspective, Ronald Barnett
19: Higher Education Finance: Global Realities, Policy Options, and Common Misunderstandings, Bruce Johnstone
20: Educating for the Cooperative Society: The Role of Government in Building Human and Social Capital, Ken Mayhew
Part IV: Fostering Societal Cooperativeness and Innovativeness in the New Conditions
21: Educating for the Cooperative Society: The Role Of Industry in Building Human and Social Capital, Suzanna Tomassi
22: Educating for the Cooperative Society: The Role Of Universities, Research, and the Academic Professions in Fostering Good Citizenship, Murat Erguvan, Nikoloz Parjanadze, and Kevin Hirschi
23: Governments Need To, and Do, Trust Universities, Mike Calford
24: Education and Technological Unemployment in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Michael Peters and Petar Jandric
25: Educating For the Innovative Society: The Role of Indian Institutes of Technology in India, V. V. Krishna and Nimesh Chandra
26: Policy Implications for Equity, Gender, and Widening Participation in Higher Education, Penny Jane Burke, Miriam David and Marie-Pierre Moreau
Part V: Societal Implications of a Changing HE World
27: Reactions, Reflections, and Renewal: The Significance of Higher Education for Intellectual, Social, and Personal Advancement, Stephen Crump
28: Maintaining the Contribution of Higher Education to Societal Progress, Gordon Redding, Stephen Crump, and Antony Drew