CfPs: Conference on Decentralized Disaster Governance in Urbanizing Asia, at ARI Singapore; 5-6 March 2015

Conference on Decentralized Disaster Governance in Urbanizing Asia

5-6 March 2015

Venue: Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore 

CALL FOR PAPERS (SUBMISSION DEADLINE - 30 SEPTEMBER 2014)

Throughout Asia, political reforms are devolving state authority to sub-national jurisdictions to improve governance processes and outcomes by imbedding them in local contexts and capacities. The purpose of this multidisciplinary workshop is to examine decentralized governance from the perspective of environmental disasters. Often portrayed as the preferred means for bringing government closer to the people, decentralized governance is expected to more effectively respond to societal needs by empowering people and their communities to politically articulate their expectations and priorities through public decision-making. Decentralized decision-making is also expected to more quickly respond to disasters due to proximity to events and better ability to mobilize social resources and local knowledge in planning for, responding to and gaining resilience to future disasters.   

Realizing the many hopes of decentralization encounters well-known bottlenecks and opposing perspectives. Local governments are frequently without sufficient authority, qualified personnel or adequate material resources in times of disaster. Participatory governance mechanisms can equally be thwarted by local power relations and patronage networks. When large-scale disasters occur, centralized government agencies in tandem with donor-assisted programs often assert command over local governments rather than working with them as partners.  

At the same time, innovations in decentered disaster governance are appearing alongside an engaged civil society and active non-government community advocacy and planning organizations. Their successes do not negate the need for centrally coordinated engagement in disaster governance. Rather, the challenge is to build multi-level capacities through governance institutions at all scales to identify issues that would most benefit from higher level decision-making processes without compromising the efficacy of community engagement in the politics of disasters.

In addition to raising questions about governance practices, a focus on the intersection between centralized and decentralized regimes of governance through the lens of disaster reveals how their disruptions can lead to new alignments and compounding impacts that transcend existing political jurisdictions. Because many disasters cannot be neatly contained within territorially demarcated boundaries, both vertical and horizontal arrangements among government units can be destabilized. In such cases, the 'rupture' of disastrous events may produce new transborder networks, relationships and connections based upon shared problems, ideas, knowledge and technologies within and among nation-states. Environmental disasters may also compel local governments to seek or foster wider networks of cooperation in post-disaster recovery priorities and programs. In all cases, rigid routines of existing political and administrative arrangements may prove incapable of meeting the exigencies of disasters, and more flexible responses can emerge that do not fit neatly into received ideas about territorially bounded hierarchies of governance.

We invite submission of papers from young and established scholars, policymakers, planners and development practitioners to more fully explore these and other questions about the reflexive relationships between decentralization and disaster governance in urbanizing Asia. We encourage applicants to consider empirical case studies and theories within comparative Asian contexts to draw lessons that can be learned from Asia for decentralized disaster governance regimes in other urbanizing world regions. Core questions that will guide the workshop proceedings to speak to related themes across disciplinary and geographical boundaries include:

- How can we conceptualize the relationship between devolved systems of governance and environmental disasters at multiple scales and across a broad time scale of preparedness, response, and long-term recovery and resilience?

- Does the devolution of political power effectively lead to participatory forms of disaster governance?  What is the evidence that this occurs, and what are the bottlenecks that inhibit more inclusionary disaster governance processes? 

- How do environmental disasters reveal or even magnify relations of power and social cleavages?  Do post-disaster power relations change toward greater concentrations of power, more inclusive governance, or no significant change at all?  What lessons can we draw from assessing the politics of disasters?

- To what extent do international and transborder networks of cooperation among decentralized governments emerge from shared disaster experiences? What are the promising dimensions of this kind of cooperation, and what are the major bottlenecks in creating collaborative horizontal linkages among localities?  

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Paper proposals should include a title, an abstract (250 words maximum) and a brief personal biography of 150 words for submission to Ms Valerie Yeo at valerie.yeo@nus.edu.sg by 30 September 2014. Successful applicants will be notified by 10 October 2014 and will be required to send in a completed draft paper (5,000 - 8,000 words) by 31 January 2015.

CONTACT DETAILS

Workshop Convenors

Dr Michelle MILLER

Asia Research Institute

National University of Singapore

Email | arimam@nus.edu.sg

Prof Mike DOUGLASS

Asia Research Institute and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

National University of Singapore

Email | arimike@nus.edu.sg

Contact Person: Mdm YEO Ee Lin Valerie

Email: ariyeov@nus.edu.sg, arimike@nus.edu.sg, arimam@nus.edu.sg

Download Paper Proposal Submission Form: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/showfile.asp?eventfileid=824

Further Details: www.ari.nus.edu.sg/events_categorydetails.asp?categoryid=6&eventid=1572

Article by CSSP Scholar, A. Borthakur "Generation and Management of Electronic Waste in the City of Pune, India"

Borthakur, Anwesha (2014). Generation and Management of Electronic Waste in the City of Pune, India. Bulletin of Science Technology Society, published online before print, 2014, doi: 10.1177/0270467614541242.

Abstract: Electronic waste (E-waste) illustrates discarded appliances that utilize electricity for their functioning. It is one of the fastest growing waste streams across the globe. A study on the generation and management of E-waste was conducted in the city of Pune, India, involving four different stakeholders, namely, the information technology (IT) sector, banking sector, educational institutes, and households. All these stakeholders are listed by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forest as major contributors to the problem of E-waste in the country. Semistructured interviews were carried out at 4 IT companies, 10 banks, 16 educational institutes, and 50 households. Results show that the generation of E-waste with respect to computer waste is highest at the IT sector, followed by the banking sector. Apart from a few exceptions, rudimentary management practices were prevalent among the stakeholders. There is a lack of awareness on concerns related to E-waste. Establishing sustainable E-waste management practices, formulation and implementation of appropriate policy initiatives, transparency in the system, and educating people on their responsibility toward global E-waste problem are essential in order to address the emerging concern of E-waste in India.

Full-Text PDF: http://bst.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/08/08/0270467614541242.full.pdf+html

CfPs: Conference on Sustainable urbanization in India: Challenges and opportunities, organized by Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, 15-16 January 2015

Conference on Sustainable urbanization in India: Challenges and opportunities 

15-16 January 2015 

Organized by Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB)

Concept Note

Since 2007, urban centres have become the dominant habitat for human beings making the process of urbanization one of the most significant global trends of the twenty‐first century. Sustainable Urbanization is the post‐2015 development agenda of the United Nations. It unfurls optimistic designs where the city is considered the axis for the new global change, economic forces to entire nations, and central players on the world stage. With global environmental change at the planetary scale on one hand and rapid urbanization at the other, cities are recognized as seedbeds of solutions; flurry of recommendations, designs, and innovations are being thought upon with sustainability as the nucleus. Since the 1990s, cities came to be looked at through the sustainability lens. The concept of 'sustainable cities' emerged, being derived from 'sustainable development' which was popularized in the Brundtland Report (1987) of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), United Nations (UN) and Agenda 21 (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development [UNESCO], 1992). The UN Sustainable City Programme in the South was launched as a vehicle for implementing Agenda 21 at the city level to incorporate environmental management into urban development decision making where economic and environmental costs of urbanization and urban development were to be taken into account and cities were to be designed as compact, energy efficient cities, self‐reliant in terms of resource production and waste absorption. 

There are critical perspectives questioning the effectiveness of these programmes in the global South with the central argument that here sustainability is perceived from the Northern lens ignoring the critical issues of lack of availability and access to infrastructures and resources. Critics include Mike Davis, Joseph Gugler, David Harvey and others who have invoked into the contradictions associated with rapid and rampant urbanization in the poorest quarters of the developing nations.

The present seminar aims to move beyond the bi‐centric approach (of only looking into the differences between the 'developed' and the 'developing' world) and reflect on cities across India using polycentric methods and approaches. In spite of some common components, each and every city has its own trajectories of growth and development, vulnerability and resilience. The Indian scenario is extremely diverse and cities can be broadly classified according to historical, geographical and demographic conjectures. Solutions laid out in official and non‐official documents tend to miss out these diversities. The main objective of the seminar is to identify city‐specific sources of unsustainability and challenges and explore strategies and potentials to make the process of urban transition both sustainable and equitable. Lessons can be learnt from multi‐scalar analyses and case‐study based examples of Indian cities. The non‐linear, bottom‐up, multisectoral process‐based local contexts and initiatives would interrogate a general acceptance of the universalized concept of Sustainable Urbanization and suggest ways that might be important for transcending the theory into action.  

Call for Papers 

Major and cross‐cutting/overlapping themes

• Urban inequalities (between large cities and small towns and among different groups within a city)
  
• Governance, planning and finance (role of govt. institutions, NGOs, CBOs and foreign capital) 
  

1. Civic infrastructures (including access to natural resources)

2. Waste management  

3. Emission and energy use

4. Urban sprawl/mega‐urbanization

5. Different shades of metropolitan civility and urban environmentalism(s)  

6. Cities and disasters – vulnerabilities and resilience

 

Important dates

- August 30, 2014: Submission of abstract

- September 20, 2014: Authors of selected abstracts would be notified via email

- November 30, 2014: Submission of full draft paper

- January 15 and 16, 2015: Paper presentation in the conference

- February 20, 2015: Submission of full revised paper for publication

Submission guidelines

- Researchers from academic, government and non‐government organizations are invited to submit their original and unpublished research work on any of the sub‐themes mentioned above. The list of sub‐themes is, however, only suggestive.

- Abstracts should be within 500 words and they should contain complete contact details of the author(s) including email id(s) and contact number(s). Abstracts must state the research problems, methods and methodologies pursued and major observations and findings of the research clearly.

- Selected papers will be invited for presentation in the conference. While submitting a full paper, please abide by the following guidelines:

- Paper size: Approximately 6000 words including references  

- Style: American Psychological Association (APA)

- Font: Times New Roman; Size: 12 points; Spacing: 1.5  

Please note that we are planning to publish some of the selected papers in a book volume by a reputed publisher.

Travel and accommodation

IDSK will reimburse travel expenses to and from the place of residences that include AC 2/3 tier train fare, boarding and lodging facility in the city and other expenses to those paper presenters who will submit full papers within the scheduled date.

For any queries, please email Dr. Jenia Mukherjee (Assistant Professor of History of Ecology and Environment and Coordinator of the conference) at jeniamukherjee@gmail.com or call at 08017246499. 

Further Details: http://idsk.edu.in/common/file/Call-for-papers-for-Jan-2015-conf.pdf

Inlaks Research Travel Grants for 2014

INLAKS RESEARCH TRAVEL GRANTS

Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation invites applications for the selection of Inlaks Research Travel Grants in 2014. The deadline for receiving applications for the grants is October 15, 2014.

The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation has been supporting innovative work in research and scholarship for more than three decades. The 'Inlaks Research Travel Grant' is geared to assist registered PhD. students of Indian universities to undertake short-term visits to universities abroad to collect material, use facilities and consult experts.

WHAT DOES THE AWARD OFFER?

The 'Inlaks Research Travel Grant' offers financial support for a maximum of 3 months at a university/institution/library abroad. The Grant will cover:

• Discounted air fare


• Maintenance expenses at a modest rate


• Funds for buying material and books, and making copies of relevant literature.

WHO CAN APPLY?

The applicants must


1. hold confirmed PhD registration for at least two years but for not more than four years


2. have a first class degree at either Bachelor's (Honours) or Master's level, preferably both.


3. be under 35 years of age on 31 December in the year of applying.

SUBJECTS FOR WHICH THE GRANT IS AVAILABLE
Humanities and Social Sciences
WHAT MUST THE APPLICANTS SUBMIT?

• Fully filled form for 'Inlaks Research Travel Grant'. The forms may be downloaded from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation website: www.inlaksfoundation.org

• Sample of written work (3000-5000 words) on the subject of the candidate's research. This should preferably be a draft (with full annotation and documentation) of a chapter of the PhD thesis along with details regarding the reading list, surveys, or any other work done towards the thesis.

• Evidence of having communicated with concerned persons or institutions abroad and having received a positive response.
• A written and signed statement from the applicant's supervisor stating:
  

  • The candidate's ability, focus and progress in the work done under her/his supervision

  • The candidate's need to go abroad
  • That the funds for the visit cannot be obtained from any other source
  • Additional recommendations (i.e other than from the supervisor) should not be submitted.

• The fully filled in forms and other enclosures must be sent by post to the following address: 86/87 Atlanta, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021

LAST DATE OF RECEIVING APPLICATION FORMS
October 15, 2014

IMPORTANT CONDITIONS

• Any material collected by the selected candidates (books, copies, instruments etc.) must become the property of the candidate's institution for wider use by future scholars.

• All this material must carry a statement regarding the support received from the Inlaks Research Travel Grants
• The grants must be utilized within nine months of the date of award.
• The students must furnish vouchers/evidence for major expenses like lodging, library fees, buying books, etc.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

The candidates will be expected to go through a two-tier selection procedure.


• First round short-listing on the basis of the written record submitted by the candidate.
• Second and final round: Personal interview of the short-listed candidates.

NOTE: The candidates short-listed for the interview will be informed by November 2014. The final interviews will be held either November or December 2014.

---

Application Form

Download Application Form (xls. format)

This form can be downloaded, filled in and sent by post to the following address:: Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation, C/o Inlaks India Foundation, 86/87 Atlanta, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

Further Details: http://inlaksfoundation.org/inlaks-research-grant.aspx

CfPs The Philosophy of Education Conference 2015, Bangalore

The Philosophy of Education Conference, 2015

19-21 January 2015, APU, Bangalore

Last date for submissions

Complete papers between 4500-5000 words should be uploaded in the online system (link provided below) by October 30, 2014.

Authors are advised to follow the prescribed word limit. They may also note that incomplete papers, extended abstracts, or papers exceeding the word limit may not be considered. Click the URL below to submit your paper -  http://182.18.153.103:5050/openconf.php

Important Dates

Last date for submissions: October 30, 2014

Communications on acceptance of submissions: November 15, 2014

Conference dates: January 19-21, 2015.

Instructions for Submissions

Submissions should be made by registering as 'interested speaker' in the online system and subsequently uploading a copy of the paper in MS Word format. Please don't upload pdf versions of the papers. All submissions should have two documents;

I. Information about the author; name, institutional affiliation, email ids, and phone numbers.

2. Complete paper with the title, and containing an abstract of the paper in 200-300 words.

Authors should not write their names, institutional affiliation, email id or any form of identification on the paper. 

Enquiries

In case, you don't receive an email acknowledgement on submission, or if you have any other query regarding the conference or paper submissions please write to poe.conference@apu.edu.in.

Review Process

All submissions will be blind reviewed by a panel of reviewers. The decision regarding selection of the paper will be communicated by email to the authors on or before November, 15, 2014. The decision of the Conference Committee will be final.

Travel and Accommodation

Authors are advised to first explore funding possibilities at their home institutions or other institutions and then contact us for travel funding. Azim Premji University will be supporting partial or full cost of travel for a limited number of authors based on individual merit and need. Lodging and boarding for the period of the Conference will be provided by Azim Premji University.

Further Details: http://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/poe/

UK Science and Innovation Network essay competition about Innovation capacity building in India

UK Science and Innovation Network essay competition

We welcome applicants to write an essay about Innovation capacity building in India.

The UK Science and Innovation team in India welcomes applicants to write an essay about Innovation capacity building in India. We encourage Indian policymakers, researchers, academics and those with strong knowledge of the field to participate in this essay competition.

Science and Innovation is widely recognised as the engine that drives the economic transformation of emerging markets like India. Increasingly, the real innovation bottleneck is not the supply of new knowledge, but external factors surrounding the process. How is India building the capacity to develop its innovation systems? What has been the impact of the national and state-level innovation capacity building programmes and initiatives in India so far? These could be the guiding points for writing the essay.

The UK Science and Innovation Network has bases in 28 countries/territories and works to facilitate international science & innovation collaboration with the UK, as well as collecting evidence to inform the UK's, and our host countries', policies.

Application guidelines

Please read the guidance carefully before completing the Phase I - Application form (MS Word Document, 518KB) .

The competition will have two phases -

Phase I

Submit the completed Phase I - Application form (MS Word Document, 518KB) including a 500 word outline summary and a curriculum vitae (CV) by 1700 hrs IST 18 August 2014. Submitted applications will be reviewed and successful candidates will be notified by 5 September 2014.

Phase II

Five successful applicants will then be invited to submit a full length essay (up to 3000 words) by 22 September 2014. The winners will be announced on 13 October 2014.

Anticipated timelines

18 August 2014	Applications for Phase I due
5 September 2014	Notification of success of application
22 September 2014	Completed essay submitted
13 October 2014	Winner announced

Essay topic/ theme

The essay topic will centre on the issues related to 'Innovation capacity building in India'. We anticipate that areas which would be covered in the final essay would include:

• 'National and state-level capacity building programmes and initiatives targeting staff from public sector and innovation agencies' in India.
• Which programmes have worked in the past? What did not work?
• What were the gaps in the programme development?
• Key Indian and multilateral funders delivering programmes in this area.

For Phase I, we are looking for a 500 word summary of some of the key issues relating to the above. The successful applicant will be asked to expand on these in Phase II – writing of the full essay.

Eligibility

The essay competition is open to academics and researchers based in Indian universities, institutes and centres and to those with knowledge and expertise in this subject. The competition is open only to people based in India.

All applicants must complete the application form, attaching a two page CV and submit these by 1700 hrs IST 18 August 2014 by email.

Incomplete applications, submissions after the deadline, and applications exceeding the word/page limit will not be accepted.

Only one submission per person is accepted. Essay should be the original work of the participant. When quoting directly, original sources must be cited.

By entering the essay competition, the applicants agree that while the Intellectual Property Rights to the essay content remain with the author, the UK Science and Innovation Network in India has the right to promote, print, distribute and publicise the final essay and excerpts from it.

Criteria

For Phase I applications will be judged against the following criteria and should demonstrate:

• The ability to write in English in a fluent and engaging way
• An understanding of how innovation capacity building programmes are funded in India
• An understanding of the success and failure of such programmes
• An understanding of the gaps in the programmes
• The drivers for undertaking these activities
• Any other aspects of delivering innovation policy and programme development in India.

The successful candidate must be able to commit to completing the essay by 22 September 2014.

Prize and recognition

1st prize: An all expenses paid trip to the UK to attend Innovate UK conference in November 2014. SIN India will pay for roundtrip economy class fares in carriers of its choice between candidate's home city and the UK and will be responsible for travel, room and meals for 4 nights.

Entrants are responsible for all documentation related to their journey, including passports and visas and the costs related to these, as well as appropriate medical insurance for their journey and stay in the UK.

There will be exciting prizes for first and second runners-up.

All five successful candidates of Phase II will receive certificates of participation.

Queries

Any questions regarding this essay competition should be emailed to Essay.Competition@fco.gov.uk.

IIED Call for proposals for research grants on building urban resilience to climate change, due on 30 August 2014

Call for proposals for research grants on building urban resilience to climate change

17 July 2014

Individuals and research institutions based in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are being invited to apply for funding for research in urban centres.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is seeking proposals (PDF) for original research projects in those countries that can contribute to an improved understanding of urban climate resilience.

In particular, projects with a particular focus on health and climate change in cities, and sanitation and other urban services in the context of climate change are being sought.

A partner in the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN), IIED is seeking to support local institutions, researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders to build knowledge and evidence of practice in order to develop urban climate resilience in Asian cities. 

The institute will work with researchers to help produce and share knowledge and evidence through working papers, policy briefs, peer-reviewed journal articles and other media, to reach and inform key local, national and international stakeholders. The intention is also to build the capacity of local researchers and institutions to design and carry out research and documentation on urban climate change resilience.

Research proposals must be relevant to either health and climate change in cities, or sanitation and other urban services in the context of climate change.

Health and climate change in cities

There remains a need for further understanding of how residents of urban areas may experience health problems due to indirect and direct effects of climate change on existing health risks. 

What role do social and ecological factors play in determining health of urban residents, and how might climate change affect these factors? In what ways might the systems (such as basic services and infrastructure), agents (community groups, individual households and local businesses) and institutions (legal frameworks, planning regulations) in urban areas build resilience to the potential direct and indirect effects of climate change on health?

Sanitation and other urban services in the context of climate change 

There is a continuing need for improving access to shelter, infrastructure and basic services in a way that is accessible to the lowest-income urban residents, who are often most vulnerable to climate change. Through what processes can these deficits be filled, in cities which are often densely populated, lacking infrastructure, growing, in a context of uncertainty around climate change?

While research projects need not be solely focused on the ACCCRN cities, research should be of relevance to ACCCRN cities and should help to build the capacity of local researchers and institutions in a variety of disciplines. Where appropriate, collaborations between researchers, practitioners and government agencies are encouraged.

Further information:

• A total pot of $200,000 USD is available to fund proposals, and IIED expects to fund from eight to 12 projects with budgets in the range of $15,000-25,000 USD per project
• Successful applicants will be expected to produce a working paper (up to 15,000 words) and a policy briefing paper (2,000 words) to be published in the Asian Cities Climate Resilience series, in English. IIED will provide editorial support in the publication process. See examples of past papers in the series
• IIED will facilitate a process of review of the working papers. Initial drafts of the working papers and briefing papers need to be submitted by 1 February 2015, with final drafts submitted by 1 April 2015
• Wherever possible, project outputs should be in a form allowing wider dissemination of findings, such as peer-reviewed journal articles, in order to contribute to knowledge around building urban climate resilience.

Submission process

Proposals should be sent to Diane Archer by email (diane.archer@iied.org) not later than 30 August 2014 outlining the following:

• Objectives of the research, background information and policy relevance
• Methodology
• Key partners
• Timeframe (note that final working papers and briefing papers must be complete by 1 April 2015)
• Anticipated outputs (such as working paper, policy brief, academic journal paper, other)
• Proposed budget (provide an indicative budget using the outline categories show on pages 2-3 of the announcement document (PDF) as applicable, providing additional detail for each category as appropriate)
• Other relevant information.

Disbursements will usually be made as follows: 30 per cent on signing the contract, 40 per cent at an agreed point in the project, and 30 per cent on satisfactory completion of the project. However, there may be room for flexibility in this depending on the type of costs and the lengths of the projects. Disbursements would usually be made to a registered institution or organisation (such as a university or non-governmental organisation) rather than to personal bank accounts.

Selection process

Proposals will be reviewed by a panel on a competitive basis. Applicants will be contacted by 19 September 2014.

Contact: Diane Archer (diane.archer@iied.org)

Further Details: http://www.iied.org/call-for-proposals-for-research-grants-building-urban-resilience-climate-change

IDRC 2015 Research Awards

IDRC 2015 Research Awards

Deadline: August 6, 2014 by 4:00pm EST

As a research award recipient, you will undertake a one-year paid program of research on the topic you submitted to the competition and receive hands-on experience in research management, grant administration, and the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge from an international perspective.

Eligibility:

• You must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, or a citizen of a developing country.
• You must be currently enrolled at a recognized university at the master's or doctoral level OR have completed a master's or doctoral degree at a recognized university. These awards may be part of an academic requirement.
• Your proposed research must focus on one or more developing countries.
• Candidates cannot receive any other Canadian government scholarship, award, subsidy, bursary, or honorarium, or hold any federal government contract in support of a research/work project for the duration of the award.
• If you are a non-Canadian residing, relocating, or studying in Canada and are recommended for an award, you will need a valid work permit before working at IDRC.

Duration: January – December 2015 (minimum 6 months to a maximum of 12 months). Based in Ottawa, Canada (Select placements may be located in one of IDRC's Regional Offices.)

Budget: CA$39,000-CA$45,000 (salary for one-year, paid internship)

Awardees are considered to be full-time employees of IDRC. Benefits include contributions to Employment Insurance, Employer Health Tax, the Canada Pension Plan, and 4% of salary in lieu of vacation leave. Some travel and research expenses are also supported, up to a maximum of CA$10,000.

 

Scope: Research proposed in the following countries or territories must be approved by IDRC before an award and contract is issued:

Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Eritrea, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Niger, Papua New Guinea, Small Island States [including Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, São Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Timor-Leste and Oceania (Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, Marshall Islands, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Tonga, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna)], South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen.

TO APPLY

Choose ONLY one of the following programs listed below.

Please note that all applications must be submitted online.

• Advisory Committee on Research Ethics (PDF, 173KB)
• Agriculture and Food Security (PDF, 175KB)
• Climate Change and Water (PDF, 175KB)
• Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (PDF, 180KB)
• Donor Partnerships Division (PDF, 123KB)
• Governance for Equity in Health Systems (PDF, 129KB)
• Governance, Security, and Justice (PDF, 132KB)
• IDRC Challenge Fund (PDF, 167KB)
• Information and Networks (PDF, 131KB)
• Non-Communicable Disease Prevention (PDF, 118KB)
• Supporting Inclusive Growth (PDF, 129KB)
• Think Tank Initiative (PDF, 169KB)

Access the application form directly at: https://ra-br-competition.fluidreview.com/

Have questions? Read the FAQs about the Research Awards (PDF, 70KB)

 
For more information, contact us at awards@idrc.ca

How does IDRC choose candidates for the Research Awards? Learn about the evaluation process.

Due to the high volume of submissions, only those applicants considered for an award will be contacted by email. An autoreply from the IDRC Fellowships and Awards program serves as acknowledgement of receipt of your application.  

A list of Candidates Recommended for an Award will be posted on the IDRC website by December 2014.

Journal Papers by CSSP Scholars "Knowledge Production by Indian Biotechnology Parks" by SK Patra; "Book Review: Legal Aspects of Implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety" by Amit Kumar

Knowledge Production by Indian Biotechnology Parks
by Swapan Kumar Patra
Asian Biotechnology and Development Review, 16(1), 69-87.
Abstract: Globally knowledge parks are encouraged as a source of economic competitiveness of a region and economy. Following the developed countries model of knowledge parks, many developing countries are also promoting technology parks. In India, central as well as various state governments have encouraged science parks in different locations. This study maps the knowledge production by science parks, particularly the Indian Biotechnology Parks. Publication records from Scopus databases are used to map the growth of publications, major areas of activities, the productive institutions and collaboration patterns among top actors. The result shows that scholarly publications from these parks have increased significantly in the last decade. However, the number is very less in terms of global publication share. The maximum publications are from the physical science areas, followed by life science subjects. Collaboration patterns show that Indian educational institutes are collaborating with the entities located very close by the parks. However, collaborations among industry and academia are very limited.
Download Full-text PDF: http://www.ris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/Swapan%20Kumar%20Patra.pdf

Book Review: Legal Aspects of Implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
by Amit Kumar
Asian Biotechnology and Development Review, 16(1), 89-95.
Download Full-text PDF: http://www.ris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/Book%20Review-Amit%20Kumar.pdf

Policy Briefs & Strategy Papers from CSIR-NISTADS, India

Policy Briefs & Strategy Papers from CSIR-NISTADS

• "Dynamism in S&T and the role of S&T and Innovation policies in China: Lessons for India", by G.D. Sandhya; N. Mrinalini & Pradosh Nath. ISTIP Policy Bulletin No. 4, March 2014. Download Full-text PDF.
• "Scientific Research in India: Drawing Insights from Bibliometric Indicators", by Sujit Bhattacharya, Shilpa & Arshia Kaul. ISTIP Policy Bulletin No. 3, January 2014. Download Full-text PDF. 
• "FDI in R&D in India: Policy Implications", by N.Mrinalini, Pradosh Nath and G.D.Sandhya. ISTIP Policy Bulletin No. 2, September 2013. Download Full-text PDF.
• "Nanotechnology Development in India: Investigating Ten Years of India's Efforts in Capacity Building", by Sujit Bhattacharya, Shilpa & A.P. Jayanthi. CSIR-NISTADS Strategy Paper on Nanotechnology, No. I, July 2012, NISTADS, India. Download Full-text PDF.
• "Nanotechnology Research and Innovation in India: Drawing Insights from Bibliometric and Innovation Indicators", by Sujit Bhattacharya, Shilpa & A.P. Jayanthi. CSIR-NISTADS Strategy Paper on Nanotechnology, No. II, July 2012, NISTADS, India. Download Full-text PDF.
  

Article "‘Majuli in Peril’: Challenging the received wisdom on flood control in Brahmaputra River Basin" by Debojyoti Das

'Majuli in Peril': Challenging the received wisdom on flood control in Brahmaputra River Basin, Assam (1940–2000)
by Debojyoti Das
Water History, 2014, 6(2):167-185
DOI 10.1007/s12685-014-0098-2
Abstract: This paper seeks to provide a framework to understand the politics of flood control and representation of deluge 'narrative' by looking at Majuli—one of the largest freshwater river islands in the world, located in the upper Brahmaputra valley in Assam. Policy makers and state planner present simplistic explanation of flood and its resultant impact on the island habitable space, as a 'techno-managerial' crisis needing policy redemption through 'experts' intervention. I present the phenomenon of flooding as a 'techno-political' problem and examine the politics of knowledge production. The paper thus challenges the received wisdom on ecological change promoted by institutions who have been working to save the island from two perceived threats—floods and bank erosion. Through a synoptic survey on state measures to control flood in the Brahamapura River Basin since the 1950s, I will show how the 'statist ecological discourse' based on equilibrium and linear models underlined by a 'command and control' discourse have dominated policy making on flood mitigation- devaluing other perspectives of ecological change. These new revisionist directions in ecology and science policy discourse bring important insights to understand the phenomena of floods from the multiple pathways of an ecological change paradigm and the ways they are mitigated and perceived.
Download Full-text: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12685-014-0098-2

CfPs 2nd Annual Convention on "Ethics in Research on Human Subjects: Evolving norms and guidelines for the Indian context" 2-4 Sept, at JNU

2nd Annual Convention on Ethics in Research on Human Subjects: Evolving norms and guidelines for the Indian context

 

on 2nd- 3rd -4th September 2014, at the Convention Centre, JNU.

 

The Convention will focus on the national and international guidelines (such as those of Nuffield Council on Bioethics 1991, Helsinki Declaration of 2000 clarifications in 2002, 2004, CIOMS 2002, and UNESCO document 2005, and specifically for India the ICMR guidelines, etc) and ground realities in India where we do not want to dampen the enthusiasm for research particularly in interdisciplinary sciences where mostly human participation is essential. At the same time, we also do not want to dilute the ethical norms and regulations prescribed globally. Most of the guidelines are also silent on behavioural, emotional, psychological research and psycho- social research involving human participants. In the first national convention organised by JNU in 2013, some of these issues were addressed by people from a large number of disciplines and also a variety of institutions participating. In the concluding session it was unanimously resolved to carry the discussion forward by making this an annual event. The proposed second national convention will take it forward with greater participation in numbers and greater enthusiasm and motivation within JNU and outside.

 

The proposed 2014 convention in JNU will take up these issues in paper presentations and posters, plenary talks and a couple of workshops, and conclude with a panel discussion.

Papers as verbal presentations or posters, workshops (proposed by groups) are invited on any of the following areas of concern:

 

• Protecting the participants in Human Research
• Respect for Individuality and Identity, Autonomy 
• Voluntariness and ICF- what is an ethical ideal?
• Subjectivity in our perception of an ethical ideal 
• Assessment of Risk and Benefit
• Policy Process and Policy framework,
• Is there law for universal application? 
• Capacity to exercise voluntariness
• Vulnerability issues in India studies
• National and International norms and rules for working with
• Children
• Tribals and people from EWS/ backward areas
• Illiterate/ semi educated people
• Medically unfit populations especially those with psychological / mental / cognitive disorders or those in a vegetative state
• Confidentiality issues
• Compensation, Incentives, Reimbursement, Insurance issues
• Legal issues arising out of research 
• Institutional Responsibility, Institution specific SOP's 
• Awareness / training issues and preparing the future researcher for ethical research 
  
• India specific norms, and case studies 
• Students Research Norms/ SOP's
• Faculty Research Projects 
• Setting the standards, accreditation standards 
• Norms for multidisciplinary, multi institutional, collaborative research
• Training IERB members

 

The issues and challenges are enormous. Through this Second National Convention on Ethics in Research on Human Subjects we need to continue the debate and discussion initiated last year, in July 2013 to identify India specific challenges and how to meet them through Universities, medical colleges and other institutions of higher learning.

Submission of Abstracts and full papers

Since we have very little time left please submit your abstract/full papers definitely by the 30^th June. The title of your presentation, a brief abstract in about 250 words, your affiliation may be sent to <ierbjnu@gmail.com> or <narang.vaishna@gmail.com>.

Full papers are to be submitted definitely by the 30th June so that we are able to complete the review process and print the proceedings before the convention begins on the 2nd of September 2014.

 

Registration

Registration fee, Rs 1500.00 to be paid on arrival, will include part payment towards various expenses, such as cost of printing of abstracts, handouts, tea and snacks and other contingent expenses only partially. Those of you coming from outside Delhi will be provided accommodation in the JNU guest house on the first cum first served basis, where you will have to pay for your boarding and lodging. 
------------------------------------------------------------
Convener
Prof VaishnaNarang

Member Secretary, IERB-JNU

Room no. 102,103, Old CRS Complex

Jawaharlal Nehru University 

New Delhi- 110067

Tel. +91-11-2674664, +91-11-26704697, +91-9810608936 

 http://www.jnu.ac.in/IERB/Events.html

University Grants Commission (India) releases publication "Sixty Years of the University Grants Commission: Establishment, Growth, and Evolution".

University Grants Commission (India) releases publication "Sixty Years of the University Grants Commission: Establishment, Growth, and Evolution".

Sharma, K A (2014). "Sixty Years of the University Grants Commission: Establishment, Growth, and Evolution". New Delhi: University Grants Commission.

Table of Contents
CHAPTER I Establishing the University Grants Commission
CHAPTER II The Formative Years (1953-1963)
CHAPTER III The First Wave of Expansion (1963-1973)
CHAPTER IV The Initiatives for Consolidation (1973-1983)
CHAPTER V The New Policy Initiatives (1983-1993)
CHAPTER VI Golden Jubilee and Post-Policy Interventions (1993-2003)
CHAPTER VII The Second Wave of Expansion (2003-13)
CHAPTER VIII The New Initiatives and Discourses

Download Full-text PDF

Also interesting:
UGC (2011). "Inclusive and Qualitative expansion of Higher Education, 12th Five-Year Plan, 2012-2017". Compiled and edited by V Prakash, S P Thyagarajan, F Qamar, R Srivastava and A K Sharma. New Delhi: University Grants Commission. Download Full-text PDF.

NMML 2013 'Science, Society and Nature' Lecture series: Audio Recordings Now Available

NMML 2013 'Science, Society and Nature' Lecture series: Audio Recordings Now Available

1. Kathleen D. Morrison, University of Chicago, USA, 'Human face of the land: Why the past matters for India's environmental future', 11 February, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/636-10.html
2. J. Srinivasan, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 'How should India deal with climate change?', 13 March, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/642-17.html
3. Deepak Kumar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 'Reason, Science and Religion: Gleanings from the colonial past', 22 April, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/658-26-prof-deepak-kumar-22-april-2013.html
4. Raman Sukumar, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 'Elephant, Empire and Ecology in Ancient India', 1 May, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/662-27-prof-raman-sukumar-01-may-2013.html
5. Visvajit Pandya, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Ahmedabad, 'In Terra Nullius: The legacies of science and colonialism in the Andaman Islands', 22 May, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/669-31-prof-vishvajit-pandya-22-may-2013.html
6. Harini Nagendra, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru, 'The Challenge of Collective Action: Ecological restoration by people in forests and cities', 24 May, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/670-32-dr-harini-nagendra-24-may-2013.html
7. Madhav Gadgil, Goa University, Goa, 'Science, Democracy and Ecology in Contemporary India', 17 July, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/674-33-prof-madhav-gadgil-17-july-2013.html
8. Sindhu Radhakrishna, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, 'Rethinking Animal-Human Boundaries: Musings of a primatologist', 24 July, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/672-34.html
9. Kuntala Lahiri Dutt, Australian National University, Australia, 'Dancing with the River: Hybrid landscapes and livelihoods of chars in Bengal', 25 July, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/673-36-dr-kuntala-lahiri-dutt-25-july-2013.html
10. Kartik Shanker, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 'Wagging the Dog: The use and abuse of science in marine conservation in Orissa', 31 July, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/675-36-dr-kartik-shankar-31-july-2013.html
11. Ambuj Sagar, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, 'Climate and Energy: How science and technology can help us develop sustainably', 7 August, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/676-37-prof-ambuj-sagar-07-august-2013.html
12. K. Ullas Karanth, Science-Asia Wildlife Conservation Society, Bengaluru, 'Rescuing Nature from Growth and Equity', 14 August, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/677-38-dr-k-ullas-karanth-14-august-2013.html
13. Sagari R. Ramdas, ANTHRA, Hyderabad, 'Livelihoods and Landscapes in Contention: Interfaces, interactions and insights on forests, farm and pasture', 21 August, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/680-39-dr-sagari-r-ramdas-21-august-2013.html
14. E. Somanathan, Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi, 'Economics and the Crisis of Ecology', 4 September, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/684-42-prof-e-somanathan-4-september-2013.html
15. Shiv Visvanathan, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, 'Impending Battles: Science and democracy', 11 September, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/686-45-prof-shiv-visvanathan-11-sep-2013.html
16. Aditi Mukherji, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, New Delhi, 'An Evergreen Revolution in Eastern India: Are we on the right track?', 18 September, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/689-48-dr-aditi-mukherji-18-sep-2013.html
17. C. R. Babu, Emeritus Professor, University of Delh, Delhi, 'Conservation of Nature: A strategy for human endurance', 9 October, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/693-52-prof-c-r-babu-09-oct-2013.html
18. Aparajita Datta, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, 'Conservation Challenges in Northeast India: Science, policy, tribal rights and development', 30 October, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/702-61-dr-aparajita-dutta-30.html
19. M. Rajeevan, Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi, 'The Changing Monsoon and its Manifold Implications', 13 November, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/707-66-dr-m-rajeevan-13-nov-2013.html
20. Rinki Sarkar, Independent Researcher and Economist, New Delhi, 'Endangered Landscapes, Unperturbed Response: Socio-ecological concerns in the western Himalayas', 28 November, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/711-70-dr-rinki-sarkar-28.html
21. Harsh K. Gupta, National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi, 'Earthquakes: How to cope with them', 5 December, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/713-72-dr-harsh-k-gupta-05.html
22. Uma Ramakrishnan, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, 'DNA Studies and Evolutionary History: Why species survival is more than a game of numbers', 18 December, 2013. http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios/55-public-lectures-audios/detail/717-76-dr-uma-ramakrishnan-18.html

Call for Applications: Leverhulme Trust, U.K funding 15 PhD projects covering a broad theme 'Climate and Culture' at Sundraban

Call for Applications: Leverhulme Trust, U.K funding 15 PhD projects covering a broad theme 'Climate and Culture' at Sundraban 

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Dear Colleagues,

As you are aware that the Sundraban delta has taken the centrestage in global environmental debates on Climate Change and tropical cyclones, given its status as  UNESCO World Heritage Site and tiger reserve. 

The Leverhulme Trust, U.K has pledged to fund 15 PhD projects covering a broad theme 'Climate and Culture' and expects inter-disciplinary participation of researchers who could test the frontiers of knowledge across disciplines while critically engaging with the existing theories and discourses on climate change. Please circulate the draft note attached to prospective M.A./MSc. and M.Phil researchers who are interested to work in the region. Applicants will design a research proposal around the theme 'Climate and Culture' in the Sundarban- Bay of Bengal Delta. 

All prospective applicants can contact me at das.birkbeck[at]gmail.com with their proposals and C.V. The PhD programme is generously funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The competition is global. Working knowledge of Bengali dialects will be a added advantage.

With regards

Dr Debojyoti Das

Department of History, Classics and Archaeology

Room 314, 27 Russell Square

Birkbeck, University of London

www.bbk.ac.uk

 Climate -Culture draft[1]-2.doc

​

Journal Paper "Status and Prospect of Research and Development in Agriculture in India", by Kunal Sinha, Formerly with CSSP

Vikas Kumar & Kunal Sinha. (2014) "Status and Prospect of Research and Development in Agriculture in India", Journal of Science Policy and Governance, 5(1).
Abstract: The objective of this paper is to investigate and summarize issues that are critical for agricultural Research and Development (R&D) and economic growth in the Republic of India. Specifically, the paper explores the role played by R&D in the modernization process and the interactions between agriculture and other economic sectors, the determinants of the Green Revolution and the foundations of agricultural growth, issues of income diversification by farmers, approaches to rural development, which have been at the root of the crisis in agricultural commodity volatility in recent years. Due to the scarcity of public funds for research in India, there is paradigm shift in agricultural R&D. The countries with a strong research system where various actors and networks are involved like India have initiated a number of reforms with an objective to diversify the sources of funding and increase research efficiency. Competitive funding, commercialization of technologies, strengthened intellectual property rights, facilitating regulations and flexible extension approach are some of the major reforms undertaken. This paper examines the outcomes of these reforms and draws lessons for other developing countries.

Download Full-Text PDF

CfPs: IEG-IFPRI International Conference on Innovation in Indian Agriculture: Ways Forward; 4-5 December, at IEG, New Delhi, India

IEG-IFPRI International Conference on Innovation in Indian Agriculture: Ways Forward
4-5 December 2014
Venue: Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), New Delhi, India

Call for papers
The Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), New Delhi and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC will convene a two-day international conference in New Delhi on December 4-5, 2014 to explore innovative ways of accelerating development in India's agricultural sector through productivity growth, higher returns to farming, acceleration of poverty reduction, and the improvement of social and economic welfare in rural India.
The objectives of the conference are to

(1) highlight research on the impacts of past reforms in Indian agriculture, structural changes in production, consumption and demand, resource degradation and climate change;
(2) analyse policy options for Indian agriculture going forward; and
(3) draw on the theoretical and empirical evidence on agricultural development from other countries and regions.

The conference will be built around plenary and parallel sessions that allow participants to present original research, share innovative ideas, and deliberate openly on pressing issues. Sessions are tentatively organized around the following theme areas:

1. Policy processes and the political economy of agricultural development
2. Private investment in markets for seeds, nutrients, water, and other inputs
3. Connecting farmers, firms and consumers through commodity markets, value chains, and value-added products
4. Gender dimensions of a changing agricultural sector
5. Technological change, innovation, and incentives in the scientific research community
6. The nexus between environmental sustainability and agricultural intensification

The conference aims to bring together academicians from India and abroad, policymakers, donor agencies, private firms and industry organizations, and civil society. We invite scholars and related individuals to contribute papers with rigorous analysis on these issues. Papers may be theoretical, applied, or practical in nature, and will be reviewed by a Scientific Committee comprised of both Indian and foreign scholars. A limited number of travel grants will be made available for authors of accepted papers.

Important Dates
An extended abstract of 500-1000 words that states the objectives, data, methodology, preliminary findings and policy recommendations of the paper must be submitted by July 15, 2014 to innovagri@iegindia.org. In these submission emails, authors are requested to provide detailed contact information, a series of keywords that best characterizes the paper, and the session number in which the author feels the paper would most appropriately be placed. The decision regarding accepted paper proposals will be communicated by August 15, 2014. Authors of accepted papers are expected to submit full papers before October 31, 2014. The last date for participant registration will be November 15, 2014.

Further information can be obtained by writing to innovagri@iegindia.org
Further Details: http://www.iegindia.org/events%5Ccallforpapers_innovagri.htm

CfPs: Conference on Making impact evaluation matter: Better evidence for effective policies and programmes, ADB Manila, 1-5 September

Conference on Making impact evaluation matter: Better evidence for effective policies and programmes
Asian Development Bank, Manila, 1-5 September 2014

Call for Papers
Introduction and background: Impact evaluation has become established on the international development agenda. However, challenges remain. There are certain areas of development work, for which, construction of quantitative counter factuals is not the best approach to establishing impact. For key sectors, such as infrastructure, establishing rigorous counterfactuals proves to be difficult. In addition, approaches to bridging the research to policy gap continue to be discussed, as do means of conducting and presenting evidence syntheses. Finally, as a greater number of impact evaluations are produced, it is challenging to incorporate their findings into institutions' results and monitoring and evaluation frameworks. An increasing number of governments in the region are recognising the importance of evidence from impact evaluations. The Independent Evaluation Office of the Indian government has started its operations. The Government of the Philippines has allocated budget resources to the impact evaluation of government programmes. Against this background, the Asian Development Bank and 3ie have agreed to partner to organise a large international conference on impact evaluation. This is the first large-scale, global impact evaluation conference in the region. The conference aims to attract 400-450 participants from around the world, with an equal mix of policymakers, programme managers and researchers.

Pre-conference workshops and conference: The event comprises pre-conference workshops for 2.5 days from 1-3 September 2014, and 2.5 days of conference from 3-5 September. There will be six streams of pre-conference workshops. The conference will have up to eight streams of parallel sessions, allowing for around 150 presentations. This call invites proposals for both the pre-conference workshops and presentations for parallel sessions.

Conference themes: Presentations are invited on all aspects of impact evaluation, including findings, methods and translation of evidence into policy. Researchers are welcome to submit proposals on the design (particularly innovative designs for difficult to evaluate interventions), implementation, findings and use of impact evaluations and systematic reviews. Policymakers and development programme managers are welcome to submit proposals on the use of impact evaluation and systematic review findings. Parallel sessions at the conference will be organised around the following themes/sectors: (a) infrastructure (transport, energy, information and communication technology, urban development, and water), (b) climate change/ environment/ natural resources, (c) social development (health, education, gender equity, poverty and any other aspect of social development), (d) rural development (agriculture, food security and any other aspect of rural development), (e) financial inclusion, (f) institutionalisation of impact evaluation, and incorporating impact evaluation or systematic reviews into institutional appraisal and results frameworks, (g) impact evaluation of institutional and policy reform (including public management and governance), (h) impact evaluation methods, and (g) promotion of the use of evidence.

Workshop proposals: Proposed workshops may cover any aspect of the production and use of impact evaluation. The duration of a workshop can be anywhere between 2 hours and 2 days. Workshop proposals should provide: (1) workshop title, (2) duration, (3) name of presenters, (4) brief bio of presenters, (5) outline of the workshop (not exceeding 350 words), and (6) indication of the level of the workshop (introductory, intermediate or advanced).

Conference proposals: Proposed conference papers may relate to any aspect of the production and use of impact evaluation. Conference proposals should provide: (1) title of presentation, (2) theme (infrastructure, climate change, incorporating impact evaluation into results/monitoring and evaluation frameworks, impact evaluation of institutional and policy reform, impact evaluation and systematic review methods, policy influence, other), (3) name of presenters, and (4) outline of the presentation (not exceeding 250 words). Proposals for panel sessions of 3-4 presentations are encouraged. The submission should include the above details for each paper in the panel. Presenters are reminded that most presentations are expected to be largely accessible to a relatively non-technical audience. More technical presentations will also be accepted, and should be clearly indicated as such in the proposal.

Submissions: Submissions should be made in word format via email to conference2014@3ieimpact.org by 3 July 2014, with the email subject line 'Workshop submission' or 'Conference submission'. Multiple submissions are welcome. However, only one submission should be made per email. The file name should be the surname of the corresponding author/presenter and the word 'workshop' or 'paper', e.g. 'White workshop'. Late submissions will not be considered.

Review process: Each proposal will be reviewed by two reviewers, and the final decision will be made by a panel of four reviewers. Decisions will be announced by 14 July 2014. Successful applicants will have to register at www.impactevaluation2014.org

Funding and bursaries: A conference fee of US$450 is payable for attending both the workshops and the conference, and US$250 for attending the conference alone. Nationals of low- and middle-income countries working or studying in a low- and middle-income country are exempt from the fee (not those working in international agencies). The fee is also waived for those accepted to present workshops. Bursaries are available for participants from low- and middle- income countries. A bursary will cover return economy airfare and hotel accommodation. All other expenses (ground transport, visa, meals outside the event) must be paid by the participant or their employer. Preference will be given to bursary applicants who have a paper or workshop accepted for the conference.

Bursary applications must be made through the conference website: www.impactevaluation2014.org. The deadline for bursary applications is 15 July 2014.
Queries may be sent to conference2014@3ieimpact.org.
Further Details: http://impactevaluation2014.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Call-for-Papers1.pdf

Media article "Plagiarism row hits Indian docs"

Plagiarism row hits Indian docs
By Neetu Chandra Sharma in New Delhi
Source: Mail Today, Delhi Edition, 11/6/2014

INDIAN DOCTORS excel the world over in research but few readers of their papers published in journals would perhaps make out that the work of some of them is plagiarised, fabricated or falsified.
A pan- India audit survey by the state-run Lady Hardinge Medical College and Maulana Azad Medical College, published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, has revealed that 53 per cent of doctors who submitted papers to publications indulged in plagiarism. Fifty six per cent resorted to alteration of data while the most commonly observed misconduct was offering ' gift authorship' or giving false credit for research, which was done by 65 per cent of the doctors reviewed.
The audit survey was conducted as authorities felt there was a paucity of data from India on misconduct in the publishing of research work by doctors. At least 300 questionnaires were sent to nine institutions across the country and anonymity was promised to doctors responding to the questions. However, about 100 doctors returned the questionnaires blank.
Interestingly, despite being aware of medical ethics, the survey showed 91 per cent of the respondents didn't follow them.
The problem of offering 'gift authorship', which is the inclusion of an individual among the authors of a paper though he or she doesn't fulfill the requirements for authorship, was also found to be common.
"The most commonly observed misconduct was offering gift authorship, reported by 65 per cent doctors, followed by alteration of data reported by 56 per cent. Plagiarism was observed by 53 per cent, while 33.5 per cent doctors had observed a colleague's name being omitted from a paper to which s/ he had significantly contributed," said the study by Dr Dhulika Dhingra, Assistant Professor of Lady Hardinge Medical College, and Devendra Mishra, Associate Professor of Maulana Azad Medical College.
"Publishing research studies has become an important aspect of career advancement and promotion for the medical fraternity. With this desire to further professional aspirations, misconduct has crept into medical research in different forms," the study said.
The survey covered six medical colleges, of which four were government- run and two were private. One was a non- teaching government hospital and two were corporate hospitals located in northern, central and southern India. The institutions were selected on the basis of availability of a local researcher to coordinate the evaluation, and included four in Delhi, three in southern India and two in central India.
According to experts on medical ethics, research misconduct does not include honest errors or differences of opinion and implies willful acts. Apart from this, misconduct may be manifested in not conforming to the authors' guidelines of a particular journal.
Research misconduct has been defined as fabrication, falsification (manipulating research results), or plagiarism in proposing, performing or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. Other forms of misconduct include ' ghost authorship', which is non- inclusion of individuals as authors who played an effective part in the work and were qualified for authorship, and ' duplication' or publication of the same paper in different journals with little or no change in it. It may also involve ' salami' publishing, where authors slice up their research, carving multiple papers from a single study with the aim of having multiple publications credited to them.

Reported Research:
Dhingra, D., & Mishra, D. (2014). Publication misconduct among medical professionals in India. Indian journal of medical ethics, 11(2), 104-107. http://ijme.in/index.php/ijme/article/view/1936/4206

CfPs - The Quotidian Anthropocene: Reconfiguring Environments in Urbanizing Asia Print, 16-17 October, at ARI, National University of Singapore

CfPs - The Quotidian Anthropocene: Reconfiguring Environments in Urbanizing Asia

16-17 October 2014

Organized by Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

             

Call for Papers (Deadline: 30 June 2014)

Asia's urban transition has radically transformed the region's societies and its ecologies. The evidence is everywhere: factories and concrete tarmac have replaced Bangkok's wetlands; Japan's coastal communities are surrounded by ever-growing seawalls; and in China, smog has become a major political concern. If we are indeed living in a period marked by the deep effects of humans on our environment, what many have called the Anthropocene, then such phenomena would seem to exemplify the stakes associated with these changes at their broadest levels. Yet, closer inspection reveals that such macro-level environmental changes are in fact enmeshed in micro-level social shifts, political contestations, and cultural transformations.

For individuals and communities living in Asia's burgeoning mega-cities, growing provincial centers, and changing hinterlands, social and environmental rupture has become constant and routine, its logic embedded in everyday practices and emerging policies. In many parts of the region, disaster is no longer relegated to acute, isolated, untoward events; it is now the "new normal." Even when not coping directly with an ongoing disaster's impacts, many Asian communities are engaged in either pre-disaster preparation or post-disaster recovery. Moreover, state and non-state actors strategically invoke the memory, or threat, of changing environments in order to justify their own agendas, projects, and policies. Patterns of migration and resettlement, urban infrastructure development, capital investment, and social policy are co-produced along with these shifting environments, modifying social relations, exacerbating inequalities, and generating fierce political struggles. At stake in these conflicts are normative, pragmatic and theoretical questions about citizenship, about the shape and relations of the built and natural environments, about the respective roles of local and expert knowledge, and about the constitution of just and resilient communities, in an age of unprecedented transformation. The lived experience of such contestations, the disruption that provokes them, and the practices that produce that disruption, shows how the epochal Anthropocene is found in the normal, the routine, and the quotidian.

The Quotidian Anthropocene: Reconfiguring Environments in Urbanizing Asia will explore the quotidian processes associated with Asia's changing environments by bringing together scholars from the Social Sciences and Humanities at a multi-disciplinary workshop. Papers may address (but are not limited to) the following questions:

How do quotidian practices in Asian communities produce or respond to the massive ecological transformations? What sorts of contestations emerge out of our changing environment? What might these struggles tell us about new political practices and emerging sites of environmental governance?

What ruptures or sites of socio-political conflict expose the new hybridities and engagements between humans and the planet?

What are the consequences of living in an age of environmental change marked by chronic and periodic disasters? What are the politics of space, place, and memory in a world of frequent disruption? How does the threat or experience of disaster come to inflect contests over the right to the city?

What kinds of projects—social, technological, infrastructural, economic, political—arise from and/or emerge in response to the changing planet? What forms of knowledge, contestation, and practice are invoked or produced by such projects? 

Conference presenters may explore these issues through studies of contemporary and historical cases from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives. In exploring such topics, The Quotidian Anthropocene: Reconfiguring Environments in Urbanizing Asia will offer a window into the production and re-ordering of local, regional, and global ecologies. It will consider how, even as seismic ecological rearrangements occur, human actors — including experts, authorities, and citizens — produce, feel, respond, and adapt to such changes. This workshop will interrogate these issues from situated vantage points across Asia's urban-rural matrix as a means of considering how the Anthropocene is tied to everyday life and how past and present struggles are shaping our environmental futures. The workshop will provide insight into how such political endeavors reimagine the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, as well as the roles played by local and expert knowledge, in re-making the new Asian city and preparing it for life in this precarious era.

 

Submission of Proposals

ARI invites those interested in participating in the conference to submit original paper proposals. ARI expects to publish selected papers from those accepted for presentation in a monograph/special journal issue.

Paper proposals should include a title, an abstract of 250 words, a short biography of 150 words, and should be submitted on the attached form and sent to Mr Jonathan Lee at jonathan.lee@nus.edu.sg by 30 June 2014. For a copy of the submission form, click here. Successful applicants will be notified by 15 July 2014 and are required to send in a completed draft paper (5,000-8,000 words) by 16 September 2014.

Based on the quality of proposals and the availability of funds, partial or full funding will be granted to successful applicants. Participants are therefore encouraged to seek funding for travel from their home institutions. Full funding will cover air travel to Singapore by the most economical means, plus board and lodging for the duration of the conference.

 

Download Paper Proposal Submission Form

 

Further Details