A Bias Radar for Responsible Policy-Making

A Bias Radar for Responsible Policy-Making

Author: Lieve Van Woensel

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-12-26

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 3030321266

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Policymakers prepare society for the future and this book provides a practical toolkit for preparing pro-active, future-proof scientific policy advice for them. It explains how to make scientific advisory strategies holistic. It also explains how and where biases, which interfere with the proper functioning of the entire science-policy ecosystem, arise and investigates how emotions and other biases affect the understanding and assessment of scientific evidence. The book advocates explorative foresight, systems thinking, interdisciplinarity, bias awareness and the anticipation of undesirable impacts in policy advising, and it offers practical guidance for them. Written in an accessible style, the book offers provocative reflections on how scientific policy advice should be sensitive to more than scientific evidence. It is both an appealing introductory text for everyone interested in science-based policy and a valuable guide for the experienced scientific adviser and policy scholar. "This book is a valuable read for all stakeholders in the scientific advisory ecosystem. Lieve Van Woensel offers concrete methods to bridge the gap between scientific advice and policy making, to assess the possible societal impacts of complex scientific and technological developments, and to support decision-makers’ more strategic understanding of the issues they have to make decisions about. I was privileged to see them proove their value as I worked with Lieve on the pilot project of the Scientific Foresight unit for The European Parliament’s STOA panel.” - Kristel Van der Elst, CEO, The Global Foresight Group; Executive Head, Policy Horizons Canada “A must-read for not only scientific policy advisers, but also those interested in the ethics of scientific advisory processes. Lieve Van Woensel walks readers through a well-structured practical toolkit that bases policy advice on more than scientific evidence by taking into account policies’ potential effects on society and the environment.” - Dr Paul Rübig, Former Member of the European Parliament and former Chair of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology


Book Synopsis A Bias Radar for Responsible Policy-Making by : Lieve Van Woensel

Download or read book A Bias Radar for Responsible Policy-Making written by Lieve Van Woensel and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-12-26 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Policymakers prepare society for the future and this book provides a practical toolkit for preparing pro-active, future-proof scientific policy advice for them. It explains how to make scientific advisory strategies holistic. It also explains how and where biases, which interfere with the proper functioning of the entire science-policy ecosystem, arise and investigates how emotions and other biases affect the understanding and assessment of scientific evidence. The book advocates explorative foresight, systems thinking, interdisciplinarity, bias awareness and the anticipation of undesirable impacts in policy advising, and it offers practical guidance for them. Written in an accessible style, the book offers provocative reflections on how scientific policy advice should be sensitive to more than scientific evidence. It is both an appealing introductory text for everyone interested in science-based policy and a valuable guide for the experienced scientific adviser and policy scholar. "This book is a valuable read for all stakeholders in the scientific advisory ecosystem. Lieve Van Woensel offers concrete methods to bridge the gap between scientific advice and policy making, to assess the possible societal impacts of complex scientific and technological developments, and to support decision-makers’ more strategic understanding of the issues they have to make decisions about. I was privileged to see them proove their value as I worked with Lieve on the pilot project of the Scientific Foresight unit for The European Parliament’s STOA panel.” - Kristel Van der Elst, CEO, The Global Foresight Group; Executive Head, Policy Horizons Canada “A must-read for not only scientific policy advisers, but also those interested in the ethics of scientific advisory processes. Lieve Van Woensel walks readers through a well-structured practical toolkit that bases policy advice on more than scientific evidence by taking into account policies’ potential effects on society and the environment.” - Dr Paul Rübig, Former Member of the European Parliament and former Chair of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology

Globalization, Environmental Law, and Sustainable Development in the Global South

Globalization, Environmental Law, and Sustainable Development in the Global South

Author: Kirk W. Junker

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-11-29

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1000472434

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This volume examines the impact of globalization on international environmental law and the implementation of sustainable development in the Global South. Comprising contributions from lawyers from the Global South or who have experience in the Global South, this volume is organized into three parts, with a thematic inquiry woven through every chapter to ask how law can enable economies that can be sustained, given the limited carrying capacity of the earth. Part I describes and characterizes the status quo of environmental and economic problems in the Global South during the process of globalization. Some of those problems include redistribution of environmental burden on the public through over-reliance on the state in emerging economies and the transition to public-private partnerships, as well as extreme uncontrolled economic expansion. Building on Part I, Part II takes an international perspective by presenting some tools that are in place during the process of globalization that lead to friction and interfaces between developed and developing economies in environmental law. Recognizing the impossibility of a globalized Northern economy, the authors in Part III present some alternatives through framework ideas of human and civil rights, environmental rights, and indigenous persons’ rights, as well as concrete and specific legal tools to strengthen justice and rule of law institutions. The book gives new perspectives to familiar approaches through concrete examples by professional practitioners and theoretical discourse by academic researchers, and can thereby form the basis for changes in practices, as well as further discussions and comparisons. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental law, sustainable development, and globalization and international relations, as well as legal professionals and practitioners.


Book Synopsis Globalization, Environmental Law, and Sustainable Development in the Global South by : Kirk W. Junker

Download or read book Globalization, Environmental Law, and Sustainable Development in the Global South written by Kirk W. Junker and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-29 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the impact of globalization on international environmental law and the implementation of sustainable development in the Global South. Comprising contributions from lawyers from the Global South or who have experience in the Global South, this volume is organized into three parts, with a thematic inquiry woven through every chapter to ask how law can enable economies that can be sustained, given the limited carrying capacity of the earth. Part I describes and characterizes the status quo of environmental and economic problems in the Global South during the process of globalization. Some of those problems include redistribution of environmental burden on the public through over-reliance on the state in emerging economies and the transition to public-private partnerships, as well as extreme uncontrolled economic expansion. Building on Part I, Part II takes an international perspective by presenting some tools that are in place during the process of globalization that lead to friction and interfaces between developed and developing economies in environmental law. Recognizing the impossibility of a globalized Northern economy, the authors in Part III present some alternatives through framework ideas of human and civil rights, environmental rights, and indigenous persons’ rights, as well as concrete and specific legal tools to strengthen justice and rule of law institutions. The book gives new perspectives to familiar approaches through concrete examples by professional practitioners and theoretical discourse by academic researchers, and can thereby form the basis for changes in practices, as well as further discussions and comparisons. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental law, sustainable development, and globalization and international relations, as well as legal professionals and practitioners.

The Oxford Handbook of Late Colonial Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies

The Oxford Handbook of Late Colonial Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies

Author: Martin Thomas

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2023-11-02

Total Pages: 769

ISBN-13: 019886678X

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"For several decades conflicts within states rather than between them have been the prevalent form of organised political violence worldwide. Most intra-state conflicts since 1945 have originated in insurgencies, not just against incumbent regimes but, more often, against those regimes' external sponsors, whether imperial governments or dominant regional powers. This Handbook focuses on the former group, on the insurgencies and counter-insurgencies fought out as European overseas empires collapsed. Seeking to identify the causal dynamics and violence processes of such violent decolonization, the Handbook will address the most taxing problems in conflict limitation: how to constrain the actions of insurgents and counter-insurgents in asymmetric 'guerrilla wars'; how to mitigate the consequences of proxy involvement in intra-state conflicts; and how to protect civilians in war zones where combatant-non-combatant distinctions have broken down. Underlying these questions is a unifying theme - and a core Handbook objective - the need to recognize the cultural practices of insurgent movements and counter-insurgent forces as a prerequisite to comprehending their violence"--


Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Late Colonial Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies by : Martin Thomas

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Late Colonial Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies written by Martin Thomas and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2023-11-02 with total page 769 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "For several decades conflicts within states rather than between them have been the prevalent form of organised political violence worldwide. Most intra-state conflicts since 1945 have originated in insurgencies, not just against incumbent regimes but, more often, against those regimes' external sponsors, whether imperial governments or dominant regional powers. This Handbook focuses on the former group, on the insurgencies and counter-insurgencies fought out as European overseas empires collapsed. Seeking to identify the causal dynamics and violence processes of such violent decolonization, the Handbook will address the most taxing problems in conflict limitation: how to constrain the actions of insurgents and counter-insurgents in asymmetric 'guerrilla wars'; how to mitigate the consequences of proxy involvement in intra-state conflicts; and how to protect civilians in war zones where combatant-non-combatant distinctions have broken down. Underlying these questions is a unifying theme - and a core Handbook objective - the need to recognize the cultural practices of insurgent movements and counter-insurgent forces as a prerequisite to comprehending their violence"--

OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2023 Enabling Transitions in Times of Disruption

OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2023 Enabling Transitions in Times of Disruption

Author: OECD

Publisher: OECD Publishing

Published: 2023-03-16

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 9264422382

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Sociotechnical systems in areas like energy, agrifood and mobility need to transform rapidly to become more sustainable and resilient. Science, technology and innovation (STI) have essential roles in these transformations, but governments must be more ambitious and act with greater urgency in their STI policies to meet these challenges.


Book Synopsis OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2023 Enabling Transitions in Times of Disruption by : OECD

Download or read book OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2023 Enabling Transitions in Times of Disruption written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2023-03-16 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sociotechnical systems in areas like energy, agrifood and mobility need to transform rapidly to become more sustainable and resilient. Science, technology and innovation (STI) have essential roles in these transformations, but governments must be more ambitious and act with greater urgency in their STI policies to meet these challenges.

How We Decide

How We Decide

Author: Jonah Lehrer

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2010-01-14

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 0547347480

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The first book to use the unexpected discoveries of neuroscience to help us make the best decisions Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate, or we “blink” and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the mind’s black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, they’re discovering that this is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason—and the precise mix depends on the situation. When buying a house, for example, it’s best to let our unconscious mull over the many variables. But when we’re picking a stock, intuition often leads us astray. The trick is to determine when to use the different parts of the brain, and to do this, we need to think harder (and smarter) about how we think. Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools we need, drawing on cutting-edge research as well as the real-world experiences of a wide range of “deciders”—from airplane pilots and hedge fund investors to serial killers and poker players. Lehrer shows how people are taking advantage of the new science to make better television shows, win more football games, and improve military intelligence. His goal is to answer two questions that are of interest to just about anyone, from CEOs to firefighters: How does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better?


Book Synopsis How We Decide by : Jonah Lehrer

Download or read book How We Decide written by Jonah Lehrer and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2010-01-14 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book to use the unexpected discoveries of neuroscience to help us make the best decisions Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate, or we “blink” and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the mind’s black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, they’re discovering that this is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason—and the precise mix depends on the situation. When buying a house, for example, it’s best to let our unconscious mull over the many variables. But when we’re picking a stock, intuition often leads us astray. The trick is to determine when to use the different parts of the brain, and to do this, we need to think harder (and smarter) about how we think. Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools we need, drawing on cutting-edge research as well as the real-world experiences of a wide range of “deciders”—from airplane pilots and hedge fund investors to serial killers and poker players. Lehrer shows how people are taking advantage of the new science to make better television shows, win more football games, and improve military intelligence. His goal is to answer two questions that are of interest to just about anyone, from CEOs to firefighters: How does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better?

Risk-Taking in International Politics

Risk-Taking in International Politics

Author: Rose McDermott

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9780472087877

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Discusses the way leaders deal with risk in making foreign policy decisions


Book Synopsis Risk-Taking in International Politics by : Rose McDermott

Download or read book Risk-Taking in International Politics written by Rose McDermott and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the way leaders deal with risk in making foreign policy decisions

Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Business

Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Business

Author: Beate Sjåfjell

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-10-26

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 3031069242

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This volume brings together contributions from women business scholars from a range of disciplines and countries. The starting point was a collaborative research meeting organised by Daughters of Themis: International Network of Female Business Scholars in June 2017. The volume highlights the difficulties and the possibilities that lie in working together across disciplines with the aim of achieving corporate sustainability. The volume is written from the perspective of women business scholars, thereby offering outside viewpoints in fields that still are very much dominated by men, and fresh insights and innovate ideas. In three main parts, the authors address the need for interdisciplinarity in research to identify ways to ensure the contribution of business to sustainability, showcasing a number of theoretical and applied approaches for researching sustainable business. The volume ‘s introductory chapter situates the volume in discourses of sustainability and corporate sustainability. It presents the Daughters of Themis Network and provides a short description of the successive eleven chapters. In Part I, Reflections, contributors discuss the significance of interdisciplinary research, how to work across disciplines, as well as the challenges of doing so. In Part II, Theory, contributors discuss theoretical and methodological aspects of interdisciplinary research. Part III presents the Practice of interdisciplinary research. In the introductory chapter, the editors reflect on the insights that can be drawn out of the contributions, and discuss the potential for future developments of interdisciplinary research for sustainability, as well as how interdisciplinary research can be communicated. The book is intended for business scholars, and will particularly appeal to those working in law, accountancy and finance, management, and organization studies.


Book Synopsis Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Business by : Beate Sjåfjell

Download or read book Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Business written by Beate Sjåfjell and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-10-26 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together contributions from women business scholars from a range of disciplines and countries. The starting point was a collaborative research meeting organised by Daughters of Themis: International Network of Female Business Scholars in June 2017. The volume highlights the difficulties and the possibilities that lie in working together across disciplines with the aim of achieving corporate sustainability. The volume is written from the perspective of women business scholars, thereby offering outside viewpoints in fields that still are very much dominated by men, and fresh insights and innovate ideas. In three main parts, the authors address the need for interdisciplinarity in research to identify ways to ensure the contribution of business to sustainability, showcasing a number of theoretical and applied approaches for researching sustainable business. The volume ‘s introductory chapter situates the volume in discourses of sustainability and corporate sustainability. It presents the Daughters of Themis Network and provides a short description of the successive eleven chapters. In Part I, Reflections, contributors discuss the significance of interdisciplinary research, how to work across disciplines, as well as the challenges of doing so. In Part II, Theory, contributors discuss theoretical and methodological aspects of interdisciplinary research. Part III presents the Practice of interdisciplinary research. In the introductory chapter, the editors reflect on the insights that can be drawn out of the contributions, and discuss the potential for future developments of interdisciplinary research for sustainability, as well as how interdisciplinary research can be communicated. The book is intended for business scholars, and will particularly appeal to those working in law, accountancy and finance, management, and organization studies.

Why Philosophy?

Why Philosophy?

Author: Paolo Diego Bubbio

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2019-06-04

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 3110650991

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Do we really need philosophy? The present collection of jargon-free essays aims at answering the question of why philosophy matters. Each essay considers the central question (Why Philosophy?) from different angles: the unavoidability of doing philosophy, the practical consequences of philosophy, philosophy as a therapy for the whole person, the benefits of philosophy for improving public policy, etc.


Book Synopsis Why Philosophy? by : Paolo Diego Bubbio

Download or read book Why Philosophy? written by Paolo Diego Bubbio and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2019-06-04 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do we really need philosophy? The present collection of jargon-free essays aims at answering the question of why philosophy matters. Each essay considers the central question (Why Philosophy?) from different angles: the unavoidability of doing philosophy, the practical consequences of philosophy, philosophy as a therapy for the whole person, the benefits of philosophy for improving public policy, etc.

The Death of Expertise

The Death of Expertise

Author: Tom Nichols

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-02-01

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0190469439

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Technology and increasing levels of education have exposed people to more information than ever before. These societal gains, however, have also helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues. Today, everyone knows everything: with only a quick trip through WebMD or Wikipedia, average citizens believe themselves to be on an equal intellectual footing with doctors and diplomats. All voices, even the most ridiculous, demand to be taken with equal seriousness, and any claim to the contrary is dismissed as undemocratic elitism. Tom Nichols' The Death of Expertise shows how this rejection of experts has occurred: the openness of the internet, the emergence of a customer satisfaction model in higher education, and the transformation of the news industry into a 24-hour entertainment machine, among other reasons. Paradoxically, the increasingly democratic dissemination of information, rather than producing an educated public, has instead created an army of ill-informed and angry citizens who denounce intellectual achievement. When ordinary citizens believe that no one knows more than anyone else, democratic institutions themselves are in danger of falling either to populism or to technocracy or, in the worst case, a combination of both. An update to the 2017breakout hit, the paperback edition of The Death of Expertise provides a new foreword to cover the alarming exacerbation of these trends in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election. Judging from events on the ground since it first published, The Death of Expertise issues a warning about the stability and survival of modern democracy in the Information Age that is even more important today.


Book Synopsis The Death of Expertise by : Tom Nichols

Download or read book The Death of Expertise written by Tom Nichols and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Technology and increasing levels of education have exposed people to more information than ever before. These societal gains, however, have also helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues. Today, everyone knows everything: with only a quick trip through WebMD or Wikipedia, average citizens believe themselves to be on an equal intellectual footing with doctors and diplomats. All voices, even the most ridiculous, demand to be taken with equal seriousness, and any claim to the contrary is dismissed as undemocratic elitism. Tom Nichols' The Death of Expertise shows how this rejection of experts has occurred: the openness of the internet, the emergence of a customer satisfaction model in higher education, and the transformation of the news industry into a 24-hour entertainment machine, among other reasons. Paradoxically, the increasingly democratic dissemination of information, rather than producing an educated public, has instead created an army of ill-informed and angry citizens who denounce intellectual achievement. When ordinary citizens believe that no one knows more than anyone else, democratic institutions themselves are in danger of falling either to populism or to technocracy or, in the worst case, a combination of both. An update to the 2017breakout hit, the paperback edition of The Death of Expertise provides a new foreword to cover the alarming exacerbation of these trends in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election. Judging from events on the ground since it first published, The Death of Expertise issues a warning about the stability and survival of modern democracy in the Information Age that is even more important today.

The Seductions of Quantification

The Seductions of Quantification

Author: Sally Engle Merry

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2016-06-10

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 022626131X

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We live in a world where seemingly everything can be measured. We rely on indicators to translate social phenomena into simple, quantified terms, which in turn can be used to guide individuals, organizations, and governments in establishing policy. Yet counting things requires finding a way to make them comparable. And in the process of translating the confusion of social life into neat categories, we inevitably strip it of context and meaning—and risk hiding or distorting as much as we reveal. With The Seductions of Quantification, leading legal anthropologist Sally Engle Merry investigates the techniques by which information is gathered and analyzed in the production of global indicators on human rights, gender violence, and sex trafficking. Although such numbers convey an aura of objective truth and scientific validity, Merry argues persuasively that measurement systems constitute a form of power by incorporating theories about social change in their design but rarely explicitly acknowledging them. For instance, the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, which ranks countries in terms of their compliance with antitrafficking activities, assumes that prosecuting traffickers as criminals is an effective corrective strategy—overlooking cultures where women and children are frequently sold by their own families. As Merry shows, indicators are indeed seductive in their promise of providing concrete knowledge about how the world works, but they are implemented most successfully when paired with context-rich qualitative accounts grounded in local knowledge.


Book Synopsis The Seductions of Quantification by : Sally Engle Merry

Download or read book The Seductions of Quantification written by Sally Engle Merry and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-06-10 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We live in a world where seemingly everything can be measured. We rely on indicators to translate social phenomena into simple, quantified terms, which in turn can be used to guide individuals, organizations, and governments in establishing policy. Yet counting things requires finding a way to make them comparable. And in the process of translating the confusion of social life into neat categories, we inevitably strip it of context and meaning—and risk hiding or distorting as much as we reveal. With The Seductions of Quantification, leading legal anthropologist Sally Engle Merry investigates the techniques by which information is gathered and analyzed in the production of global indicators on human rights, gender violence, and sex trafficking. Although such numbers convey an aura of objective truth and scientific validity, Merry argues persuasively that measurement systems constitute a form of power by incorporating theories about social change in their design but rarely explicitly acknowledging them. For instance, the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, which ranks countries in terms of their compliance with antitrafficking activities, assumes that prosecuting traffickers as criminals is an effective corrective strategy—overlooking cultures where women and children are frequently sold by their own families. As Merry shows, indicators are indeed seductive in their promise of providing concrete knowledge about how the world works, but they are implemented most successfully when paired with context-rich qualitative accounts grounded in local knowledge.