UNU-MERIT's Podcast

PhD fellow Martin Rehm joins us ahead of his PhD defence on 1 March 2013. The full title of his thesis is: "Unified yet separated: Empirical study on the impact of hierarchical positions within communities of learning". http://www.merit.unu.edu/about/profil...

Over the last 20 years Cambodia has cut poverty rates by a third on the back of rapid economic development; yet most of its people are still vulnerable to malnutrition, natural disasters and precarious employment. So in 2011 the Cambodian Government launched a ‘National Social Protection Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable’ (NSPS). Our study feeds into this by probing rates of return to investments in social protection, as part of a novel approach based on a dynamic microsimulation. In partnership with UNICEF, we call for a range of instruments including cash transfers for children, social pensions, and public works programmes. Today we're joined by the co-author of the report, Dr. Franziska Gassmann.

We're joined for a pre-defence interview with PhD fellow Fulvia Farinelli, whose thesis investigates 'Natural Resources, Innovation and Export Growth: the Wine Industry in Chile and Argentina'. http://youtu.be/qhD6dEkuvBs

This time we're joined for a pre-defence interview with PhD fellow Bilal Mirza, whose thesis looks at improving access to energy for poor people living in the countryside of Pakistan. We also hear how his research can be used in other developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
http://www.merit.unu.edu/about/profile.php?id=690

We're joined for a pre-defence interview with PhD fellow Rodolfo Lauterbach, whose thesis title is 'Innovation in manufacturing from product variety and labor productivity growth to economic development in Chile'. http://www.merit.unu.edu/about/profile.php?id=1061

Mark Bevir is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkely; and from 2013 will become an Affiliated Professor at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. We have a brief chat about his new book: 'A Very Short Introduction to Governance'; we ask him to explain what exactly is governance, how it's changed over the last two decades, and what we should expect from this field in the coming years

Omar Rodriguez Torres has won the Jorge Bernal award, granting 8,000 euros to support his research into the impact of entrepreneurship policies on the poor. Jorge Bernal, 1952-2010, was a Colombian activist and scholar whose life and work were dedicated to the defence of democracy and social justice. The award was established to support young researchers whose work focuses on social exclusion, poverty, inequality or inequity between the various social strata of the Colombian population. We ask Omar what the award means to him and to his work.

Today we’re joined by Carlos Cadena Gaitan, one of our PhD fellows who also coordinates our GPAC2 dual career programme. That’s our part-time PhD course, designed for people who want to combine doctoral research with a full-time job. I asked Carlos to summarize how the programme works, to explain its unique added value, and to tell us what kind of people we have on the course.

This week we spoke to Stefania Innocenti, a new PhD fellow on our Joint PhD Programme in Economics and Governance. She gave us her first impressions of the institute, city and PhD course. In terms of background, Stefania has a BA in Development Economics and International Cooperation and a MSc in Economics and Social Sciences from the University of Florence, Italy (summa cum laude). She worked for the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, then as research assistant at the European University Institute and at the Social Security department of the UN-International Labour Organization in Geneva. In 2011, she was a consultant at the Italian Ministry of Economics and Finance in Rome. Her research interests lie on International Trade Negotiations and Lobbying Activity, European Cohesion Policy and Institutions. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=776

In the last three years our FINISH project has built over 100,000 household toilets in India, changing the lives of half a million people in the country. Short for 'Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health', FINISH held its latest project meeting in Maastricht in August 2012, drawing partners from India and the Netherlands. In this podcast and a series of video interviews, we heard how FINISH has improved health, dignity and productivity in several regions across India. The ultimate goal is to build a million modern toilets in the country; watch our playlist for more details. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=775

The head of our migration group at the School of Governance recently returned from Afghanistan, where she's been overseeing a migration project with the Afghan Government and international organizations. Siegel speaks of the Afghan ministries she’s been working with, the questions asked in over 1000 households, and the preliminary findings from the project. The final results on migration patterns, including flows of people and money in and out of the country, are due in May 2012. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=733

"By 2050 anywhere from 80 to even 100 percent of our electricity will be generated from renewable energy sources." That's the ambitious and controversial claim made in a recent German report co-authored by Dr. Thomas Ziesemer. We ask him to justify this figure and to give his recommendations for renewable energy production, storage, and how to balance supply and demand. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=731

Professor Adam Szirmai runs our DEIP programme, short for 'Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policies in Developing countries'. It is a course which began in 2004, and since then has trained about 800 senior and mid-level government officials in developing countries. Countries as far afield as India, Jordan, Argentina, Mauritius Nigeria, Uruguay and El Salvador, to name just a few. This edition was recorded on the island of Phuket on the southwest tip of Thailand. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=724

On 13 March Katie Kuschminder presented to the Dutch Government the first policy report for the IS Academy: Migration and Development Project. Her report looked into the temporary return of highly skilled migrants to Afghanistan and their role in training, employment and ‘capacity building’. In our latest podcast we ask her exactly what jobs they are doing, the conditions they are working under, and how they might improve education, employment, and the role of women in this fragile state. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=702

A new working paper tracks the rise of financial transfers via mobile phone in Africa. Building on this, our latest podcast asks authors Melissa Siegel and Sonja Fransen to explain the trends and the potential for growth across the continent. We hear how new services are boosting economic development and keeping people connected, while increasing competition and cutting surcharges on bank transfers. We also look into the wider implications for migration patterns and investments in infrastructure. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=694

In our first podcast of 2012 we’re joined by Stijn Bannier, who works on our ‘Third Age Online’ project. This international web-based project aims to build and grow a community among the over-50 age group to improve their social integration. We hear from Stijn about the tens of thousands of elderly people now shaping the project: how it connects and trains them to create their own wikis on issues like health and social welfare. Click below for more details. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=683

A new 'Center for the Study of Globalization' was inaugurated on 23 November at the International College of Renmin University in China, and René Kemp, representing UNU-MERIT, gave a lecture at the opening ceremony. The institute uses a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach to conduct in-depth research and analysis on global dynamic processes including low-carbon economy, human development, and poverty eradication. The Government of Suzhou is a co-founder, UNU-MERIT is one of the partners and Luc Soete is co-director of the institute. We spoke to Professor Kemp about his role at the launch event and his views on the future of eco-innovation in China. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=663

Joe Abah is a PhD fellow on our part-time doctoral programme, the GPAC², at our School of Governance. His research compares the performance of six major organisations in Nigeria, including the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria. This includes life and death research, learning how the country reduced the numbers of counterfeit medical drugs on the market, as well as investigating leadership, meritocracy and recruitment quotas in both public and private companies. Image courtesy of the Gates Foundation. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=662

Dr Thomas Ziesemer explains details from his recent working paper on investment, growth and consumption in sub-Saharan Africa, touching in particular on issues of population sustainability. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=661

Professor Luc Soete is Director of UNU-MERIT, Dean of the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, and in September 2012 will take on the role of Rector Magnificus at Maastricht University. In this brief portrait we find out more about the man behind the titles, including some of his life philosophies and why he became an economist in the first place. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=658

Our latest guest is Wim Naudé, a South African economist who recently joined us as a professorial fellow. He gives us his views on the relationship between Africa and Europe, on the role of the media in economics and academia, and the need to find a balance between cooperation and competition – especially for entrepreneurs in developing countries. Wim is ranked among the top economists in Europe and joins us from UNU-WIDER in Finland. Click play for more details >

Our new season of podcasts begins with Daniel Vertesy, who today successfully defended his PhD on the role of emerging economies in the aerospace industry. We asked him why Brazil has succeeded while others have failed. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=637

Can OpenEd bring formal education up to speed with the flatter, online world of the 21st century? Can it guarantee a new wave of culture and class-neutral education? How far is it penetrating beyond the English speaking world?

In today's globalized economy, firms depend on external partners to manage uncertainty. After an exhaustive global survey, Tina Saebi explains why firms need to carefully customize their approach in line with their partner portfolios.

Subsidies and commodity speculation: how do they affect food security around the world? What is the role of the World Food Programme? We talk with Tareq Abuelhaj, who works in Iraq for WFP, about his doctoral research at MGSoG.

UNU formally accredited our MPP programme in May 2011. Education director Lutz Krebs spells out what this means for our students, and reveals plans for more partnerships linked to specializations, capstone and internship programmes.

How can the European Union realize the full benefits of immigration? Should integration policy focus not only on the number of immigrants but also on their employability? Is the EU’s blue card policy too restrictive? To find out more click on play or read our working paper on 'Immigration and growth in an ageing economy'. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=596

How far do risk pricing, state guarantees and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) affect financial stability? Did PPPs contribute to the near bankruptcy of Greece? When should governments intervene in these key partnerships? Click play to hear the answers to these questions and more from Manos Sfakianakis, a PhD fellow at the School of Governance who defends his thesis on 25 May. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=591

Indicators are a kind of technology, a product, which governs behaviour and develops in response to user needs. But what are the real-world social impacts of their development? Could innovation indicators be used to help poorer countries catch up? And is the EU on the right track in terms of monitoring and encouraging innovation? Click play for the answers to these questions and more. This podcast is based on the UNU working paper attached below. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=584

What are the trade-offs between innovation and standardization of TB care in India? Do local experts 'speak the same language' as central decision-makers? Are we on track to meet Millennium Development Goal 6C, to halt and reverse major diseases like TB, by 2015? Check the podcast below for more on this urgent question of global health. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=575

Are the high costs of phone, web and media services holding back growth and development in Africa? Should telecoms firms give spare bandwidth to support health and education projects? To hear more check the podcast below. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=566

After an earthquake and tsunami crippled the light water reactor at Fukushima on 11 March, analysts have scrutinized design choices and risk management in the nuclear industry. Last month UNU-MERIT’s Professor Robin Cowan was cited in the Boston Globe and Atlantic magazine for his paper on ‘Technological Lock-in’, exploring how US technology -- dating back to the 1940s -- came to dominate the nuclear market thanks to a blend of economic and political expediency and regulatory barriers. To find out more check the podcast below. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=557

As regimes crumbled across North Africa and the Middle East, researchers from the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance came together to share their news and views on the Arab revolutions. This interview with Zina Nimeh complements a feature article, to be released shortly on the UNU web magazine. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=551

This podcast explores the subtle consequences of cross-cultural life, from reciprocation to unification to variation, based on the experiences of individuals at five Dutch firms in Thailand. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=547

Pro-poor innovation with a focus on entrepreneurs and alternative finance is the subject of this brief interview, which also explores the bad press surrounding micro-credit in India. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=546

China's phenomenal rise in R&D, including in the field of nanotechnology, and Western 'quality' research vs. China's 'quantity' advantage, are among the subjects touched on in this radio clip. http://www.merit.unu.edu/permalink.php?id=544