Forschung

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Discussion Forum North - South

Ruth Kaufmann-Hayoz, Prof. Dr.
Samuel Mauch, Dr. (PhD Civil Engineering M.I.T.)
Hans Hurni, Prof. Dr.
Manuel Flury, Dr. phil. nat.

"To learn from others - we hope that the Discussion Forum will constitute a place of exchange and of joint learning processes in order to provide innovative approaches for environmental policy, both in the South and the North." Manuel Flury

Goals

Through the Priority Programme Environment, researchers in both the North and the South gain insight into the constraints, potentials and margins of environmentally responsible action of both individuals and social groups on different societal levels. Individual researchers and research groups do this in a rather independent way. The discussion forum constitutes a place (and a process) of exchange, for elaborating common and differentiated views and co-ordinating joint efforts. It represents a substantial, further step towards greater collaborative networking among researchers in the North and the South and strengthening of the links to policy development.
The goal of the discussion forum can be subdivided into four dimensions:

1. The academic dimension to provide for enhanced, comparative and differentiated insight into the circumstances and prerequisites of environmentally responsible action and strategies for promoting such action;
2. The policy dimension to provide for effective exchange of experiences in policy and strategy development and implementation under different socio-cultural, political and economic conditions, and to promote corresponding transfer of experiences by involving the respective actors;
3. The institutional dimension to provide for an efficient exchange and coordination of social scientific approaches to sustainable development, and to assume the corresponding facilitating function;
4. The methodological dimension to enhance and facilitate a discussion process among various groups of researchers and institutions; to synthesise the experiences gained on both the topical and methodological levels.

Methods

Instead of organising venues with broad participation, exchange are promoted during "ordinary" meetings of the various research groups, through associating selected and competent researchers from other participating groups as well as core group members.
The activities of the discussion forum, therefore, concerns management (and evaluation) of written information and compilation of well-focused discussion papers.
In particular, the discussion forum:

1. complements workshops and similar fora already planned by the researchers participating, based on explicit demand;
2. convenes special workshops for researchers specially interested in a specific topic;
3. compiles specific knowledge about the main topics of the discussion forum supplied by the researchers participating.

The latter aim is realised through a address group of experts in Switzerland and in the South, contacting and requesting information from the research teams participating, and compiling written syntheses during special, joint working sessions.

Topics and Events

In a general way, the discussion forum highlight the following broad, cross-cutting topics:

1. How do different actors (local government, non-governmental organisations, organisations in civil society, etc.) interact in the interest of environmentally responsible action and reducing corresponding constraints? What institutional arrangements (under different socio-cultural, political and economic conditions) are developed to this end? How does the political elite accept such arrangements?
2. What societal levels in the various socio-political and economic environments encountered provide comparatively greater ranges of action in sustainable development, sustainable utilisation of natural resources, and environmentally responsible action? How do the different societal and political levels interact, taking into consideration the different possibilities and ranges of action?
3. What is the effectiveness of innovative measures like market-oriented instruments? How can the diffusion of strategies, measures and institutional arrangements be fostered? What means are used in order to compensate for the social and economic consequences of environmental policies and corresponding measures?

The list below provides an overview of events that are complemented by the discussion forum and utilised for its purposes:

• Regional sustainable development: Kenay
  • Resource management/conflict resolution, resource negotiation
  • Research and development
  • Resource conservation, monitoring/indicators
  • Sustainable Development (concept)
• Sustainable land/resource use: IP Biodiversity Switzerland
  • sustainable development and biodiversity, indicators, measuring methods
  • resource conservation
  • participatory management and research approaches
• Policy approaches (Waste and waste water management, water supply): IP Strategies, Switzerland
  • Urban management/user-based management
  • Sustainable Development (concept)
• Policy approaches (Waste and waste water management, water supply): IP Environment and Development, Jinja/Uganda.
  • Urban management/user-based management
  • Sustainable Development (concept)

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Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie (IKAÖ) der Universität Bern (1988-2013)