Asia Institute - Research Publications
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ItemCivil Society and Youth Leadership for Transformation(Risk Institute, Trieste- Geneva, 2020)This discussion paper looks at the current historical momentum and potential future development of civil society and youth leadership for a systemic transformation to a sustainable new civilization. It identifies emerging challenges, obstacles, and some of the innovative new leadership strategies that have been developed to overcome them. Civil society is central in the process of transformation in a dual sense: As the target of transformation — it is civil society at large together with governments and the private sector that must shift to sustainable practices in our daily lives, — and as an instigator of change—individuals, informal networks or organized groups of citizens specifically dedicated to promoting this transformation. This boundary between recipients and agents in society is fluid, as more and more people take action or join organized efforts to elicit a purposeful transformation.
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ItemCurrent Tasks of Academies and Academia(Risk Institute Trieste, 2020)The present article is written as an issue paper on academies for the GL-21 Project. It traces activities of academies and their associations in the present information-rich society. The state-of-the-art of the academic world is briefly described. This permits to focus on general trends in knowledge management in general and the role of academies. The successful strategies and interdependencies form the framework of activities, where one should also understand the possible obstacles. The impact of these activities together with ideas for more social responsibility and cooperation are examined. The unique position of WAAS in organizing a network for social progress is underlined.
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ItemMaking Sustainability Happen: The Jena Declaration(Risk Institute, 2021-11-01)The Jena Declaration, introduced below, argues that the SDGs cannot be achieved simply by intensifying the use of established methods and strategies. For a comprehensive transformation to sustainability a fundamental change in strategy is necessary, an approach that builds on the power of millions of citizens and local communities throughout the world and the integrative perspective of the social sciences and arts.
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ItemAchieving Global Justice, Security and Sustainability: Compassion as a Transformative Method(Risk Institute, 2021-11)This paper first examines the geopolitical trends of the post-Cold War era. The main features of this period are an escalating crisis of democratic institutions, extreme economic inequality with a concomitant lack of justice and compassion, and a rising sense of disenchantment with politics. This in turn has increased the appeal of nativist populism, especially among downwardly mobile middle classes. This crisis of political economy coincides with a severe and rapidly escalating global ecological crisis. In response, the author calls for a new paradigm of international cooperation wherein principles of justice and compassion are applied as a practical method to solve the key challenges of our times in an effective and inclusive manner, arguing that business-as-usual is not a viable alternative for survival.
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ItemCan Sustainability Knowledge-Action Platforms Advance Multi-level Sustainability Transitions?(University of Barcelona / Zenodo, 2021-09-01)In an effort to share local knowledge and best practices, online sustainability knowledge-action platforms of various types have proliferated. We conducted a review of 42 online sustainability knowledge-action platforms, which we define as digital tools that seek to manage and organize (local) knowledge and activities to advance a sustainability agenda. This interdisciplinary paper analyzes the structure and functionality of existing sustainability platforms through a systematic coding process. The coding is based on a review of the key issues highlighted in three bodies of literature: i) localization of the SDGs, ii) digital platforms and iii) multi-level governance of sustainability transitions. Our analysis indicates that numerous online collaborative tools, while offering an array of resources, struggle to provide context-sensitivity and higher-level analysis of the trade-offs and synergies between different sustainability actions. Context sensitivity and systemic thinking are essential, however, to align local priorities with international priorities like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG localization adds another layer of complexity where multi-level governance, actor priorities and institutional logics may generate tensions as well as opportunities for intra- and cross-sectoral alignme
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ItemThe COVID-19 Pandemic as a Systemic Stress Test: Who is most vulnerable to food insecurity and other risks in a crisis and why?(Risk Institute, 2021-06)The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that in a global systemic crisis, differences in impact are not confined to immediate threat, in this case virus infection and mortality rates. Indirect impacts such as reduced affordability of food due to income loss can be and often are more severe. Economic inequality thus acts as a massive amplifier of disaster impact. Inequality literally kills disadvantaged people under crisis conditions. Already the number of people subject to severe food insecurity and poverty has risen dramatically in the wake of COVID-19 and other crises, such as climate change, are adding to this unfolding tragedy. Conversely, policy designed to lower inequality is the best preparation for any crisis, and should accompany all measures for disaster risk reduction and impact mitigation.
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ItemNanotechnology in Food: Ethics, Industry Practices and Regulatory Frameworks(Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2021)What are the ethical implications of nanomaterials in food systems, given the potential of such a material to cause harm to human health and the environment? Following an outline of relevant ethical principles, this chapter charts the current use of nanomaterials in food and what we do and do not know about the risks associated therewith. Regulatory frameworks are then examined for their ability to mitigate risks. Three recommendations are put forward. First, it is best to avoid all unnecessary food processing categorically; second, nano-processed food products should only enter the market when harmful impacts can be categorically ruled out on the basis of independent and in-depth research and where benefits are very significant; and finally, complete transparency on the use of nanomaterials and other additives is needed so that consumers can exercise individual discretion regarding their own exposure to nano-food products, even if they are safe, and the more so while any doubts remain about their safety. Overall, the trend of the largely profit-driven global food industry has been and is still toward hyper-processing - despite consistent warnings of health professions about hyper-processed food. Nanotech takes this trend to a new level. Current voluntary producer ethics do not even guarantee transparency, let alone safety, except in jurisdictions where legislation demands it. While some nanomaterials may be beneficial and safe for some applications, industry self-regulation is not viable under these circumstances. While regulations have been strengthened in some jurisdictions such as the European Union, regulators still struggle to catch up with the rapid development and application of ever-new nanotech products by the food industry. A restructure of our innovation systems is recommended so that all stakeholders are included in shaping its future direction from the start.
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ItemLand Grab Practices as a Threat to Livelihood and Food Security in India? A Case Study from Aerocity Expansion Project from S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab(Sage Publications, 2020)Agricultural dominant societies in India have slowly shifted from traditional agricultural practices to modern infrastructural development. The recent trend of developing high-tech cities is an effort by the Punjab government to bring additional investment to the state and boost its economy. But to do that at the expense of highly fertile agricultural land is a debatable proposition. One of the most recent ventures towards this objective is the kind of development being initiated in the vicinity of Chandigarh and Mohali by Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA)—an Aerocity Expansion project. This article will focus on Patton, Kurai and Seon—three out of 14 villages where 1,305 acres of land have been proposed to be acquired. This article explores blatant land grab practices by the state authority in the name of development, which act as barriers to the food security and threaten the livelihood of those whose land will be acquired in the near future. The study will further focus on people’s perception of the new development project initiated by GMADA.
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ItemState of the Grain: Grain of the State: The Political - and Moral -Economy of Rice in Indonesia(Routledge, 2021)In so doing, the volume provides tools not only for understanding states’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for judging what effects these responses are likely to have.