New Models of Technology Assessment for Development

This report explores the role that ‘new models’ of technology assessment can play in improving the lives of poor and vulnerable populations in the developing world. The ‘new models’ addressed here combine citizen and decision-maker participation with technical expertise. They are virtual and networked rather than being based in a single office of technology assessment (as was the case in the United States in the 1970s-90s). They are flexible enough to address issues across disciplines and are increasingly transnational or global in their reach and scope. The report argues that these new models of technology assessment can make a vital contribution to informing policies and strategies around innovation, particularly in developing regions. They are most beneficial if they enable the broadening out of inputs to technology assessment, and the opening up of political debate around possible directions of technological change and their interactions with social and environmental systems. Beyond the process of technology assessment itself, the report argues that governance systems within which these processes are embedded play an important role in determining the impact and effectiveness of technology assessment. Finally, the report argues for training and capacity-building in technology assessment methodologies in developing countries, and support for internationally co-ordinated technology assessment efforts to address global and regional development challenges

The cultural capitalists: notes on the ongoing reconfiguration of trafficking culture in Asia

Most analysis of the international flows of the illicit art market has described a global situation in which a postcolonial legacy of acquisition and collection exploits cultural heritage by pulling it westwards towards major international trade nodes in the USA and Europe. As the locus of consumptive global economic power shifts, however, these traditional flows are pulled in other directions: notably for the present commentary, towards and within Asia

Supporting Research in Area Studies: a guide for academic libraries

The study of other countries or regions of the world often crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries in the humanities and social sciences. Supporting Research in Area Studies is a comprehensive guide for academic libraries supporting these communities of researchers. This book explores the specialist requirements of these researchers in information resources, resource discovery tools, and information skills, and the challenges of working with materials in multiple languages. It makes the case that by adapting their systems and procedures to meet these needs, academic libraries find themselves better placed to support their institution's�� international agenda more widely. The first four chapters cover the academic landscape and its history, area studies librarianship and acquisitions. Subsequent chapters discuss collections management, digital products, and the digital humanities, and their role in academic projects. The final chapter explores information skills and the various disciplinary skills that facilitate the needs of researchers during their careers

China's Cultural Diplomacy in a New Era of Multilateralism: The Case of the China-Community of Latin American & Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum (CCF)

Cultural diplomacy has been one component of China's foreign policy since its very foundation. However, it is only in recent decades that culture has been wielded as a tool to serve high-reaching goals commensurate with China's rising superpower status and its capacity to contend for global hegemony. This study examines China's recent efforts to enhance cultural exchanges in multilateral and regional platforms. The primary aim is to analyse the rationale, motivations, main initiatives and strategies underpinning China's cultural diplomacy based on a conceptual framework centred on the notions of cultural diplomacy and hegemonic transition. The author begins by presenting the guiding conceptual framework and providing an overview of China's overall cultural diplomacy approach over the last two decades. The analysis then delves into China’s engagement in well-established and new multilateral platforms such as UNESCO, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the BRICS group, and regional forums established between China and developing regions. Shifting the focus to Latin America, the research investigates the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum (CCF) as a platform for cultural exchanges and an instrument of China’s cultural diplomacy, and systematizes its cultural initiatives, prioritized areas, key actors involved, and strategies. By way of conclusion, the study summarizes the main findings, assesses the trajectory of the CCF in the cultural dimension and proposes recommendations

Survey of existing civil society engagement tools in Research, Innovation, Learning and Teaching

The Survey of existing civil society engagement tools and projects in Research, Innovation, Learning and Teaching is intended to give an overview of Public Engagement practices at the universities of the ENLIGHT Network. This will allow mutual learning and joint development of adapted approaches and stepping up the Ladder of Participation from information and one-directional approaches toward more interactive engagement. The results of this survey and the analysis thereof will be made available to the ENLIGHT R&I Observatory and will be updated dynamically

Steps towards decolonising biogeography

This is the final version. Available on open access from the International Biogeography Society via the DOI in this recordBiogeography has its origins in European colonialism. The legacies of colonial relations are evident in the distribution of practicing biogeographers, the direction of flow of biogeographical data, and the language used when describing and interpreting our studies. Biogeographers can address these legacies through increasing access to research data and publication outlets, improved recognition of collaborative relationships, and critically reflecting upon how our assumptions and perspectives might perpetuate colonial attitudes. Achieving these goals will improve not only inclusivity and equity within our field but also increase the diversity of insights and validity of our findings. If biogeography is to be a truly global science then decolonisation is a collective responsibility

Anthropology Resources For Librarians

As of 1989, no one had compiled a bibliography of resources of use to librarians who had a role supporting anthropologists in their institutions. The present lengthy bibliography began as a print list of 25 entries in the November 1989 issue of ANSS Currents. Over the years the list grew and it was published on ANSSWeb when the site was created in 1995. The bibliography has now migrated to a pdf version and contains more than 500 entries in 25 categories. It may be updated periodically as new resources are discovered

Relocating Artists at Risk in Latin America

This study is a mapping of existing temporary relocation programmes and support networks for artists and cultural workers based in Latin American countries. It investigates the prerequisites for partnerships between arts institutions and human rights organisations as a means to better protect artists at risk and to promote artistic freedom. The human rights and the arts sectors approach these aims from their different perspectives, with different terminology and different focuses. The study calls upon these two sectors to develop synergies in their strategies to better meet the needs of artists at risk in Latin American regional contexts in all their diversity. As such, the study provides insights into current developments, e.g. in Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica and Colombia