The New Global Connect: Mega-Infrastructure Projects and Their Local Impacts
The construction of large infrastructure for rapid and efficient means of transportation or green energy production from large wind or solar farms is often tied to hopes of development and prosperity for local communities. However, often, such developments do not meet these expectations, because local communities are excluded from the decision-making process and lose access to their resource base, their living space and livelihood opportunities. Co-determination is an essential prerequisite for local sustainable development through infrastructure projects. Such a process ensures that due consideration is given to different impacts and consequences, perspectives, power dynamics as well as opportunities for participation. Research is necessary to better understand these important dimensions and how to enable, facilitate and implement effective and equitable co-determination.
Politics courses for researchers: How do I get my message to politicians and administrators?
Dialogue between researchers, the public, politicians and business has increased. How can you make your expertise heard in political circles and how do you find the right contacts in parliament and the administration?
Political leanings and opinions in Switzerland about global cooperation
Political leanings and values, not group identities, drive attitudes towards global cooperation. Results from the NADEL survey 2022.
Call for Papers: EJDR Special Issue: Race, (Anti-)Racism and Development
European Journal of Development Research (EJDR) invites abstract submissions for a Special Issue of the European Journal of Development Research entitled Race, (Anti-)Racism and Development. Submission deadline for extended abstracts: 11 April 2023.
Safeguarding research staff “in the field”: a blind spot in ethics guidelines
Across disciplines there is a large and increasing number of research projects that rely on data collection activities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, these are accompanied by an extensive range of ethical challenges. While the safeguarding of study participants is the primary aim of existing ethics guidelines, this paper argues that this “do no harm” principle should be extended to include research staff. This study is a comprehensive review of more than 80 existing ethics guidelines and protocols that reveals a lack of safeguarding research staff regarding the ethical challenges faced during data collection activities in LMICs. This is particularly the case when it comes to issues such as power imbalances, political risk, staff’s emotional wellbeing or dealing with feelings of guilt. Lead organizations are called upon to develop guiding principles that encompass the safeguarding of research staff, which are then to be adapted and translated into specific protocols and tools by institutions.
