Linking Global Change and Local Realities: Distributed Research,

Assessment, and Decision Making Systems

David W. CashBelfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Harvard UniversityOctober 7, 2001

2001 Open Meetings of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research

Community

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Research and Assessment Systems for Sustainability Project

• International collaboration of scholars, practitioners and program managers addressing issues of sustainability.

• Research, practice, and outreach

• Administered at Harvard University, USA

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The Challenges

• Global environmental change is increasingly understood to…

have causes, consequences and responses which span multiple social or organizational levels; • Demand to upscale and downscale• Demand for place-based information linked to

large-scale change

be perceived differently at different levels.

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The Challenges, cont’d

• Institutions for assessment and management are generally insensitive to multi-level dynamics and alternative “realities” at different levels

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The Challenges, cont’d

• There often exists tensions/tradeoffs between: - scientific credibility; - political legitimacy; and - practical relevance.

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Distributed Research, Assessment and Decision Support Systems

• Integrated networks of research, assessment, and management

• which bridge numerous levels,

• and include sustained, long-term, iterative interactions between science and decision making

What characterizes effective systems?

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Elements of systems

• Multiple, coordinated (franchised) research and assessment nodes at different levels (redundancy, innovation), linked to decision makers.

• Specialized roles (scale-dependent comparative advantages) at different levels.

• Mediated through boundary organizations.

• Adaptive institutions.

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Dimensions of Distributed Research, Observation, Assessment and Decision Support Systems

1. Integration of research, observation, assessment, and decision support

2. Integration of different knowledges3. Network structure4. Adaptiveness5. Participation6. Funding7. Human Capacity8. Political context

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Integration of research, observation, assessment, and decision support

Integrating multiple functions can generate tensions between the relevance, credibility and legitimacy of information (e.g., sometimes there is tension between producing credible (non-politicized) science and politically salient outputs.)

• What kind of institutional mechanisms effectively integrate research, observation, assessment and decision making functions and balance the relevance, credibility and legitimacy of information?

• How can this integration be structured to balance different needs, expertises, and perspectives at different levels?

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Integration of different knowledges

• What kind of institutional mechanisms effectively integrate different knowledges (e.g., disciplines, indigenous knowledge, scientific knowledge)? What mechanisms can integrate large-scale (systemic) analyses with place-based realities?

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Network structure

Institutionalized networks can have many advantages and are increasingly used, but also have inherent costs.

• How can a network of scientists, stakeholders, and decision makers be structured such that it balances tradeoffs between efficiency and autonomy, and between system-wide coherence and local specificity?

• How can a network addresses asymmetries (e.g., well-funded well-staffed institutions that interact with relatively poorly funded and poorly staffed institutions)?

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Adaptiveness

A research, observation, and assessment system has to balance tradeoffs between flexibility and stability, and between long-term and short-term needs.

• What kind of institutional mechanisms can support adaptiveness without losing political legitimacy?

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Participation

Participation can serve multiple functions in research, observation, and assessment system.

• What kind of institutional mechanisms can facilitate effective participation by scientists, stakeholders and decision makers?

• Who should participate, when in the process, and for what purpose?

• How do decisions about participation influence the saliency, credibility, or legitimacy of a research, observation, assessment and decision support system?

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Funding

• What are effective mechanisms for funding that can balance the advantages of RFP models (screening through competition) versus endowed program (long-term commitments, adaptability and maintaining institutional memory)

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Human Capacity

• What are effective mechanisms for building human capacity?

• How can these mechanisms mitigate the divide between developed and developing countries while maintaining legitimacy and credibility?

• How can the development of human capacity be linked to institutional capacity?

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Political context

• What elements of the political context in which an issue is embedded provide challenges and opportunities for a research, observation, assessment and decision support systems?

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SOIL WATER AGRONOMY

SOIL AGRONOMYWATER AGRONOMYWATERSOIL

FARMER RESOURCE MANAGER

State University

Area Research Center

Local decision makers

Schematic Research, Assessment and Decision Support System System for Sustainability (Nebraska, USA)

FARMER RESOURCE MANAGER

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FOOD (CGIAR)

ECOSYSTEM (IGBP)

CLIMATE (WMO)

FOOD CLIMATEECOSYSTEM CLIMATEFOOD

INDIVIDUAL FIRM OFFICIAL

Global research loci

Regional (integrative) Centers

Local (place-based) decision makers

Schematic Research, Assessment and Decision Support System for a Sustainability Transition

INDIVIDUAL FIRM OFFICIAL

ECOSYSTEM

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FOOD (CGIAR)

ECOSYSTEM (IGBP)

CLIMATE (WMO)

FOOD CLIMATEECOSYSTEM CLIMATEFOOD

INDIVIDUAL FIRM OFFICIAL

Global research loci

Regional (integrative) Centers

Local (place-based) decision makers

Schematic Research, Assessment and Decision Support System for a Sustainability Transition

INDIVIDUAL FIRM OFFICIAL

ECOSYSTEM

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Global Change System for Analysis Research and Training (START)

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Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)