Energy security in Northern Europe and the Baltic region
This roundtable seminar will discuss energy security in Northern Europe and the Balticum, the effects by the Ukraine conflict and how the new European Energy Union will impact energy security efforts.
Frozen Moments: Visualizing the Polity in Times of Overheating
We are living in a new epoch: the Anthropocene, where the world is overheated by human activity, driven too fast and filled too full, uneven and unequal. This collection explores the question of identity in this new world, looking at the consequences of rapidly accelerating change on social and personal identities and providing a concrete set of perspectives on how people conceive their selves and belonging in the twenty-first century. Featuring examinations of the Phiippines, Israel, Australia, the Cape Verde Islands, and Afghanistan, the book studies changes generated by rapid industrialization, forced return of migrants, sudden population growth, and the touristification of local cultures.
Policy options for sustainability and resilience in potato value chains in Bihar: a system dynamics approach
Potatoes are an important crop for food security in Bihar, providing significant income generating activities for participating farmers and an additional source of diet diversification for consumers. Recent reforms to the Agriculture Production Market Committee (APMC) Act and improvements in state-wide governance have provided further incentives for investment in the potato sector, particularly in cold storage facilities that can mitigate seasonal price fluctuations and improve the availability of potatoes. At the same time, climate change could have severe ramifications on the potato sector in Bihar, with some forecasts redicting a decline in yields of over 20 percent in the coming decades. In this paper, we look at the quantitative impacts over time of different investment, trade, and policy scenarios in the potato value chain, particularly those that can mitigate climate change effects, using a system dynamics model of the potato value chain that builds on previous qualitative studies (e.g. Minten et al. 2011). Preliminary results highlight that reducing storage costs, either through subsidies or increased competition, could reduce the price variability inherent with climatic shocks. On the other hand, encouraging conventional types of cold storage could have additional feedback effects that exacerbate climatic shocks, suggesting a need to consider “climate-smart” investments.
Norsk utenrikspolitisk idehistorie, 1890-1940
(Available in Norwegian only): Norges utenrikspolitiske ideverden er særegen. Denne boka tar for seg idetradisjonene som slo inn i norsk politikk rundt forrige århundreskifte, og som i tiden etter bidro til å forme Norges forestillinger om verden omkring oss og om Norges plass og rolle i den. Liberale argumenter har formet den norske fredstanken, betoningen vår av folkerettens sentrale plass og av internasjonalt samarbeid i ordnede, universelle former. Men hvor kommer disse ideene fra, og hvorfor slo de så dype røtter i Norge? Forfatterne viser hvilke forestillinger og ideer som har vært og er tonengivende i norsk utenrikspolitikk, og setter disse inn i et større, politisk og idehistorisk perspektiv. De viser blant annet hvordan den liberale fredstanken har vært en vedvarende kraft i det utenrikspolitiske ordskiftet og diskuterer hvorfor Norge har manglet en konservativ idetradisjon. Norges naboland har hatt et markant innslag av maktpolitiske resonnementer som har manglet i den norske idetradisjonen.
Norden og Kina: «Smått er godt» Islands økonomiske diplomati med Kina.
Although Iceland has a shorter diplomatic history with China in comparison with the other Nordic states, the island nation has built a strong relationship with Beijing which has been dominated by economics, especially the bilateral free trade agreement struck in 2013. Although Iceland is not a major factor in Chinese trade, the Sino-Icelandic relationship has demonstrated China’s commitment to small state diplomacy and Arctic relations.
Ties that Bind: The Emerging Regional Security Complex in the Arctic
The security situation in the Arctic has begun to produce a 'regional security complex' (RSC) based on shared regional strategic concerns. However, the geography and politics of the region will prevent this RSC from taking on a military aspect in the near future.
The SkattJakt conference 2016
What consequences do illicit capital flows have for developing countries? How to prevent multinational corporations from tax evasion? What do tax havens mean for illicit capital flows?