Linking Global Change and Local Realities: Distributed Research, Assessment, and Decision Making Systems

1
Linking Global Change and Local Realities
Distributed Research, Assessment, and Decision
Making Systems

• David W. Cash
• Belfer Center for Science and International
  Affairs
• Harvard University
• October 7, 2001
• 2001 Open Meetings of the Human Dimensions of
  Global Environmental Change Research Community

2
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

3
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.

4
The Challenges, contd

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

5
The Challenges, contd

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

6
Distributed Research, Assessment and Decision
Support Systems
What characterizes effective systems?

• Integrated networks of research, assessment, and
  management

• which bridge numerous levels,

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

7
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 knowledges
• 3. Network structure
• 4. Adaptiveness
• 5. Participation
• 6. Funding
• 7. Human Capacity
• 8. 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?

10
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?

11
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)?

12
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?

13
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?

14
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)

15
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?

16
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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Local Activity
Local Activity
Local Activity
Regional Activity
Local Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
Central Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
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Local Activity
Local Activity
Local Activity
Regional Activity
Local Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
Central Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
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Local Activity
Local Activity
Local Activity
Regional Activity
Central Activity
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Local Activity
Local Activity
Local Activity
Regional Activity
Local Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
Coordinating Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
Regional Activity
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Schematic Research, Assessment and Decision
Support System System for Sustainability
(Nebraska, USA)
State University
SOIL
WATER
AGRONOMY
Area Research Center
SOIL
AGRONOMY
WATER
AGRONOMY
WATER
SOIL
Local decision makers
FARMER
RESOURCE MANAGER
FARMER
RESOURCE MANAGER
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Schematic Research, Assessment and Decision
Support System for a Sustainability Transition
Global research loci
FOOD (CGIAR)
ECOSYSTEM (IGBP)
CLIMATE (WMO)
Regional (integrative) Centers
FOOD
CLIMATE
ECOSYSTEM
CLIMATE
FOOD
ECOSYSTEM
Local (place-based) decision makers
INDIVIDUAL
FIRM
OFFICIAL
INDIVIDUAL
FIRM
OFFICIAL
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Schematic Research, Assessment and Decision
Support System for a Sustainability Transition
Global research loci
FOOD (CGIAR)
ECOSYSTEM (IGBP)
CLIMATE (WMO)
Regional (integrative) Centers
FOOD
CLIMATE
ECOSYSTEM
CLIMATE
FOOD
ECOSYSTEM
Local (place-based) decision makers
INDIVIDUAL
FIRM
OFFICIAL
INDIVIDUAL
FIRM
OFFICIAL
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Global Change System for Analysis Research and
Training (START)
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• Consultative Group on International Agricultural
  Research (CGIAR)