Insights from members of the SNIS scientific committee

Susan Parnell, SNIS SC President, Jan Klabbers, SC member So one of the things which is for me always helpful, is the research question clear?&nbsp;Okay. And that's actually quite difficult to do when you have a group. It's much easier when you're a lone researcher to have a very clear research question.&nbsp;And so having, if you can start off by having a really clear research question, but then your research design demonstrates how the component parts of the project, because in a large project, they are always component parts. Okay. And that's how we put these projects together.&nbsp;But do the Lego blocks.&nbsp;make up something that is greater than the individual legible components. And quite often what you'll see is little components that are actually all quite interesting. But the research overarching research question is not clear. And the way that the component parts relate back To the core question is not clear and then you certainly see that in the methods because typically what happens is that different elements of the projects have slightly different methods or methodological components. The question of how you bring all these things together at the other end to say, so what? Who's that going to, what difference is this going to make? Who's that going to interact with?&nbsp;That doesn't always get defined very well. And then finally, I think that the really crucial thing is it's a bit like casting in a play.&nbsp;Are the people who are involved in the project the right people&nbsp;and do they have the right size role?&nbsp; So it's that coherence and clarity that for me marks art a really distinguished application.&nbsp; Jan Klabbers, SNIS SC member I would think a project is a good project if it ends up telling me something about the world I live in&nbsp;that does not.&nbsp;exclude delving into theories and seeing whether someone was right or wrong. That does not exclude using particular methods to show how well they are adapted to the problem at hand.&nbsp; But if it stays at that,&nbsp;then it doesn't tell me much about the world I live in.&nbsp;

What makes for a good SNIS project? Insights from members of the SNIS scientific committee

Research results must be shared, spread and enacted if they are to make an impact. Especially in the case of hotly debated policy, social economic and political issues, such as climate change and loss of biodiversity. In this podcast we bring testimonies from Profs. Sonia Senevirante, at the ETH, and Julia Steinberger , from UNIL who put their actions where their research is and undertake activities to lend credibility and a voice to their results. They are what one would call researchers activists. Holding the keynote interventions at this year's <a href="https://www.sciencecomm.ch/en/program/thursday" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ScienceComm 23 Conference </a> they brought an uplifting and empowering perspective on how to do both research and activism, what are the inertial points in the systems that need change and where to look for signs things could budge. We are very grateful for their contributions and hope listeners will find them inspiring.

 Special edition Researchers & Activism

As Italy showcases a new deal with Albania on refugee centres and more and more people choose to undertake the risky journey over to Europe, we wanted to find out more about how such decisions are made, who is involved in taking them, with what expectations and what outcomes. We invited former and current SNIS grantees who have looked into the detailed picture of migration to tell us more about what they found out. Amongst the highlights of this podcast are the fact that candidates to migration have a broad picture view of the risks and dangers related to it, who are not really likely to dissuade them in a first stage. Also, new schemes of "guest worker" approach appear to be emerging, giving rise to absurd situations.

Migration to and from EU  (II) - motivations and new emerging arrangements

Academic research and policies on migration are at odds with each other as to what is to be done regarding the series of tensions and crises that have become "normal" on this subject in Europe. In this podcast, three SNIS lead researchers, Profs.<a href="https://snis.ch/projects/infrastructure-space-and-the-future-of-migration-management-the-eu-hotspots-in-the-mediterranean-borderscape/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Bilgin Ayata</a>, <a href="https://snis.ch/projects/effects-of-an-exercise-and-sport-intervention-among-refugees-living-in-a-greek-refugee-camp-on-mental-health-physical-fitness-and-cardiovascular-risk-markers-a-randomized-controlled-trial/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Markus Gerber</a> and <a href="https://snis.ch/projects/new-plantations-migrant-mobility-illegality-and-racialisation-in-european-agricultural-labour-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Timothy Raeymaekers</a> bring insights on the newest research and policy trends and their potential impacts on the actors involved in migration to and from the EU. The highlights of the discussion focus on the importance of work in the mental and physical wellbeing of persons on a migration path and worrying developments concerning academic researchers' right to access free and complete information for their studies, currently being debated in the EU parliament.

Migration to and from the EU (I) - structural challenges and processes

Work: a commodity or a way of being in the world that needs protection, regulations and standards? The debate is two centuries old and still raging. Listen to Prof. Jean Michel Bonvin, Prof. Jean Christophe Graz and Dr. Nicola Cianferoni explain what still needs to be done about work, social dialigue and standards and how their SNIS funded projects shed light on current challenges. SNIS Projects featured: <a href="https://snis.ch/projects/gig-economy-and-its-implications-for-social-dialogue-and-workers-protection/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The gig economy and its social implications</a> and <a href="https://snis.ch/projects/governance-by-contract-the-impact-of-the-international-finance-corporations-social-conditionality-on-worker-organization-and-social-dialogue/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Governance by Contract </a>

Wicked Problems. Interdisciplinary Approaches Ep 4 - The future of work

Wicked problems. Interdisciplinary approaches Ep 3 - Best practices for applying for SNIS funding

Carbon markets design and environmental related migration - interlinkages

What makes climate change a wicked problem, and how do we untangle it? And more importantly, how do we speed things up? To fully grasp the complexity of the issue, let us take a step back and talk about the different interlocking levels that make this challenge so incredibly hard to tackle. In this second episode of the SNIS podcast, we will discuss the many facets of the climate crisis together with our three expert guests: Regina Betz (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), Marlene Kammerer (University of Bern), and Vally Koubi (ETH Zurich). Join us to tune in to their unique insights on climate-induced migration, nationally determined contributions, and political will. This podcast builds on the interdisciplinary research funded by the Swiss Network for International Studies. The relevant SNIS projects for this episode can be accessed via the following links <a href="https://snis.ch/projects/designing-effective-regulation-for-carbon-markets-at-the-international-national-and-subnational-levels/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Carbon Markets Design </a>,<a href="https://snis.ch/projects/what-international-negotiators-promise-and-domestic-policymakers-adopt-policy-and-politics-in-the-multi-level-climate-change-regime/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Climate Negotiations </a>, <a href="https://snis.ch/projects/environmental-change-and-migration-the-role-of-urbanization-in-conflict-processes/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Role of Urbanisation in Conflict Processes</a>

Wicked problems. Interdisciplinary approaches Ep 2 - What data for climate change mitigation?

Econometrics, economics and the search for a sustainable future

Tune in to the first episode of our series, in which Prof. Jaya Krishnakumar and Prof. Ugo Panizza talk about how interdisciplinarity helped them become better researchers of their subjects: debt and economics. But also how interdisciplinarity is a challenge for researchers at the beginning of their careers. SNIS projects featured in this podcast:<a href="https://snis.ch/projects/impact-of-globalization-on-opportunities-for-human-development/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Impact of Globalization on Opportunities for Human Development.</a> and <a href="https://snis.ch/projects/sovereign-debt-in-the-aftermath-of-the-pandemic-improving-data-to-prevent-debt-crises/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Debt in the aftermath of the pandemic</a>

Wicked problems. Interdisciplinary approaches Ep 1 -  From debt to happiness

From research to practice to impact in international policy

A podcast with leading experts tackling the "wicked problems" of our age. We discuss interdisciplinary research, the politics of academic publishing, academic careers and finding ways to inform policy making and increase research impact. Produced by the <a href="www.snis.ch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Swiss Network for International Studies</a>

Wicked Problems, Interdisciplinary Approaches

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