Mission
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To conduct and coordinate high quality inter-disciplinary research on the relationships between human society and the environment that will make a contribution to improving ecological sustainability, human well-being and social justice in the Southeast Asia region.
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Activities
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We carry out field-based action research on the interactions between livelihoods, lifestyles and social institutions with the environment. This body of research tries to be critical and reflective while striving to listen to the needs and claims articulated by socially vulnerable groups.
We help design and coordinate integrated studies of environmental change in the Southeast Asia region. These involve multi-stakeholder and -author assessments, scenario building and integrated modelling.
We build partnerships with and between diverse research and development organizations. These networks of collaboration often negotiate and jointly pursue shared research programs that are a basis for comparative analysis, synthesis and learning.
We contribute to theory development through critical synthesis and re-conceptualization of relationships. Key themes include resilience, knowledge systems, and governance.
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Needs
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We selected the acronym USER because it reflects our philosophy of trying to do the highest quality research we can while keeping the needs of users, whether decision-makers or action-takers, in focus.
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What's
New
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Sustainable Production-Consumption Systems: Knowledge, Engagement and Practice is our latest book. It encourages researchers and practitioners to adopt a systems perspective to challenges of sustainability - one in which both production and consumption considerations are taken into account. The book is a product of the SPACES international working group. The book is published by Springer
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Critical States provides transboundary "state-of-the-science" reviews, case studies, and assessments of issues in the environmental change-development nexus in Monsoon Southeast Asia, including: governance and institutional challenges, urbanization, climate change, as well as land, energy and water use. Critial States was prepared as a a contribution to Monsoon Asia Integrated Study and the ERA program at USER. The book is published by SIRD/Gerakbudaya
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Water rights and social justice in the Mekong Region is the third edited volume in the series produced by the international water governance program M-POWER. The book became available in February 2011 and is published by EarthScan
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Contested Waterscapes is the second edited volume from the international water governance program M-POWER. The book is published by EarthScan. A paperback version has also been released by ISEAS. Volume I in the series "Democratizing Water Governance in the Mekong Region" is also still available from Mekong Press.
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ESG. USER is contributing to The Earth System Governance project of the IHDP.
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USER is formally affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences at Chiang Mai University.
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Events