Unit for
Social and
Environmental 
Research
  
 Last Update: 28 Mar 2010
 Editor: Louis Lebel
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USER - Unit for Social and Environmental Research

Mission

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.

Activities

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. See, for example, the water governance network and program M-POWER.

We contribute to theory development through critical synthesis and re-conceptualization of relationships. Key themes include resilience, knowledge systems, and governance.

Needs

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.

 

What's
New

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

 

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

 

Contested Waterscapes is the second edited volume in a planned series arising out of the international program M-POWER whose supporting network is coordinated by USER. The book is published by EarthScan. Volume I in the series "Democratizing Water Governance in the Mekong Region" is also still available from Mekong Press

 

ESG - Adaptiveness.  USER is contributing to new The Earth System Governance project of the IHDP by leading the initial program on Adaptiveness.  The 2009 Amsterdam Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change to be held on 2-4 December 2009 will focus on "Earth System Governance".

   

USER is formally affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences at Chiang Mai University.

   Events

9 Jan 11 - 11 Jan 11
Innovation and sustainability transitions in Asia. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.( IHDP-Industrial Transformations Project, APN ) (243)


17 Aug 10 - 18 Aug 10
Prepatory meeting for Twin2Go Synthesis Workshop Ghent, Belgium.( Soresma, Twin2Go ) (244)

25 Mar 10 - 28 Mar 10
Adaptive water governance and stakeholder participation in river basin management in Asia and in Europe (REWIND & Twin2Go) Chiang Mai, Thailand.( M-POWER, USER ) (188)

22 Feb 10 - 22 Feb 10
2nd Roundtable Consultation on Implementing the Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Platform in Thailand .( USER, SEI, UNEP, CCKP ) (237)

8 Feb 10 - 10 Feb 10
M-POWER 2010 Annual Partners' Meeting Phnom Penh, Cambodia.( M-POWER, CEDAC-Cambodia ) (231)

22 Dec 09 - 22 Dec 09
1st Roundtable on improving the links between knowledge and action for adaptation to climate change in Thailand. Bangkok.( USER, SEI, UNEP, CCKP ) (233)