Publications





Development goals: Science alone cannot shape sustainability

Research article by Suraje Dessai, Stavros Afionis, James Van Alstine on 3 Jan 2013

We agree that science can and should inform the sustainable development goals agreed at the Rio+20 conference (G. Glaser Nature 491, 35; 2012). But basing policy decisions on science alone may be unproductive. Experience indicates that political receptiveness to scientific advice is essential for shaping policy. Climate-change policy-makers, for example, continually receive new technical and […]


Political competition, learning and the consequences of heterogeneous beliefs for long-run public projects

Working paper by Antony Millner, Hélène Ollivier, Leo Simon on 1 Jan 2013

Abstract of Working Paper 122 An incumbent political party, who cares only about voters’ welfare, faces future political competition from a similarly well-intentioned party whose beliefs about the consequences of a `long-run’ public policy are different from its own. We show that when the incumbent can endogenously influence whether learning occurs (active learning), future political […]



Regime shifts in a social-ecological system

Working paper by Alessandro Tavoni, Steven Lade, Simon Levin, Maja Schlüter on 1 Jan 2013

Ecological regime shifts are rarely purely ecological. Not only is the regime shift frequently triggered by human activity, but the responses of relevant actors to ecological … read more »



Farmer participation in the Equitable Payments for Watershed Services in Morogoro, Tanzania

Working paper by Emmanuel Kwayu, Susannah Mary Sallu, Jouni Paavola on 1 Jan 2013

Abstract of Working Paper 123 This article contributes to the limited empirical evidence on the determinants of landowners’ participation decision in land use-modifying (active agricultural land) Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programmes in developing countries. It examines how resource manager characteristics, the features of a PES program, and the institutional context of its implementation determine […]