UCD School of Politics & International Relations

Follow

There is an increasing awareness that the research undertaken in Universities does not easily find its way into policy making.  One reason given is that Science is targeting Web of Science publications and citations run by private publishing houses.  Science is not written or even meant for policy makers. Yet, funders and Universities are under increasing pressure to show that their research has an impact on the economy, society and the environment in and outside of the EU.  Academics note that Parliamentarians seem to be more interested in taking advice from consultants and political advisors on issues of the day, dictated by short term political cycles, rather than addressing medium and long term challenges that people and planet are facing. Bureaucratic sides of governments seem to have lost interest in academic inputs in policy agenda setting and implementation but this varies by country.

In a world hit by global financial crisis, disease, conflict over natural resources, migration and climate change, medium to long term planning needs to be more centre stage.  Science, Technology and Innovation are the instruments of the much needed transformative change.  The recent UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda is very clear that we need a Science Policy Interface to be central to the implementation and monitoring and review of the SD Agenda. The High Level Political Forum will bring UN Major Groups and Political Leaders together to guide the Agenda and it will need Science to guide the process.

With a similar vision in mind the ‘MEP-Scientist Pairing Scheme’ organised by the Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Panel of the European Parliament (EP) want dialogues to take place directly between Scientists and the MEPs.

We are in the fourth round of STOA’s ‘MEP-Scientist Pairing Scheme’, which aims to promote a culture of science-based policy-making in the European Parliament by helping create lasting links between scientists and MEPs. The project raises awareness of politically relevant, cutting-edge scientific issues by creating a structured dialogue between scientists and policy-makers in the European Parliament.

There is an annual call for Scientists to be considered for the register.  The MEPs then select a Scientist. During 2016 thirty three pairs of MEPs and Scientists have been established. The list is published on the STOA website

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/

Professor Patrick Paul Walsh, University College Dublin, Political Science,   in the area of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Interface, with a special focus on the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, has been paired with Julie Girling  (European Conservatives and Reformists Group, UK),

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96956/JULIE_GIRLING_home.html

During the structured program the paired scientists will have an opportunity of getting acquainted with the workings of the European Parliament’s committees and research services. They will shadow their MEP counterparts in their daily activities.  The scientists will to present their research activities to their MEP counterparts and plan an outgoing Science Policy dialogue.

This structured MEP-Scientist Pairing is likely to create a formal space in the European Parliament where Science Policy Interfaces can to make important contributions to European Policy Making.

Follow

Applications are invited for a permanent appointment(s) as Lecturer in the UCD School of Politics and International Relations. Appointments will be offered across any subfields or methodological approaches in politics or international relations.

The person(s) appointed will be expected to contribute significantly to research and teaching in their own area of specialisation within politics or international relations. The ability to teach in additional sub-fields is desirable. The principal motivation for these posts is to expand and deepen the School’s research profile, to strengthen undergraduate teaching, to contribute to further expansion in graduate education (taught and research), to build additional international research networks and to contribute to a vibrant, collegial and ambitious group of scholars.

The successful candidate(s) will be offered a permanent academic post and be eligible for Tenure. Note: Lecturers in UCD must have successfully completed a (1 year) probation and (up to 3 years) induction period to be eligible to apply for the award of tenure.

Note: It is envisaged interviews will take place in week commencing Monday 14th December 2015. The appointed Lecturer(s) will commence in post on 1 September 2016; but earlier start dates will be considered. Furthermore: Applicants should NOT include any writing samples when submitting their application.

2013 Lecturer (above the bar)_2010 Salary Scale: €50,807 – €76,936 per annum.
Appointment will be made on scale and in accordance with the Department of Finance guidelines

Closing date: 17:00hrs (GMT) on Monday 16th November 2015

Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time of 17:00hrs on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system. UCD do not accept late applications. NO writing samples should be submitted with applications.

Apply here: https://www.ucd.ie/hr/jobvacancies/

Follow

Dr. Vincent Durac, of SPIRe has just published a new book entitled Politics and Governance in the Middle East (co-authored with Francesco Cavatorta of Laval University). Below is a description of the book, which can be purchased here.

The wave of protests and civil unrest that began in 2011 across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) was a watershed moment in the politics of the region. Known as the ‘Arab Awakening’, or ‘Arab Spring’, its impact on the region and on wider international affairs has changed perceptions of the Middle East and resulted in similar revolts elsewhere.

In this wide-ranging and accessible text, the authors examine the key aspects of governance in the MENA, and locate the recent uprisings in their broader historical, social and political context. Taking a thematic approach that engages with core theory as well as the authors’ own extensive research, the text assesses various issues, including the impact of oil on both domestic politics and international relations, the vexed relationship between religion and politics, the development of ‘security states’, and the role of women in society.

The analysis moves beyond the characterization of the Middle East as either in the midst of a democratic transition or as a persistently authoritarian region to show how both perspectives should work together to enhance our understanding. Expertly
navigating from the everyday politics of life in the Middle East to the influence and responses of global actors with vested interests, this text provides a nuanced and comprehensive account of this diverse region.

Follow

New research on social movement from SPIRe just published in a special issue of Democratization (Vol. 22, Issue 2, 2015) from SPIRe’s Dr. Vincent Durac.

Abstract: This article explores the utility of social movement theory, reviewing conceptual developments and its application to Middle East cases before examining its relevance to the Arab uprisings. The initial youth-led new social movements were non-ideological, leaderless, and lacking in clear organizational structures. As the protest movements spread, they grew to encompass a diverse array of other movements and actors: The breadth and diversity of these coalitions made the successful achievement of their core demands for regime change possible. However, the persistence of ideological cleavages within them made agreement on the post-regime change political order near impossible.

The full paper can be found here.

Follow

SPIRe’s Dr. Iseult Honohan has just had an edited volume published in collaboration with Dr. Nathalie Rougier in the Manchester University Press. Details about the project are below and the book can be purchased here.

This book examines the treatment of cultural and religious diversity – indigenous and immigrant – on both sides of the Irish border in order to analyse the current state of tolerance and to consider the kinds of policies that may support integration while respecting diversity. The first two sections focus on the spheres of education, civic life and politics, including chapters on specific groups (e.g. travellers and immigrants), as well as on the communal divisions in Northern Ireland. Later chapters reflect on the Irish experience of diversity, and consider what may be the most appropriate approaches and discourses to deal with diversity, whether these involve tolerance, recognition or transformative reconciliation.