WASS Research Day "Knowledge in Society: Contestation, Boundaries and Bridges"

Through some combination of participating in a WASS Talents and Topics course and in the WASS Research and Assessment Committee, I got involved in organizing this WASS Research Day. WASS stands for Wageningen School of Social Sciences, by the way, and the Research Day addresses one of the four research themes of the school. I'm very happy that both Mike Hulme and Marjolein van Asselt were willing to give a talk at the Research Day, and I'm looking forward to the abstracts and presentations. The call is still open, until October 15th - I copied the announcement below.

WASS Research Day "Knowledge in Society: Contestation, Boundaries and Bridges"

1 Nov 2011, 9:00 - 16:00, Wageningen

While it is agreed that the world is facing important challenges, there are strong disagreements in society on how these can or must be tackled. Interdependent actors tend to frame problems and underlying causes differently and hence pursue different solutions and strategies to realize these. In addition, different stakeholders have different views on the risks associated with developments in science and society. At the same time the capacity of scientists to offer authoritative interpretations of reality seems to be diminishing. Yet, for developing and realizing innovative solutions to societal challenges it is imperative to accommodate and integrate diverging understandings. This theme studies how and why different perspectives of reality emerge, how science and other forms of expertise interact, and which prospects exists for dealing with diverging understandings in a productive manner.

"Climate change: knowledge, risk and governance"

Mike Hulme
Professor of Climate Change
University of East Anglia



For the mini-conference we invite contributions on the topic "Climate change: knowledge, risk and governance" or on the broader WASS research theme "Knowledge in Society: Contestation, Boundaries and Bridges". This is an excellent opportunity to meet internationally renowned scholars on the topic and to exchange and discuss your work in the WASS community.

If you want to present your work on the WASS Research Day "Knowledge in Society", please send a 300 word abstract to wass@wur.nl by October 15. Based on the submissions different thematic sessions will be organized.

The Research Day is an initiative of WASS Research and Assessment Committee, and is organized by the WASS Office together with Art Dewulf (PAP), Esther Turnhout (FNP) and Severine van Bommel (COM).

Irony is good for you

Lots of funny research cartoons at www.phdcomics.com

Framing Matters

Peter Lang has recently published a book on "Framing Matters. Perspectives on Negotiation Research and Practice", edited by Bill Donohue, Randall Rogan and Sanda Kaufman.

Together with Barbara Gray, Linda Putnam and René Bouwen, I contributed the first chapter entitled "An interactional approach to framing in conflict and negotiation" (click here to download).

The book relies on the framing metaphor that is commonly used in negotiation and communication research to characterize how individuals place interpretive and linguistic boundaries around phenomena, objects, or events. This book develops this construct, exploring its potential to provide research insights, and illustrating new strategies for further development. Divided into three sections, the book first captures the breadth of the theoretical framing construct, then focuses on the many ways in which the construct has been researched and applied. The final section reflects on the construct's potential, and its value in understanding negotiation.

An inspiring group of contributors - all experts in framing theory and conflict/negotiation management - outline how the framing construct is viewed theoretically by research scholars, and in the field by conflict resolution practitioners. These are the chapters:

William Donohue/Randall Rogan/Sanda Kaufman: Introduction

Art Dewulf/Barbara Gray/Linda Putnam/René Bouwen: An Interactional Approach to Framing in Conflict and Negotiation

William A. Donohue: An Interactionist Approach to Frames

Mara Olekalns/Philip L. Smith: Mindsets: Sensemaking and Transition in Negotiation

Petru L. Curseu: Framing Effects in Small-Group and Intergroup Negotiation: A Cognitive Perspective

Laurence de Carlo: Proposing a Debate on the Concept of Frames in Negotiation Enlightened by Psychoanalytical Insights

Roy J. Lewicki/Chad T. Brinsfield: Framing Trust: Trust as a Heuristic

Michael H.G. Hoffmann: Analyzing Framing Processes in Conflicts and Communication by Means of Logical Argument Mapping

Sanda Kaufman/Deborah Shmueli: Framing in Public Decision Interactions: Transferring Theory to Practice

Séverine van Bommel/Noelle Aarts: Framing Nature Conservation Experts and Expertise in the Drentsche Aa Area in the Netherlands: A Contextual Approach

Randall G. Rogan: «Death to America»: A Frame Analysis of Osama bin Laden's Declarations of War against the United States

Noelle Aarts/Maartje van Lieshout/Cees van Woerkum: Competing Claims in Public Space: The Construction of Frames in Different Relational Contexts

Daniel Druckman/James N. Druckman: The Many Faces of Framing in Negotiation

Peter J. Carnevale: Dynamics of Frame Change: The Remarkable Lightness of Frames, and Sticky Frames.

Special Issue on the governance of climate adaptation in Climate Law

In a special issue of the journal Climate Law 'Adaptation in Delta Regions' five scientific papers were published. These publications are a direct result of the Deltas in Times of Climate Change conference, held in Rotterdam in 2010, and the research of the Governance theme of the Knowledge for Climate programme.

The introduction and the five papers (click here to download them) in this special issue focus particularly on the governance of adaptation as a state-led activity at national, regional, and local levels. They all show how these state-led initiatives are surrounded (supported or hindered) by networks of public and private actors. The papers illustrate the richness of activity in state institutions at different scales, and they emphasize the importance of learning and of handling risk and uncertainty in climate change adaptation. The papers all reflect the most current theories on governance.

• Elizabeth Wilson and Catrien Termeer, Governance of climate change adaptation: Introduction to the Special Issue of Climate Law
• Catrien Termeer, Art Dewulf, Helena van Rijswick, Arwin van Buuren, Dave Huitema, Sander Meijerink, Tim Rayner and Mark Wiering, The regional governance of climate adaptation: A framework for developing legitimate, effective, and resilient governance arrangements
• Robbert Biesbroek, Judith Klostermann, Catrien Termeer and Pavel Kabat, Barriers to climate change adaptation in the Netherlands
• Tineke Ruijgh-van der Ploeg, Manifestations of adaptive capacity: An institutional analysis of adaptation of a local stormwater drainage system
• Stefania Munaretto and Judith E. M. Klostermann, Assessing adaptive capacity of institutions to climate change: A comparative case study of the Dutch Wadden Sea and the Venice Lagoon
• Heleen-Lydeke P. Mees and Peter P. J. Driessen, Adaptation to climate change in urban areas: Climate-greening London, Rotterdam, and Toronto

Call for papers: "The Governance of Adaptation to Climate Change. An international symposium"

In March 2012 a two day conference will be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on “The governance of adaptation”, organized by our Knowledge for Climate consortium on Governance of Adaptation . Topics to be discussed include: the framing of adaptation problems and goals, modes of governance and available instruments, agency and leadership in adaptation governance, science-policy interaction and adaptation. You are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 250 words on relevant issues before the 15^th of October 2011. We seek to bring together around 50 scholars, who will be selected after a review of abstract to be submitted to governanceofadaptation@ivm.vu.nl. A contribution to travel costs is available for all participants with an approved abstract. Presenters from within Europe will receive 150 Euros, travelers from outside Europe 500 Euros.