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Globalisation conference:

Interdisciplinary approach to globalisation essential

The need for more interdisciplinary research was a key topic at the Research Council's large-scale globalisation conference at the beginning of June. The conference marked the end of the start of a debate about how globalisation challenges will affect the Norwegian research agenda.

"The Research Council will do its part in ensuring that Norwegian research keeps our country well-equipped to meet the challenges of globalisation," assured Director General of the Research Council Arvid Hallén in his opening speech.

Three approaches to globalisation

Minister of Research and Higher Education Tora Aasland presented the three new approaches to globalisation set out in the new white paper on research: "Firstly, global challenges must be a separate research topic. Secondly, we must strive to incorporate a global perspective in all research activities, and thirdly we must take our share of the responsibility for internationalising and globalising research efforts." She mentioned the cooperation agreement between Norway and China as a good example of such internationalisation.

Out of the academic bunkers!

Globe and hands The breadth of globalisation research was illustrated by the many academic contributions at the conference. Richard Higgott, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of International Political Economy at the University of Warwick, UK, discussed the driving forces behind globalisation and its development. His message was that globalisation has to a large extent been driven by economics, at a time when political structures have been lacking.

Higgott was also concerned with how the research community can play a part in meeting the knowledge needs that arise as a result of globalisation.

"We have to come out of our academic bunkers and talk to each other more," he urged. He also stressed the importance of maintaining a good balance between monodisciplinary and interdisciplinary research. "This is a challenge that the research councils in particular must take on board," he stated, clearly addressing the Research Council of Norway.

Dangerous climate colonialism

Biofuel (Photo: Shutterstock) Professor Ian Bryceson from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences introduced the term climate colonialism in his discussion of biofuels and the use of land area in developing countries. "Land areas in poor developing countries can be extremely attractive for the production of biofuels. There is significant concern that these areas are now being increasingly taken over by foreign investors," said Bryceson.

"The result is a kind of climate colonialism in which rich countries buy themselves out of climate problems by producing biofuels in African countries, for instance. This dramatically reduces the inhabitants' access to arable land and other important resources in their own countries - countries that have significantly lower CO2 emissions than we have," Bryceson argued.

Socially responsible and sustainable industrial investment

Map Executive Vice President Hilde M. Tonne of Telenor, a Norwegian provider of telecommunication services with a strong international presence, described the role of trade and industry in the development of poor countries and quoted former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan's comment that it is impossible to promote development in a globalised world without the involvement of trade and industry. Tonne underlined the importance of investing in developing countries in a sustainable manner and the need for foreign investors to be aware of their social responsibilities in all their activities.

"When Telenor starts up operations in a new country we become involved in the development of that country. We invest in infrastructure, introduce new technology and create new jobs," Tonne explained, illustrating how foreign business investment can yield positive results for the host country.

Poor countries hit hardest by the crisis

Professor Erik Reinert of the Tallinn University of Technology is one of a number of international economists who had long predicted that an economic crisis would arise due to the increasing mismatch between the financial sector and the production sector. "The huge growth of the financial sector in recent years has not been based on increased production of goods and services," he stated.

According to Reinert, the crisis will hit poor countries much harder than countries such as Norway. "As a result the world will have to expect widespread social unrest and increasing migration in the time to come," he asserted.

The world needs new heroes

That the world needs new heroes was the main message of Professor Nina Witoszek of the University of Oslo. "Inspired amongst other things by the American dream, people all over the world have got the idea that nothing is impossible, anyone can achieve whatever they want. This is hard to reconcile with the need for sustainability and reduced consumption. Now we have to develop a new global myth that can introduce a new type of hero and encourage social codes that promote ecological action," she said.

Research Council staking out the course

Jesper Simonsen Jesper Simonsen, Director of the Research Council's Department for Global Issues, summed up the challenges thus: "It is clear to us that the globalisation perspective must be incorporated into all types of research, and that globalisation processes themselves represent an area that requires research in its own right." He also emphasised the need for increased international cooperation, not only between researchers, but between research programmes, research councils and ministries across national boundaries, and pointed out that much of this cooperation must deal with global topics that are common to all countries involved.

Anne Kjersti Fahlvik Anne Kjersti Fahlvik, Executive Director of the Division for Strategic Priorities, stated in her concluding speech that the Research Council's current programmes and initiatives have an academic approach that in all likelihood is too narrow to be able to meet the challenges posed by new global issues. "This conference has provided excellent input that will be crucial to our further efforts to adapt our funding instruments," she concluded.