Bruce Currie-Alder | International Development Research Centre (original) (raw)
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Papers by Bruce Currie-Alder
Communications Earth & Environment, 2021
Adaptation to climate change must be ramped up urgently. We propose three avenues to transform am... more Adaptation to climate change must be ramped up urgently. We propose three avenues to transform ambition to action: improve tracking of actions and progress, upscale investment especially in critical areas, and accelerate learning through practice. Ongoing climate impacts are outpacing global mitigation efforts. The reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that extreme events are increasing in frequency, intensity, and duration throughout the world. We have entered a climate beyond the range experienced in human history and we must learn to live in that emerging reality. As a result, adaptation needs to 'increase ambition' in the terminology of the upcoming 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow. Adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects. Regardless of how quickly societies decarbonize, global temperatures are already more than 1°C above the 1850-to-1900 baseline and will continue to rise through mid-century and very likely beyond. 2021 is a year of record-breaking extremes from massive heatwaves and wildfires in the United States and Canada, to deadly floods in China and Germany. In the coming decades, climate change will go on to affect the lives, health, and livelihoods of billions of people. Along with the need to accelerate mitigation, an equally important goal of COP26 is to protect people and nature by increasing ambition for adaptation. We must seize the opportunity for research to
Global Governance and Muslim Organizations
Handbook of Climate Change Management
Regional Environmental Change
Collaborative research requires synergy among diverse partners, overall direction, and flexibilit... more Collaborative research requires synergy among diverse partners, overall direction, and flexibility at multiple levels. There is a need to learn from practical experience in fostering cooperation towards research outcomes, coordinating geographically dispersed teams, and bridging distinct incentives and ways of working. This article reflects on the experience of the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), a multi-consortium programme which sought to build resilience to regional climate change. Participants valued the consortium as a network that provided connections with distinct sources of expertise, as a means to gain experience and skills beyond the remit of their home organisation. Consortia were seen as an avenue for reaching scale both in terms of working across regions, as well as in terms of moving research into practice. CARIAA began with programme-level guidance on climate hotspots and collaboration, alongside consortium-level visions on re...
Water Resources Development and Management
Climate action ahead of 2030 requires ambitious research that is fit for purpose: working across ... more Climate action ahead of 2030 requires ambitious research that is fit for purpose: working across scale, creating synergy among cohorts of projects, and enabling capacity to pursue research uptake. Research needs to bridge local and national levels and provide evidence that informs decisions with decadal implications. To become more than the sum of its constituent activities, research programmes and consortia require learning frameworks and equitable partnership among participating organisations. Beyond scholarships and fellowships for training and independent study, exchanges and embedding in real-world settings practical experiences allow people to gain experience beyond academia in diverse host institutions. Greater emphasis needs to be given to the spectrum extending from research to its application, including co-production and knowledge brokering with local people and decision-makers.
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d'études du développement, 2016
A quick round of introductions revealed that participants held interests related to economic valu... more A quick round of introductions revealed that participants held interests related to economic valuation of water, success factors for water management, unpacking the concept of water governance, and the role of social capital. The majority of participants had experience researching water management in Mexico, so the majority of lessons shared relate to this context. This roundtable discussion was impromptu and exploratory, thus rather than determining an agenda for future actions, it was an opportunity to identify common interests and network participants.
This paper argues that the policy space for “International development” is tearing into separate ... more This paper argues that the policy space for “International development” is tearing into separate dialogues on: responsibility towards poverty hotspots, provision of international public goods, and coordination of domestic social policy.
Recent attention has turned from physical water scarcity per se to focus on a 'crisis of gove... more Recent attention has turned from physical water scarcity per se to focus on a 'crisis of governance', or the factors that endanger the water rights of marginalized people and permit the degradation of freshwater resources. Water governance is seen to emphasis previously ignored aspects of water management including: the political nature of water rights and social values, a systems perspective which views water management as the result of problem solving and interactive learning among multiple stakeholders, and the need for that system to adapt to change over time. In other words, water governance is as much about the art of social change as it is about the science of hydrology. This paper argues that efforts to enhance water governance need to address three complementary dimensions: capacity, negotiation and policy. To illustrate, the paper compares the experiences of two projects supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC): the WaDImena project in the ...
The background papers respond to topics identified by managers and Governors. They identify some ... more The background papers respond to topics identified by managers and Governors. They identify some trends in the larger environment within which IDRC works and provide a perspective on current practice at IDRC. They are intended as 'food for thought' in preparing the next IDRC strategy. This paper challenges the reader to reflect on what kind of organization IDRC wants to be. It seeks to stimulate thinking on how to ensure the identity and viability of IDRC in a changing landscape. The first section describes IDRC's approach, or business model, including its philosophy, critical assumptions, and organization. It also describes recent changes such as growth in revenue, more and larger partnerships with other research funders, and greater use of competitive calls for proposals and grants for institutional support. The second section looks at the changing landscape of development research. A generation ago, IDRC was a pioneer in the field of research-for-development, yet ther...
Communications Earth & Environment, 2021
Adaptation to climate change must be ramped up urgently. We propose three avenues to transform am... more Adaptation to climate change must be ramped up urgently. We propose three avenues to transform ambition to action: improve tracking of actions and progress, upscale investment especially in critical areas, and accelerate learning through practice. Ongoing climate impacts are outpacing global mitigation efforts. The reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that extreme events are increasing in frequency, intensity, and duration throughout the world. We have entered a climate beyond the range experienced in human history and we must learn to live in that emerging reality. As a result, adaptation needs to 'increase ambition' in the terminology of the upcoming 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow. Adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects. Regardless of how quickly societies decarbonize, global temperatures are already more than 1°C above the 1850-to-1900 baseline and will continue to rise through mid-century and very likely beyond. 2021 is a year of record-breaking extremes from massive heatwaves and wildfires in the United States and Canada, to deadly floods in China and Germany. In the coming decades, climate change will go on to affect the lives, health, and livelihoods of billions of people. Along with the need to accelerate mitigation, an equally important goal of COP26 is to protect people and nature by increasing ambition for adaptation. We must seize the opportunity for research to
Global Governance and Muslim Organizations
Handbook of Climate Change Management
Regional Environmental Change
Collaborative research requires synergy among diverse partners, overall direction, and flexibilit... more Collaborative research requires synergy among diverse partners, overall direction, and flexibility at multiple levels. There is a need to learn from practical experience in fostering cooperation towards research outcomes, coordinating geographically dispersed teams, and bridging distinct incentives and ways of working. This article reflects on the experience of the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), a multi-consortium programme which sought to build resilience to regional climate change. Participants valued the consortium as a network that provided connections with distinct sources of expertise, as a means to gain experience and skills beyond the remit of their home organisation. Consortia were seen as an avenue for reaching scale both in terms of working across regions, as well as in terms of moving research into practice. CARIAA began with programme-level guidance on climate hotspots and collaboration, alongside consortium-level visions on re...
Water Resources Development and Management
Climate action ahead of 2030 requires ambitious research that is fit for purpose: working across ... more Climate action ahead of 2030 requires ambitious research that is fit for purpose: working across scale, creating synergy among cohorts of projects, and enabling capacity to pursue research uptake. Research needs to bridge local and national levels and provide evidence that informs decisions with decadal implications. To become more than the sum of its constituent activities, research programmes and consortia require learning frameworks and equitable partnership among participating organisations. Beyond scholarships and fellowships for training and independent study, exchanges and embedding in real-world settings practical experiences allow people to gain experience beyond academia in diverse host institutions. Greater emphasis needs to be given to the spectrum extending from research to its application, including co-production and knowledge brokering with local people and decision-makers.
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Public Funding from Australia, Canada, and the UK, 2015
Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d'études du développement, 2016
A quick round of introductions revealed that participants held interests related to economic valu... more A quick round of introductions revealed that participants held interests related to economic valuation of water, success factors for water management, unpacking the concept of water governance, and the role of social capital. The majority of participants had experience researching water management in Mexico, so the majority of lessons shared relate to this context. This roundtable discussion was impromptu and exploratory, thus rather than determining an agenda for future actions, it was an opportunity to identify common interests and network participants.
This paper argues that the policy space for “International development” is tearing into separate ... more This paper argues that the policy space for “International development” is tearing into separate dialogues on: responsibility towards poverty hotspots, provision of international public goods, and coordination of domestic social policy.
Recent attention has turned from physical water scarcity per se to focus on a 'crisis of gove... more Recent attention has turned from physical water scarcity per se to focus on a 'crisis of governance', or the factors that endanger the water rights of marginalized people and permit the degradation of freshwater resources. Water governance is seen to emphasis previously ignored aspects of water management including: the political nature of water rights and social values, a systems perspective which views water management as the result of problem solving and interactive learning among multiple stakeholders, and the need for that system to adapt to change over time. In other words, water governance is as much about the art of social change as it is about the science of hydrology. This paper argues that efforts to enhance water governance need to address three complementary dimensions: capacity, negotiation and policy. To illustrate, the paper compares the experiences of two projects supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC): the WaDImena project in the ...
The background papers respond to topics identified by managers and Governors. They identify some ... more The background papers respond to topics identified by managers and Governors. They identify some trends in the larger environment within which IDRC works and provide a perspective on current practice at IDRC. They are intended as 'food for thought' in preparing the next IDRC strategy. This paper challenges the reader to reflect on what kind of organization IDRC wants to be. It seeks to stimulate thinking on how to ensure the identity and viability of IDRC in a changing landscape. The first section describes IDRC's approach, or business model, including its philosophy, critical assumptions, and organization. It also describes recent changes such as growth in revenue, more and larger partnerships with other research funders, and greater use of competitive calls for proposals and grants for institutional support. The second section looks at the changing landscape of development research. A generation ago, IDRC was a pioneer in the field of research-for-development, yet ther...