Center for Governance and Sustainability
JOHN W. McCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF POLICY AND GLOBAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON
The Center for Governance and Sustainability seeks to be an agent of change for better governance across scales and geographies. We engage in scholarship on real-world policy challenges related to the environment, development, and sustainability. We serve as an information hub, rigorous analyst, and an honest broker. About the Center Launched in 2011 at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the Center for Governance and Sustainability undertakes rigorous and applied scholarship on real-world policy challenges. We work to ensure that environment and development are perceived as interrelated foundations for the well-being of current and future generations. We engage students and scholars in producing knowledge and are committed to becoming a leading global authority and convening body that brings academic expertise into the policy world in order to improve responses to global challenges. Projects and Publications Our research is always aimed at advancing knowledge and generating platforms that are immediately useful for policymakers. Included here are select examples of our research projects and publications. Africa Initiative: Teaching, Research, and Training: In collaboration with the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre and Network at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, the Center is developing a suite of resources, including an Environmental Diplomacy course for Ethiopian policymakers; joint programs on environmental conflict prevention and resolution that are conducted both online and in person; and facilitated scholar and student exchanges. The themes for this work include environmental and climatechange policy, conflict prevention and resolution, empowerment of women, and performance assessment of government and international organizations. Coasts and Communities: Natural and Human Systems in Urbanizing Environments: A UMass Boston collaborative initiative funded by a $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship) program, this project supports PhD students across four programs at UMass Boston to explore, study, and address environmental challenges in Massachusetts Bay and in countries in the Horn of Africa. Robyn Hannigan, Dean of the School for the Environment, and Maria Ivanova serve as co-PIs. Key partners include Addis Ababa University, University of Nairobi, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Environmental Conventions Initiative: Aimed at addressing gaps between international commitments and the national level of implementation, this project assesses 10 global environmental conventions. Its work will include development of an Environmental Conventions Index, training modules for government officials and stakeholders (particularly in developing countries), and a set of peer-reviewed publications. Science-Policy Interface: Launched to support the Scientific Advisory Board of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, this initiative engages scientists and policymakers from around the world in identifying and analyzing models for science-policy interface at the local, national, and global levels. Through this work, the Center seeks to foster a growing global community of policy-engaged scholars collaborating on the most pressing problems of environment, development, and social justice.
People our team hails from around the world
Projects
Partners
our work is both local and global
our collaborators span sectors and continents
People Projects Partners
Governance and Sustainability Issue Brief Series: Created as resource for policymakers and diplomats, the issue briefs offer academically rigorous, timely, and practical information on critical global governance topics. They are peer reviewed and widely distributed. Honest Dialogues: Comprising interviews with notable global governance leaders, the Honest Dialogues series offers deep and personal insights into their professional and personal choices and experiences. People and Partners Led by professors Maria Ivanova and Craig Murphy, the Center operates through dynamic collaborations with individuals and organizations around the world. A network of fellows from academia and the policy world enhances the Center’s intellectual capital. A group of advisors and student research associates supports the analytical and operational work. The Center’s team comes from 13 universities in 26 countries on five continents, including 30 student research associates from 8 universities 16 faculty members from 6 universities 21 advisors and fellows from 14 countries The Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre and Network at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia is a signature partner for our work on environmental governance.
Roger Farrington for UMass Boston
Co-directors Maria Ivanova and Craig Murphy with Christiana Figueres (center), Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Maria Ivanova works on global environmental governance, US environmental policy, financing for environment, and the performance of international environmental institutions. Her academic work has been recognized for bringing analytical rigor and innovative input to the international negotiations on reforming the UN system for environment. In 2013, she was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Craig Murphy studies the global politics of economic development, global governance, international political economy, and emerging powers. Former chair of the Academic Council on the UN System (2002–2004), he is actively involved with the effort to reform the work of the United Nations throughout the developing world. In 2013, he received the International Political Economy Distinguished Senior Scholar Award from the International Studies Association.
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Center for Governance and Sustainability