Politics, Development and Environment
Development, politics and the environment are terms that represent the area of the discipline where most of the research focuses on the global South.
Photo: Chrissy Olson (Some rights reserved)
Development
In development geography one works with processes of social change in the south. The most important themes are the geographies of labour and poverty. Working conditions and workers' rights in China and elsewhere form the core of the former. In the latter, research focuses on the reasons for why people fall into poverty when moving to large cities, and the problems of production for peasants and standards of living in countries such as Ghana and Cameroon.
Politics
Political geography analyses discursive representations, political participation and democratic processes.
Political geography at ISS researches into:
- power, conflict and democracy in South-East Asia
- critical journalism and media discourse in China
- popular mobilisation and participation in local government in southern Africa.
The general theme in most of the projects is popular participation and representation in political processes concerning daily life and standards of living
Environment
Environmental geography studies people's security, quality of life and vulnerability in the face of global environmental problems, especially climate change. Social consequences of climate changes form the core of our research in this field. This includes how society adapts both socially and technologically in order to contribute to a sustainable future in different regions of the world.
Research Projects
- Critical Journalism in China
- Industrial relations under global stress (The Hotel Project)
- PLAN - Klimatilpasning i Norge
- Conflict resolution and democratisation in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami (completed)
- GECHS - Global Environmental Change and Human Security (completed)