5th Liphe⁴ Summer School 2008

Please download the leaflet with the announcement and the Program here

5^th Summer School Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecological Metabolism (MuSIASEM) for Participatory Assessment of Sustainability Issues, July 14^th- 18^th, 2008, Institut of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

Organised jointly with ICTA-UAB

 

Purpose of the Summer School

The purpose is to provide an introduction to the theory, the methodological approach and practical applications of MuSIASEM to young researchers, advanced students, experienced practitioners. Several conceptual concepts derived from complex systems thinking: “holons”, “multipurpose grammars”, “sudoku effect”, “multi-level matrices”, “the fund/flow model of analysis for metabolic systems” (proposed by Georgescu-Roegen) will be presented since they are the building blocks of the MuSIASEM approach. Then the school will discuss the possible use of the MuSIASEM approach in the fields of:

♦ Participatory Integrated Assessment - the choice, development and use of integrated packages of indicator across dimensions and scales of analysis when using science for governance;
♦ Social Multicriteria Evaluation - how to handle the unavoidable presence of uncertainty (genuine ignorance) and the existence of legitimate but contrasting perspectives about what should be considered as an “improvement” in a process of decision making;
♦ Spatial Analysis how to deal with the ecological dimension of sustainability by analyzing the interference that the characteristics of societal metabolism entail on the metabolism of natural ecosystems.

The training applies practical, problem-oriented, and policy-relevant research approaches. Participants will be enabled to conduct and inform on sustainability research independently and identify the relevant national sustainability issues as well as to suggest national and regional research strategies to tackle these issues.

Participants

Participants are expected to be able to communicate professionally in both written and spoken English, and to have an interest in learning about innovative approaches and ideas related to sustainable development, integrated assessment, resource use, science for governance. For logistic reasons (formation of working groups), the number of participants will not exceed 40 units. Participation to the classes is free of charge, although we are not able to provide any financial help for accommodation or logistics. We will provide information about possible accommodations but participants will have to take care of practical arrangements on their own. 

How to apply

Applicants have to fill the application form explaining their current interests and projects (1 page) and their CV (1 page). We will make a selection in case the number of application will exceed the limit of 40 participants. Deadline for applications is on the 6th of June. Applications must be sent to: Tarik Serrano through e-mail to: kirate@gmail.com

Selected applicants will be informed on the 10th of June. Reading material will be provided to the participants before the school. Participants are expected to have read the material before attending the sessions.

List of resource persons

♦ Prof. Bruna De Marchi
♦ Prof. Joan Martínez-Alier, ICTA-UAB
♦ Prof. Mario Giampietro, ICTA-UAB
♦ Prof. Silvio Funtowicz, JRC-Ispra
♦ Prof. Roger Strand, SVT-University of Bergen
♦ Dr. Agustí Lobo, CSIC and ICTA-UAB
♦ Dr. Jesús Ramos-Martín, ICTA-UAB
♦ Dr. Gonzalo Gamboa, ICTA-UAB
 

Reading Material

Please find below the reading material for the Summer School. These documents are provided in order to prepare the attendants in the basic theory and concepts regarding the school, so all participants are expected to have read the material before attending the classes. The documents are arranged as follows:

1 Implications of complexity:
* Giampietro, Allen, Mayumi. The epistemological predicament associated with purposive quantitative analysis (Ecological Complexity)
* Giampietro, Mayumi, Munda. Integrated assessment and energy analysis

2. MuSIASEM: Multi-Scale Integrated Assessment of Societal and Ecological Metabolism
* Two deliverables for European projects explaining MuSIASEM, #1 and #2
* China's exosomatic energy metabolism (explanation and real example of MuSIASEM)

3. MultiCriteria Analysis
* Gamboa. Social multi-criteria evaluation of different development scenarios in Chile
* Gamboa, Munda. The problem of windfarm location: A social multi-criteria evaluation framework

Other papers that can be read for the school are the following:

* Giampietro, Mayumi, Ramos 2008. On Multi-purpose Grammars and Impredicative Loop Analysis
* Giampietro, Allen, Mayumi. On Complexity
* Gomiero and Giampietro 2001. On rural MuSIASEM in Viet Nam
* Grünbühel and Schandl 2005. On Land-time budget analysis in Lao PDR
* Pastore et al. 1999. On rural MuSIASEM in Hubei, China
* Munda 2004. On Social Multi-Criteria Evaluation

Photos

Please follow this link to go to the Pics section

School 2007

Please, follow this link to go to the 4th Edition of the Liphe4 Summer School held in Khon Kaen, Thailand, in 2007.

School 2006

Please, follow this link to go to the 3rd Edition of the Liphe4 Summer School held in Sangonera la Verde, Murcia, Spain, in 2006.

School 2005

Please, follow this link to go to the 2nd Edition of the Liphe4 Summer School held in Sangonera la Verde, Murcia, Spain, in 2005.

School 2004

Please, follow this link to go to the 1st Edition of the Liphe4 Summer School held in Deutschlandsberg, Austria, in 2004.