In Common

Commoning #1: What makes a good scientist?

This is the first episode of our new series titled ‘Commoning'. Stefan, Michael and Courtney are joined by Michael Schoon (ASU) to discuss the following questions:

What makes a good scientist?

How do we transparently communicate the limitations of our research, without undermining it’s perceived value for our peers, journals and the public?

 

Michael Schoon

https://sustainability.asu.edu/person/michael-schoon/

 

Similar to our Insight series, the ‘Commoning’ series will have its own numbering system for reference.

As we are aiming to expand the type of content we provide on the podcast, the Commoning series will provide informal discussions among our podcast team, and we will be inviting additional guests to join us. Topics for discussion on this series will be wide open. This may include current events, recent topics on research, teaching and practice, reflections on previous interviews, or simply, whatever comes up! We want to provide an episode series that is not focused specifically on a guest, but allows for an open conversation on a wide range of topics.

We are calling this the ‘Commoning’ series, as we believe the term embodies the core values we are trying to put forward with this podcast. Providing a space for open, fun, but also critical conversations for our listeners, to share ideas and knowledge that can contribute to our science community.

Insight #21: Meredith Niles on the importance of open access

Today’s ‘Insight’ episode is from full episode 32, our interview with Meredith Niles.

Meredith is a multidisciplinary scientist working in socio-ecological and food systems. Currently she is an assistant professor in food systems and policy at the University of Vermont in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences.

In the clip, Courtney asks Meredith about her advocacy for open access publishing, why it is important, and resources for those looking for more information. 

Meredith's website: www.meredithtniles.com

Resources on open science:

Sherpa Romeo: http://sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/index.php

SPARC: https://sparcopen.org/

056: Hidden harvests and paper cooperatives with Xavier Basurto

In this episode Michael and Stefan spoke with Xavier Basurto, Associate Professor of Sustainability Science at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. We talked about the development of his career that led him to Duke, and a current project he is co-leading in collaboration with the FAO and WorldFish, a CGIAR research center, known as Illuminating Hidden Harvests. Based on a paper that Xavier recently co-authored, we also talked about  the importance of pre- and post-harvest arrangements in fisheries, as well as the difference between the patron-client model and the cooperative model for resource management.

Xavier dedicated the interview to his two daughters, Sofia and Ghita.

Xavier's website: https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/xavierbasurto/?_ga=2.23995258.11664891.1606752433-415164452.1605284574

Hidden harvests project page: https://www.worldfishcenter.org/hidden-harvests

Xavier's paper that we discuss: 

Basurto, Xavier, Abigail Bennett, Emilie Lindkvist, and Maja Schlüter. 2020. “Governing the Commons beyond Harvesting: An Empirical Illustration from Fishing.” PloS One 15 (4): e0231575. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231575.

Insight #20: Jessica Cockburn on critical realism

This ‘Insight’ episode is from full episode 37, where Michael and Stefan interview Jessica Cockburn.

Jessica is a Lecturer in Environmental Science at Rhodes University in South Africa. Jessica identifies as a "pracademic" who often works with local partners to explore how actors across a variety of contexts interact to address sustainability challenges. Her work is highly collaborative. Among the groups she engages with is the Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS): https://pecs-science.org/.

https://www.ru.ac.za/environmentalscience/staff/staffacademic/jessicacockburn/

In this clip, Jessica’s explains why she draws a critical realism approach, and how that is positioned between positivist and constructivist paradigms.

Jessica's personal website: https://sites.google.com/view/jesscockburn/home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jess_cockburn

Insight #19: Sociology of science with John Parker

This insight episode is taken from episode 46, where Michael spoke with Jon Parker. John is a sociologist of science and a program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) within its division of social and economic sciences.

John’s website and google scholar pages:

http://john-parker-wg6d.squarespace.com/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=euuurksAAAAJ&hl=en

055: Making a difference with Frank van Laerhoven

In this episode we all spoke with Frank van Laerhoven, a professor at Utrecht University and co-editor-in-chief of the International Journal of the Commons, a new partner of the In Common podcast. We talked to Frank about his time working for the Food and Agriculture Organization and his transition to academia. Frank discussed his concerns about both professional arenas and the gap between them. Are we really making a difference, and if not, how does this relate to the incentives that so many commons scholars study and also face? We asked Frank about his leadership of the journal and how some of these concerns can be addressed.

Frank's website: https://www.uu.nl/medewerkers/FSJvanLaerhoven

International Journal of the Commons: https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/

 

 

Information on our transition to the In Common Podcast

Thanks to all our guests and listeners, the Finding Sustainability Podcast has been, in our eyes, a large success. In order to provide a sustainable platform for the podcast going forward and to expand opportunities for new types of content, we will now become an official partner with the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) and the International Journal of the Commons (IJC). The new name our podcast will be In Common.

https://incommonpodcast.org/

https://iasc-commons.org/

https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/

The In Common podcast will explore the connections between humans, their environment and each other through stories told by scholars and practitioners. In-depth interviews and methods webinars explore interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work on commons governance, social-ecological resilience, and sustainability.

The title of the podcast is meant to evoke several ideas related to the sharing of resources. First, it reflects the idea of holding resources “In common” as it relates to actions of “commoning”, a process contrary to commons enclosures that we see around the world. We hope the podcast provides a shared space for open-access conversations that can help build community. Second, it is meant to emphasize the need to see what we have “in common”, in spite of the barriers across the disciplines and perspectives that we must incorporate in order to sustainably manage shared resources.

Following the Finding Sustainability Podcast, In Common will continue to have full episodes of long-form interviews, and Insight episodes containing highlights of these longer episodes. Additionally, the podcast will contain a series of Future Earth’s Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) video webinars describing different methods to analyze human-environment interactions. This series is run by Mike Schoon from Arizona State University. Our Blog, run by Graham Epstein, explores similar content but is not interview based. The blog provides an alternative space for sharing academic ideas, and will utilize online polls and surveys with our listeners and followers to discuss topics.

 

If you are already subscribed to the Finding Sustainability Podcast on your podcast player, you will continue to stay subscribed to the In Common podcast. Video webinars can be viewed on our website or directly on some podcast mobile apps such as Apple Podcasts, Overcast and Pocket Casts.

Insight #18: Joseph Ament on shifting value in the economy towards sustainability

This insight episode is taken from episode 42 where Courtney and Michael talk with Joseph Ament, an ecological economist at the University of Vermont. In the full episode we discuss Joe’s research on money, common money misconceptions, the role of money right now during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this insight episode, we highlight Joe’s thoughts on shifting value towards sustainability in our economy and changing the goal of the monetary system to resiliency. 

 

If you are interested to learn more about Joe’s work, here are a couple recent publications:

Paper by Joe on Ecological Monetary Theory: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/3/923

Article by Joe for Uneven Earth on the monetary system and the Green New Deal: http://unevenearth.org/2020/01/public-money-for-environmental-justice/

Finding Sustainability Podcast

@find_sust_pod

https://twitter.com/find_sust_pod

 

Environmental Social Science Network

https://essnetwork.net/

https://twitter.com/ESS_Network

@ESS_Network

Insight #17: Raul Pacheco-Vega on ethnography and the ethics of care

This insight episode is taken from episode 039, where Michael and I talk with Raul Pacheco-Vega.

Raul is a professor in the Public Administration Division of the Centre for Economic Research and Teaching, CIDE (Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas, CIDE, AC) based out of CIDE Region Centro in Aguascalientes, Mexico. In the full podcast (episode 039) we discussed his work on waste and waste pickers, wastewater, and bottled water as un-traditional commons. We also spoke about the importance of making care work and life support systems visible under the Covid pandemic. In this insight we highlight his thoughts on the value of ethnography as a methodology to understand those issues.

Raul's personal website:

http://www.raulpacheco.org/blog/

https://twitter.com/raulpacheco?lang=en

 

Finding Sustainability Podcast

@find_sust_pod

https://twitter.com/find_sust_pod

Environmental Social Science Network

https://essnetwork.net/

https://twitter.com/ESS_Network

@ESS_Network

054: Transboundary actions with Mike Schoon

In this episode Michael and Stefan spoke with Mike Schoon, an associate professor in Arizona State University's School of Sustainability. They began by discussing Mike's previous career as an engineer and his PhD dissertation work on transboundary parks in Southern Africa, which he conducted while he was a PhD student at Indiana University, where he and Michael met as advisees of Lin Ostrom. They also talked about Mike's work on wildlife management in Arizona and the role he has played in the research communities on the Commons, as the co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of the Commons, and Resilience, where he also plays a significant leadership role.