Skip to navigation Skip to content

Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences Blog

Subscribe to our blog postings by entering your email address:


“There are moments in life where the question of knowing whether one might think otherwise than one thinks and perceive otherwise than one sees is indispensable if one is to continue to observe or reflect ...” Michel Foucault

Anyone can contribute to the blog. We welcome pieces on all things related to the social, economic and geographical sciences. Please visit our main SEGS Group site for more information about us.

“It was like the Titanic”-Some thoughts on the social amplification of risk

Author: Dominic Duckett

Certain risk events attract a lot of media coverage and this can have knock-on effects. Recent prime time TV coverage of the stricken cruise ship Viking Sky, battered by heavy seas with rescue helicopters circling...

Wednesday, 22nd May, 2019 by Dominic Duckett.
Read more
Share this

Reflecting on participation in the Citizens’ Jury at the Scottish Parliament & the idea of expertise

Author: Kirsty Blackstock

Last month I had the privilege of contributing to The Scottish Parliament’s inaugural Citizens’ Jury held 29-31st March 2019, in the heart of our Parliament Building. Twenty-two citizens, randomly...

Thursday, 25th April, 2019 by Kirsty Blackstock.
Read more
Share this

Well, can you do excellent science without flying?

Author: Gary Polhill

Joshua Msika, the James Hutton Institute’s sustainability coordinator, posed the above question of those passing through to the canteen one lunchtime during climate week. He got a mix of yes/no answers and...

Wednesday, 30th January, 2019 by Gary Polhill.
Read more
Share this

Big data, small places: building a better evidence base

Author: Ruth Wilson

Analysis of big data is telling us more and more about the world, from the state of our health and the environment to global population trends. It also has potential to generate important insights about small places...

Friday, 11th January, 2019 by Ruth Wilson.
Read more
Share this

Climate Activism in Academia

Author: Scott Herrett

During a recent seminar at the James Hutton Institute, Howard Frumkin - the head of the Wellcome Trust’s ‘Our Planet, Our Health’ initiative - caught my attention when he spoke of the ‘fierce...

Sunday, 2nd December, 2018 by Scott Herrett.
Read more
Share this

Too much of a good thing for Aberdeen? Lessons from an agent-based model of commuting.

Author: Jiaqi Ge

Imagine a new policy that allows you to work anywhere at any of the workplaces in your region. Where do you choose to work? Now, think about everyone else who has the same right to work where they choose. Will you...

Thursday, 19th July, 2018 by Jiaqi Ge.
Read more
Share this

Managing babies – lessons for managing the environment?

Author: Kerry Waylen

I’ve just returned to my research on environmental governance after half a year of maternity leave. Whilst I was away I started to see parallels between my trying to care for a baby, and the challenges of...

Wednesday, 23rd May, 2018 by Kerry Waylen.
Read more
Share this

How will Brexit affect UK agricultural land values (and why does it matter)?

Author: Deb Roberts

The value of agricultural land is critical not just for those intending to buy or sell farmland but to all those involved in the agricultural sector and others holding land as an investment asset. It is therefore...

Thursday, 8th February, 2018 by Deb Roberts.
Read more
Share this

Coordinating policy instruments that influence biodiversity, soil, and water in Scotland: rationales, needs and challenges

Author: Kirsty Blackstock

Image: Fife, Laure Kufuss ‘Doing well, but could do better’ is one way to summarise one of the main messages coming out of an ESCom (Ecosystem Service Community) workshop looking at the coordinated...

Thursday, 16th November, 2017 by Kirsty Blackstock.
Read more
Share this

Cows eat grass, don’t they?

Author: Orla Shortall

As a society we may be losing touch with how our food is produced, but one thing we all know is that milk comes from cows and cows eat grass. But is this the case anymore? And does it matter if this is changing?...

Wednesday, 20th September, 2017 by Orla Shortall.
Read more
Share this

Research


Printed from /blogs/segs on 25/05/19 10:32:25 AM

The James Hutton Research Institute is the result of the merger in April 2011 of MLURI and SCRI. This merger formed a new powerhouse for research into food, land use, and climate change.