Tip of the Week! Promoting Discussion

Recently, I've come across several initiatives that aim to promote discussion of particular issues among academics, policymakers and practitioners by cross-linking different fora.  Here are a few examples:

Topic: The Globalization of High Seas Interdiction - Sale’s Legacy and Beyond (Opinio Juris) [access]
- "This past week, a group of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers gathered at Yale Law School to discuss the rise of maritime migrant interdiction as a border-policing paradigm of global significance. Thanks to the generosity of the editors at Opinio Juris, this online symposium will make those discussions available to a wider audience."

Topic: Humanitarian Action and Protection: Lessons from Sri Lanka (International Development Policy Journal) [access]
- "This policy debate section presents an initial discussion paper written either by a scholar or a policy-maker, followed by critical reactions from academics, reflective practitioners and other stakeholders in a constructive spirit. This debate can be pursued on the eJournal’s blog... ."

Topic: Introducing Myanmar in Transition? A Displacement Perspective (openDemocracy) [access]
- "Dr Kirsten McConnachie introduces a series of articles for openDemocracy which anticipate some of the key debates that will be under discussion at the Refugee Voices conference."

Resource: RRN Discussions (Refugee Research Network) [access]
- "Over the next few months, we will be holding a series of online discussions that address issues raised during various events (conferences, workshops, symposia) in a more in depth way than is traditionally available through the time constraints of a panel format and Q&A’s." Two currently planned discussions are: 1) Gender, Security and Access to Education in the Dadaab Refugee Camps, 26 March-9 April 2014; and 2) What Are the Implications of Human Rights for Our Understandings of Refugee Law?, 23 April-7 May 2014.

Resource: Urban Refugees Debate Forum (Urban-Refugees.org) [access]
- This Forum "offers an online space for discussion and interaction between practitioners, researchers, urban refugees and IDPs themselves, as well as the public at large. Our intention is to bring together diverse contributors and commentators to ensure a rich and forward looking debate." Contributors write articles and solicit feedback from users of the Forum. The most current contribution focuses on urban displacement in Libya.

Tagged Tips.