Knowledge Technology and Society
The Knowledge, Technology and Society Team puts forward the premise that science and technology offer crucial ways to reduce poverty and increase social justice by improving agricultural livelihoods, tackling ill-health and sustaining the environment.
The team therefore works to understand and influence the institutions and power-knowledge relationships that link technology, ecology and society; while simultaneously seeking to connect global debate with local realities through interdisciplinary research, networks and partnerships, teaching and training.
Such an approach is necessary because, although scientific advances promise tangible solutions for poverty and ill-health, many people remain excluded from the benefits of basic technology. In addition, although knowledge is crucial for linking rapid health, agricultural and environmental change to poverty reduction and social justice, global policy solutions often emphasise universalised and standardised forms of knowledge which fail to recognise dynamic local realities.
Although technology is made accessible, this often occurs through institutions which understand and use knowledge in particular ways, often highlighting the abstracted, neutral nature of science, rather than exploring how technology, science or knowledge might work in local contexts. Because these processes are responded to differently by people in local contexts, they frequently result in policy collapse, consternation, and social injustice.
In the world we live in, rapid innovation in science and technology occurs alongside dynamic social and ecological changes, creating optimism and new opportunities for health, agriculture and environmental development alongside new threats, risks and uncertainties. The KNOTS team believes that an interdisciplinary approach to science and technology – which takes seriously both science and society – is thus critical. Our approach focuses on four core programme areas, Agriculture, Health, Water and Sanitation, and Environment, looking specifically at how to promote poverty reduction and social justice in these areas. Each programme has developed its own distinct research agenda, but collectively KNOTS researchers explore the following six core analytical themes:
- Knowledge, Power and Policy
- Risk, Uncertainties and Dynamics
- Governance and Regulation
- Access, Rights and Citizenship
- Livelihoods and Security
- Critical Engagements – Research, Communications and Influence
Working across the Agriculture, Environment, Water and Sanitation, and Health programmes – which are often treated as distinct and separate sectors in development – enables us to generate comparisons and cross-learning through debate and joint projects. The STEPS Centre provides an intellectual umbrella for significant portions of KNOTS work and facilitates the intellectual process of ‘adding up’ across these programme areas.
Disciplinary Diversity
In order to achieve our aims and to situate scientific and technological knowledge in relation to indigenous, local, bodily or other kinds of knowledge, the KNOTS team encourages disciplinary diversity and is made up of specialists with anthropological, sociological, geographic, economic, ecological and medical expertise.
The team also experiments with and uses distinctive research methodologies involving detailed local fieldwork and collaborative partnerships in order to enhance our understanding of dynamic social and ecological changes. The team’s work focuses on development contexts in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Nonetheless, we also research issues and track debates in European contexts, not only because these have significant bearing on development policy but also because of the importance of North-South connections in today’s globalised world.
Key contact
Team Members
Agricultural Biotechnology & Policy Processes in Developing Countries
Modern agricultural biotechnology has profound implications for global and local agricultural and food systems, and for the livelihoods of farmers in the developed and developing worlds. The actual consequences will depend on the pathways along which the technology is developed and applied in practice. More details
Crop-livestock Integration in Africa
The aim of this project has been to explore the dynamics of crop-livestock integration in contrasting agroecological settings in Africa through an analysis of the institutions which mediate change. More details
Future Agricultures Consortium
The DFID funded Future Agricultures Consortium aims to encourage critical debate and policy dialogue on the future of agriculture in Africa. The Consortium is a partnership between research-based organisations in Africa and the UK, with work currently focusing on Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi. More details
Livelihoods After Land Reform
This collaborative project, which involves IDS and is led by the Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) in South Africa, asks: to what extent is land redistribution in southern Africa achieving poverty reduction and livelihood improvement objectives? More details
Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability (STEPS) Centre
The STEPS Centre is an interdisciplinary global research and policy engagement hub, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. It aims to develop a new approach to understanding, action and communication on sustainability and development. More details
Soil Fertility Management
With less than 10kg/ha of fertilizer being applied on average to African farm lands, access to soil nutrients is of course a key issue if African agriculture is to grow sustainably in the future. But how can soil fertility be improved? More details
Veterinary Science, Transboundary Animal Diseases and Markets
Focusing on the case of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in southern Africa – and specifically Botswana, Nambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe – this research is exploring the economic, social and political trade-offs arising from disease control strategies geared towards promoting commercial beef exports and achieving a ‘livestock revolution’. More details
Agricultural Biotechnology & Policy Processes in Developing Countries
Modern agricultural biotechnology has profound implications for global and local agricultural and food systems, and for the livelihoods of farmers in the developed and developing worlds. The actual consequences will depend on the pathways along which the technology is developed and applied in practice. More details
Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium
A consortium of researchers aiming to advance understanding of the connections between disease and environment in Africa, focusing on animal-to-human disease transmission.. More details
Environment and PRSPs
This research project was initiated and conceptualised in the framework of the Poverty Environment Partnership (PEP), an informal network of around 30-donor and non-governmental organisations that works on strengthening the nexus between poverty reduction and environmental protection in development cooperation. More details
Going to Scale? The Potential of Community-Led Total Sanitation
Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is a participatory approach that started in Bangladesh and has been spread to varying degrees in India, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Nepal. To a limited degree, it has also been trialled in some African countries. More details
Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability (STEPS) Centre
The STEPS Centre is an interdisciplinary global research and policy engagement hub, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. It aims to develop a new approach to understanding, action and communication on sustainability and development. More details
ARCADE HSSR: African Regional Capacity Development for Health Systems and Services Research
A Consortium led by Karolinska Institutet strengthening research training capacity at Sub Saharan African universities for health systems and services development. Focusing on doctoral and post doctoral training, institutional strengthening for education and research management. More details
ARCADE RSDH: Asian Regional Capacity Development for Research on Social Determinants of Health
A Consotiurm lead by Karolinska Institutet developing new research training capacity for low and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia, to promote research on social determinants of health. The focus is doctoral and post doctoral training, institutional strengthening for education, research management and network building. More details
Childhood Vaccination in West Africa
Vaccines for children are currently high on international policy, aid and funding agendas, as a major promised means to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Yet major challenges have emerged in ensuring effective coverage and dealing with public anxieties. More details
Childhood Vaccination: Science and Public Engagement
Vaccines for children are currently high on international policy, aid and funding agendas, as a major promised means to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Yet major challenges have emerged in ensuring effective coverage and dealing with public anxieties. More details
China Health Development Forum
The China Health Development Forum is an informal association coordinated by the Chinese Health Economics Institute (CHEI) and IDS. More details
Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium
A consortium of researchers aiming to advance understanding of the connections between disease and environment in Africa, focusing on animal-to-human disease transmission.. More details
Ensuring Health Care for the Rural Poor: alternative approaches in China and Vietnam
A comparative study of rural health care services undertaken in collaboration with partners in Vietnam and China. More details
Future Health Systems Research Programme Consortium
Future Health Systems is a research consortium working to improve access, affordability and quality of health services for the poor. More details
Partnership for Technical Assistance to Implementation of China Rural Health Project
Early this year the Chinese Government announced a major rural health reform policy, which includes a substantial increase in public funding and measures to improve the performance of the providers of health services. More details
Protecting the rural poor against the economic consequences of major illness
Major illness in the family has become an important cause of household impoverishment in China and the ex-command economies of Southeast Asia, as these countries have managed the transition to a market economy. More details
Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability (STEPS) Centre
The STEPS Centre is an interdisciplinary global research and policy engagement hub, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. It aims to develop a new approach to understanding, action and communication on sustainability and development. More details
A Global Solution to Protect Water by Transforming Waste
This EPSRC project focuses on the 'peri-urban' environment, which includes areas outside cities that are characterised by poor infrastructure, and poor access to formal water and sanitation services. More details
Flows and Practices: The Politics of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Africa
This research seeks to link ideas of IWRM as constructed at the global and European level to their translation into narratives and practices in eastern and southern Africa. It will critically examine the interpretations and challenges of IWRM, hopefully contributing to improving water policies and practices and making them locally appropriate. More details
Going to Scale? The Potential of Community-Led Total Sanitation
Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is a participatory approach that started in Bangladesh and has been spread to varying degrees in India, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Nepal. To a limited degree, it has also been trialled in some African countries. More details
Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability (STEPS) Centre
The STEPS Centre is an interdisciplinary global research and policy engagement hub, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. It aims to develop a new approach to understanding, action and communication on sustainability and development. More details
Key contacts
KNOTS team blog
This blog features comment and opinion on the team’s core themes: agriculture, environment, health, water and sanitation, land reform and land grabs.
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