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Committee of examine whether publicly funded agricultural research has influenced the structure of U.S. agriculture and if so, how. They also looked at the role of public-sector agricultural research on changes in the size and numbers of farms. Chapter 5 is of particular interest as it investigates the role of extension policy. There is a free executive summary and the book can be read online from this site.

My sense of Yamana is that it works mostly as a clearinghouse of exchange of innovative approaches. The second unSummit coming up in a few weeks has no schedule of papers, but facilitates discussions that evolve over the 2 days. I think one would have to experience this to understand how it works. I had planned to do so this time, but decided I was too far behind on following up on previous connections. Here are Yamana's guidelines: "We feel the current culture of science creates an invisible cost in loss of productivity, slower rates of discovery, and 'wasting assets,' including human capital. We are committed to having enough conversations with the people that can make a difference, including (and perhaps especially) within our own scientific communities. We will transform what is possible both for people who are currently working in the field of science and for those that are interested in studying to become scientists. We will impact the experience of learning science, the experience of teaching science and the experience of doing science. We include conversations across the whole gamut of what affects desired outcomes, from salaries, to healthcare, to personal leave, to the work environment, to the conversations being had about science, to how science is funded, commercialized, and shared. By acting as a clearinghouse for issues and concerns, as well as a catalyst for potential solutions, we are connecting the passionate voices in science with one another to create a shared vision for the future."

I've been thinking about this alot lately. How do you make cultural change? How do you shift conventional wisdom? How do you create new practices and ways of doing, especially if the dominant "narrative" and system of "incentives" don't support change? Do you shift one relationship at a time? Or is larger change possible? What are the spaces for going against the grain?

Ralph Nader's Critical Mass Project (mentioned in Dickson's book) is now par of Public Citizen a consumer advocacy group. They support a range of topics and do so without funding from corporations, government or professional organizations. Their anti-nuclear policy agenda is linked to a larger set of policy initiatives focused on passing energy policy that is rooted in renewable energy. They provide information, action alerts and ways to oppose the resurgence of nuclear.

Relating natural disasters to climate change, and a prescription for responding (which doesn't hinge on accepting climate change, if the Case knowledge claim is correct). This prescription includes national- and state-level assessments and planning, additional funding, and energy infrastructure improvements.

"They're designed to be triggered if something that's considered as rare as once every 100 years takes place during the several-year duration of the bond's life. If that happens -- say, if winds blow up Westport's Main Street over 150 mph -- then the buyer stands to lose the entire principal. But if that doesn't happen, which is the norm, the buyer enjoys a high rate of return, such as the 9 percent average across the sector in 2012, according to Artemis.bm, an industry news and analysis website."

From Laura T. Thought you might like to listen to the participants in this short 9 min. clip with an ear to discerning threads of the 'four policy perspectives' (heirarchy, individualism, egalitarianism, fatalism) in "Clumsy Solutions" article posted on Diigo. Climate Change : Panel discussion for Editorial Intelligence, London, UK, December 1, 2009. Includes author of "Saving Kyoto," Graciela Chichilnisky, Ph.D. tenured prof. at Columbia in Economics and Mathematical Statistics & Top Ten Most Influential Latinos in America. She created Columbia's Consortium on Risk Management that was funded by six mj. global reinsurance co.'s --- a group which developed new financial instruments called 'catastrophe bundles.' (approx. 9 min.)