BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Social Science Research Council (SSRC) - ECPv6.17.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Social Science Research Council (SSRC)
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.ssrc.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Social Science Research Council (SSRC)
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250224
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250228
DTSTAMP:20250317T164543Z
CREATED:20250317T155955Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250317T164543Z
UID:10000890-1740355200-1740700799@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2025 APN & Next Gen | MUST Writing and Dissemination Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Blantyre\, Malawi \n \nFrom February 24 to February 27\, the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) program of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC)\, in partnership with the Malawi Institute of Science and Technology (MUST)\, hosted the 2025 APN and Next Gen | MUST Writing and Dissemination Workshop from at the Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre\, Malawi. The workshop brought together the 2024 APN and Next Gen fellows’ cohorts\, esteemed facilitators\, and distinguished keynote speakers to help enhance fellows’ writing and dissemination capacities.  \nOn February 24\, Ignasio Jimu\, Head of Department for the Department of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices at MUST and Chair of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC)\, provided introductory remarks. Dr. Jimu presented opening remarks to the APN and Next Gen staff and fellows\, the university’s Vice Chancellor\, the keynote speakers\, and members of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).  \nCyril Obi\, Program Director of the SSRC’s APN and Next Gen Program\, also provided opening remarks. He asserted African scholars’ ability to excel and compete on a global stage and highlighted that since 2012\, the APN and  Next Gen program has awarded 783 fellowships. He spoke about the importance of integrating MUST and Malawian scholars more fully into the work of the APN and Next Gen and Africa’s broader academic discourses.  \nProfessor Address Malata\, Vice Chancellor of MUST\, welcomed participants to Malawi\, “the warm heartbeat of Africa.” She underscored the competence of African scholars and emphasized their ability to positively impact the continent and beyond. Professor Malata expressed her appreciation for the workshop’s focus on capacity building\, highlighting that the research and expertise being developed are not merely for academic purposes\, but to enact meaningful change\, particularly in impacting policy and transforming educational systems.  \nBrigadier-General (Professor) Dan Kuwali\, Commandant of the National Defence College in Malawi and Affiliated Professor at the Raoul Wallenberg of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law\, Lund University\, Sweden\, delivered the first Keynote Lecture\, “The Challenge of Writing on Justice\, Peace and Development in Africa: A Multidisciplinary Perspective.”  Professor Kuwali highlighted the deep-rooted challenges facing Africa and asserted that these issues require a multidisciplinary approach that draws from social science\, political science\, law\, history\, and economics to advance justice\, peace\, and development. He drew on the principles of Ubuntu\, affirming that peace and development cannot be achieved in isolation; they require collaboration across institutions\, nations\, and communities\, by ensuring that research reflects shared humanity and African perspectives. He called for African scholars to keep researching and reflecting on the lived experiences of Africans\, including citing and supporting each other’s work\, and to keep persevering on the journey towards peace\, justice and development on the continent.  \nThis lecture was followed by a Q&A session\, after which APN IRF fellows met with their mentors and peers for their working group sessions\, while Next Gen Doctoral Dissertation Fellows met in thematic groups\, which are formed based on the alignment between each mentor’s area of expertise and the dissertation topics of the fellows in their group.  \nOn February 25\, the Guest of Honor Dr. Atikonda Mtenje-Mkochi\, Executive Dean of the Bingu School of Culture and Heritage at MUST\, emphasized the crucial role of social sciences\, arts\, and heritage in shaping Africa’s position in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. She emphasized the point that Africa must realize its full potential by ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) does not widen existing inequalities\, but instead serves as a tool for empowerment. She urged scholars in the social sciences\, humanities\, and arts to actively decolonize AI\, as well as to preserve Africa’s rich cultural heritage through proper documentation. The rest of the day was taken up by breakout workshop groups\, where fellows presented and refined their research-based proposals\, chapters\, and manuscripts preparatory to dissemination.   \nThe second Keynote Lecture\, “Artificial Intelligence\, Digital Media and African Peacebuilding: Reflections on Emerging Opportunities and Challenges for Scholarly Writing”\, was delivered by Caleb Gichuhi\, Africa Lead at Build Up. Gichuhi framed his talk on the dual nature of technology—its potential for both inclusion and division\, while exploring the division between the approaches of technology determinism and social determinism. He demonstrated the implications of AI-driven analysis in uncovering and predicting patterns of division and targeted hostility with examples drawn from hate speech and misinformation–areas of particular interest to peacebuilders. He noted that peacebuilders are currently not leveraging on digital tools and AI effectively\, often outsourcing data analysis to tech companies lacking a peace-focused perspective\, while cautioning against the risks inherent in such lapses. Gichuhi also addressed global infrastructure and information asymmetry\, noting that AI’s reliance on widely cited sources marginalizes African perspectives\, leading to distorted representations of African peacebuilding.  He called on African scholars and institutions to actively engage in shaping AI narratives\, ensuring ethical\, human-centered technology that serves African peacebuilding efforts. His presentation was followed by a lively Q and A session\, after which fellows continued with activities in their breakout groups. \nThe third day of the workshop involved a combination of breakout with one-on-one sessions\, during which each fellow received focused guidance from their group’s mentor. After the completion of their sessions\, fellows visited places of interest in Blantyre city\, including Chichiri Museum\, Bangwe Weaving Factory\, MUST campus\, and Providence Industrial Mission (PIM)\, a church established in 1900 by Reverend John Chilembwe—a prominent figure in Malawi’s struggle for independence against British colonial rule\, credited with leading the 1915 Chilembwe Uprising. The Mission’s network of schools served as learning sites that provided anticolonial education\, while its agricultural activities aimed to promote self-reliance in the local communities. This visit was followed by a dinner hosted at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel. The evening consisted of excellent performances from MUST’s band\, the Chichiri and Goliati Dance Troupes.  \nOn February 27\, fellows and mentors continued their one-on-one sessions\, which was followed by a Fellows Panel Discussion\, “African Perspectives to the Benefits and Risks of Leveraging Digital Technologies in Scholarly Writing.” Featuring Professor Henrietta Nyamnjoh\, Dr. George Karekwaivanane\, Dr. Fadzai Chipato\, Dr. Sebastian Paalo\, Patience Shawarira\, Kenechukwu Peace Nwachukwu\, and moderated by Dr. Obi\, the panel discussion centered on the challenges and opportunities that digital technologies\, particularly AI\, present in scholarly writing and research. Panelists highlighted the benefits of AI for data analysis\, idea generation\, and improving efficiency\, while emphasizing the ethical concerns surrounding its use\, including transparency\, consent\, and the potential for misinformation. There was a consensus on the need for a cautious\, decolonized approach towards integrating AI into research\, especially in Africa\, with a call for policies and training to ensure its responsible use. The conversation underscored the importance of balancing human insight with technological advancements while questioning whether relying on AI\, especially developed by external powers\, could pose a risk of “epistemic suicide” for African scholarship. \nFollowing the panel discussion\, closing remarks ensued. Speaking on behalf of the Vice Chancellor of MUST and Executive Dean of the Bingu School at MUST\, Dr. Jimu expressed gratitude to all who contributed to the overall success of the workshop\, while noting the significance of hosting an international workshop at MUST. Dr. Obi followed his steps in expressing thanks\, and ended by encouraging the cohort of 2024 APN and Next Gen fellows—now belonging to a pan African community of knowledge and practice—to implement what they have learned for society’s benefit. \nThe APN and Next Gen Program expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the 2024 cohort of fellows\, mentors\, keynote lecturers\, guests of honor\, and the Malawi Institute of Science and Technology (MUST) and its Local Organizing Committee for their contributing their unwavering commitment\, dedication\, and hard work to the success of the 2025 Writing and Dissemination Workshop.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/2025-apn-next-gen-must-writing-and-dissemination-workshop/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_4778-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250227T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250227T160000
DTSTAMP:20250305T185914Z
CREATED:20250130T091317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250305T185914Z
UID:10000880-1740668400-1740672000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Neighborhood Effects\, Housing Mobility\, and Place-Based Policies: Evidence from Experiments and Quasi-Experiments
DESCRIPTION:About the Lecture\nFor decades\, Harvard professor Lawrence Katz has worked with federal and local housing agencies to learn how public housing policy might more effectively support economic opportunity. This lecture will cover his work on three landmark projects: Moving to Opportunity\, enabling residents of public housing to move to lower-poverty neighborhoods; Creating Moves to Opportunity\, providing additional support to families considering leaving high-poverty neighborhoods; and HOPE VI revitalization grants\, investing in mixed-income developments in neighborhoods with distressed public housing. Professor Katz’s pathbreaking work on these projects demonstrates how collaborations between researchers and government agencies can improve the delivery of important public goods and services. \nEvent Recording\n \nAbout the Speaker\nLawrence F. Katz is the Elisabeth Allison Professor of Economics at Harvard University and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research focuses on issues in labor economics and the economics of social problems. He is the author (with Claudia Goldin) of The Race between Education and Technology (Harvard University Press\, 2008). \nKatz has been studying the impacts of neighborhood poverty on low-income families as the principal investigator of the long-term evaluation of the Moving to Opportunity program\, a randomized housing mobility experiment. His past research has explored a wide range of topics including U.S. and comparative wage inequality trends\, educational wage differentials and the labor market returns to education\, the impact of globalization and technological change on the labor market\, the economics of immigration\, unemployment and unemployment insurance\, regional labor markets\, the evaluation of workforce training and other labor market programs\, the problems of low-income neighborhoods\, and the social and economic consequences of the birth control pill. \nProfessor Katz has been editor of the Quarterly Journal of Economics since 1991 and served as the Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor for 1993 and 1994. He is the current President of the American Economic Association\, the Co-Founder and past Co-Scientific Director of J-PAL North America\, past President of the Society of Labor Economists\, and has been elected a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences\, American Academy of Arts and Sciences\, the Econometric Society\, and the Society of Labor Economists. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1981 and earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1985.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/neighborhood-effects-housing-mobility-and-place-based-policies/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2C8AC8B-copy-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250228
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250302
DTSTAMP:20250317T192031Z
CREATED:20250317T160220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250317T192031Z
UID:10000891-1740700800-1740873599@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2025 APN & Next Gen | MUST National Grant Writing and Proposal Development Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Blantyre\, Malawi \nFrom February 28 to March 1\, the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) program of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC)\, in partnership with the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST)\, held the 2025 National Grant Writing and Proposal Development Workshop at the Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre\, Malawi. \nOn Friday\, the workshop began with an opening ceremony\, including welcome remarks from Master of Ceremonies: Enerst Longwe (Lecturer\, Language and Communication Studies Department\, MUST)\, Dr. Ignasio Jimu (Head of Department\, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices\, MUST)\, Dr. Cyril Obi (Program Director\, APN and Next Gen)\, and Guest of Honor Dr. Michael Zimba (Executive Dean\, Malawi Institute of Technology). \nThey thanked the participants for coming and expressed the importance of African scholars and researchers honing their research skills through learning and collaborating with esteemed colleagues. Afterward\, a group photo was taken on the upper deck. \nThe Keynote Lecture of the day\, “Research Conceptual Frameworks\,” was delivered by Professor David Mkwambisi\, Director of Malawi Innovation and Industrial Research Institute (MIIRI).\nThroughout his lecture\, Professor Mkwambisi encouraged participants to “think the thinking and the thinking” — engaging deeply and critically about how we think\, especially regarding epistemology\, and how ideas (including the ideas of others) are formed. He also informed the participants on how to differentiate between theoretical frameworks and conceptual frameworks. \nThe Keynote Lecture was followed by two plenary lectures. The first one\, “Critical steps in searching\, applying for\, and winning Institutional Grants/Individual Fellowship awards\,” was delivered by Professor Kenneth Omeje\, Vice President for Academic Affairs of Management International University. Professor Omeje broke down the steps in successfully identifying and winning the type of research grants most appropriate to the individual participants’ study. \nThe second one\, “Conceptualizing the Research Idea – Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Approaches\,” was delivered by Professor Henrietta Nyamnjoh\, Researcher\, Migration and Mobility Hub\, University of Cape Town. Professor Nyamnjoh assessed the conceptual frameworks for research ideas that range from disciplinary to multidisciplinary\, and why the differentiation between them is essential as one develops their research idea into something concrete. \nAfter a tea and coffee break\, the plenary lectures continued. The third one\, “The Role of Theoretical Frameworks and Epistemological Issues in Research Design\,” was delivered by Prof Charles Ukeje\, Professor of International Relations\, Obafemi Awolowo University. Professor Ukeje offered insights to participants on how to construct solid research designs by carefully considering the theoretical and epistemological foundations of their studies. \nThe fourth one\, “The Role of Research Ethics\,” was delivered by Professor Ignasio Jimu\, Head of Department for the Department of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices\, MUST. Professor Jimu focused on the ethical challenges and considerations when working with indigenous knowledge systems\, highlighting the importance of respect\, collaboration\, and cultural sensitivity. \nThis was followed by a Question-and-Answer session between the panelists and the audience. Afterward\, the participants separated into their individual working group sessions. \nOn Saturday\, the participants gathered once more for their One-on-One sessions and Feedback sessions. The closing ceremony involved Dr. Cyril Obi and Dr. Ignasio Jimu delivered closing remarks and a vote of thanks. This was followed by the presentation of certificates to all participants in attendance. \nThe APN and Next Gen program would like to thank all of the participants\, lecturers\, the guest of honor\, and the members of the MUST LOC for their participation\, enthusiasm\, support\, and commitment to the program.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/2025-apn-next-gen-must-national-grant-writing-and-proposal-development-workshop/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_5893-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR