This report presents an update of the various research projects currently underway in the Center. It is organized by lead researcher, presenting together all those projects that one researcher leads a team on before describing the plans that research team has for the next year. Any one researcher may be simultaneously leading on a project and a team member of other projects.
The research program of the Center evolves from within, rather than being externally-driven. It evolves as present research uncovers new and additional areas where research is needed. It evolves as the interests of individual researchers change over time and it evolves as we see new linkages and patterns emerging across our research portfolio and new opportunities to use research to positively affect the lives of those living at the margins of our society.
It is becoming clear to us that we have a major thrust of research evolving around governance, the rule of law, and societies in extremis. This may evolve to become an organizing theme for some of our work in 2008/9. Likewise the linkages between environment/climate change and political violence are more frequently surfacing in our work and may become a theme for future research.
In 2008 we will be putting together our strategic planning document for the three-year period 2009-11 and anticipate having to evolve the way we describe and group our research and change processes to better capture the work the Center does.
The report does not include an update on our teaching activities as these are tied to the university teaching year. It is thus more appropriate to report on in our end-of-academic-year report.