Tag Archives: common good

John Ioannidis: how science can be put to common good use

In this exclusive interview with EuroScientist, John Ioannidis, professor of medicine, health research and policy, and statistics at Stanford University, California, USA, who is best known for his work on biases that pervade research and on how to improve research methods and practices, talks about possible new drivers for research to help scientists do research for the common good in the future. Read more [...]

The Linux approach to human and ecosystem well-being

Our democracies have bugs, lack user-friendly features and under-perform. Above all, they are in need of major upgrades. Political and economic systems are failing us because they are structured vertically through top-down hierarchies. Instead we need to adopt a new economic system, driven by principles related to “act local, think global" philosophy. In this stimulating opinion piece, Lorenzo Fioramonti, director of the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation, in South Africa, shares his vision about creating a highly integrated horizontal economic system. Read more [...]

The role of science in fostering a common good economy

As the forum of social and solidarity economy leaders, dubbed Rencontres du Mont-Blanc, is about to take place between 26 and 28 November 2015, in Chamonix, France, its president, Thierry Jeantet, calls for more scientists to be involved in the social and solidarity economy sector to try and find a virtuous path for growth, hinging on research and innovation. Read more [...]

Science dilemma: between public trust and social relevance

The positive perception of the public towards science is dictated by its altruistic pursuit of the common good—unlike politics and economics. However, to demonstrate its societal utility, science must point to compliance with expectations from economy and politics. Mastering the interplay between science, politics and economics is a delicate balancing act. And it is one of the major challenges in the way science portrays itself to the public. Particularly in the context where science has increasingly tied this self-representation to economic performance and made its complex processes appear trivial to garner public acceptance. Read more [...]