Unit for Social and Environmental Research (USER)

About us

To conduct high quality interdisciplinary research on the relationships between human societies and the environment that helps improve ecological sustainability and human well-being.
We carry out field research on the interactions between livelihoods, lifestyles and social institutions with the environment. This body of research tries to be critical and reflective while striving to listen to the needs and claims articulated by socially vulnerable groups.

We do desk research on the content of political discourse and public policies to better understand the formation of preferences and decisions.  This research includes analysis of narratives and studies of communication tactics.

We also compare our findings ‘on-the-ground’ with the analyses of the content of public policies and political debates to reveal shortcomings in the formulation, design and implementation of public policy.

We undertake comparative studies of governance in different sectors or locations building on collaboration with other organizations. These efforts often contribute to theory development through critical synthesis and re-conceptualization of relationships.