In Common

The In Common Team
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In Common explores the connections between humans, their environment and each other through stories told by scholars and practitioners. In-depth interviews and methods webinars explore interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work on commons governance, conservation and development, social-ecological resilience, and sustainability.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    141: Poaching, Policy, and Participation: The Fight to Govern Wildlife Trade with Duan Biggs

    In this episode Michael speaks with Duan Biggs, Associate Professor and Olajos Goslow Chair at Northern Arizona University. They discuss Duan’s extensive work and engagement in management and global policy in the governance of wildlife trade, and in a community and rights-based response to the Illegal Wildlife Trade. Based on his extensive experience, Duan describes how managing wildlife trade, and tackling illegal trade towards sustainable conservation outcomes requires alignment with the late Nobel Laureate Lin Ostrom’s principles of good sustainable governance. The principles of those affected by policies and rules needing to be key participants in their formulation and fair and legitimate distribution of costs and benefits from policies being particularly important. Duan highlights that legitimate and strong enforcement is key ingredient in managing wildlife trade and curbing illegal wildlife trade, but needs to be accompanied by strong deeply participatory governance systems. In this episode we also discuss how the governance challenges in the Convention of Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), are echoed in other domains of global governance and the backlash and political and governance challenges in the US. Resources and references: Duan Biggs’ Lab website: https://www.resilientconservation.org/ Biggs, D., Holden, M. H., Braczkowski, A., Cook, C. N., Milner-Gulland, E. J., Phelps, J., Scholes, R. J., Smith, R. J., Underwood, F. M., Adams, V. M., Allan, J., Brink, H., Cooney, R., Gao, Y., Hutton, J., Macdonald-Madden, E., Maron, M., Redford, K. H., Sutherland, W. J., & Possingham, H. P. (2017). Breaking the deadlock on ivory. Science, 358(6369), 1378–1381. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan5215   Biggs, D., Peel, A. J., Astaras, C., Braczkowski, A., Cheung, H., Choi, C.-Y., Orume, R. D., Cáceres-Escobar, H., Phelps, J., Plowright, R. K., Rooyen, J., Velden, J., & McCallum, H. (2023). Governance principles for the wildlife trade to reduce spillover and pandemic risk. CABI One Health, 2023, ohcs202300013. https://doi.org/10.1079/cabionehealth.2023.0013   Cheung, H., Challender, D. W. S., Anagnostou, M., Braczkowski, A. R., Marco, M. D., Hinsley, A., Kubo, T., Possingham, H. P., Song, A. Y., Takashina, N., Wang, Y., & Biggs, D. (2025). Protect the Integrity of CITES: Lessons From Japan’s IWC Withdrawal to Keep Polarization From Tearing CITES Apart. Conservation Letters, 18(2), e13099. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13099   Gaillard, C., Keany, J. M., Diehl, J. L., Ranjan, P., & Biggs, D. (2024). Mobile apps for 30×30 equity. Nature Sustainability, 7(6), 683–684. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01309-7

    57 min

  2. 4 MAR

    140: Forests, Stories, and the People Behind Reforestation with Lauren E. Oakes

    What does it take to grow more forests and ensure they last? In this episode, Michael Cox speaks with conservation scientist and award-winning science writer Lauren E. Oakes, author of Treekeepers: The Race for a Forested Future. Through reporting and research that spans from the Scottish Highlands to tropical forests in Central America, Treekeepers tells the story of the global movement to restore forests and the people working to make it possible. Drawing from these experiences, Oakes reflects on the promise and complexity of natural climate solutions and what successful reforestation requires on the ground. She also examines a central question in the climate conversation: to what extent can forests help save us from climate change? Along the way, Oakes discusses her path bridging science and narrative storytelling, and why human stories can play a powerful role in helping people understand and engage with climate solutions.

    1h 4m

  3. 28 JAN

    139: Climate Misinformation & Disinformation with Pallavi Sethi

    In this episode, Divya chats with Pallavi Sethi, a Policy Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment at the London School of Economics, where she works on climate misinformation and disinformation. Pallavi brings a unique perspective to this work, shaped by her background in advertising and media studies, as well as her experience in the fact-checking department for a large social media company. It was through these experiences that she began thinking more deeply about climate narratives and its influence on public perception. At the beginning of their conversation, they discuss some fundamental questions, such as what is climate misinformation and disinformation, what fact-checking is and how it intersects with debates around free speech, and, lastly, who bears responsibility for the information we see and share.  A central thread in Pallavi’s work is her commitment to empowering the public — not just by calling for stronger platform governance, but by building media literacy and awareness so people can better recognize and challenge misleading climate narratives themselves. Pallavi has done extensive work in this area and brings sharp and thoughtful insights to an incredibly complex issue. But what is truly commendable about her work is that it does not stop at diagnosis; it also points to meaningful responses, such as the media literacy programs for kids in Finland and the efforts of a climate coalition called Climate Action Against Disinformation.  Pallavi discussed the role of Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD), a coalition of over 90 organizations working to make the information sphere safer regarding climate information. She explained that CAAD's collective efforts have been instrumental in putting climate disinformation on the global agenda, with information integrity appearing on the provisional agenda at COP30 for the first time. She highlighted that CAAD's strength lies in its ability to bring together diverse voices, making it harder for governments to ignore their demands.  Sources: Information on Pallavi's bio & background: https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/profile/pallavi-sethi/ Sethi, P (2024). Kemi Badenoch’s climate scepticism: a growing problem for the Conservative Party and its voters in LSE Blogs. Sethi, P., & Ward, B. (2024) Reform UK’s climate denial undermines democracy in LSE Blogs. Sethi, P (2024). Why countering climate misinformation must be a priority in Global Government Forum. Sethi, P. (2025). The myth of Meta’s free speech places democracy at risk in LSE Blogs. Sethi, P (2025). Strategic Obstruction: How Europe’s Far-Right Parties Are Blocking Urgent Climate Action.  https://hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/state-of-hate-2025.pdf Sethi, P (2025). Inside Trump’s campaign to censor climate science. LSE Blogs

    54 min

  4. 14/11/2025

    138: Families, forests and carbon with Nathan Truitt

    In this episode, Michael speaks with Nathan Truitt, Executive Vice President of Climate Funding for the American Forest Foundation. Nathan works in support of AFF's Family Forest Carbon Program, which it implements in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy. The program is designed to enable small-scale forest landowners to access carbon markets and credits. Together, Michael and Nathan talk about the goals of the program and how it meets the primary challenges that any such program faces, namely ensuring that real and lasting impacts on carbon storage and sequestration are made through the interventions that it supports. References: Nathan's background and bio: https://www.forestfoundation.org/who-we-are/people/nathan-truitt/ More information about the Family Forest program: https://www.forestfoundation.org/why-we-do-it/family-forest-blog/ More information about the permanence trust: https://www.forestfoundation.org/permanence-trust/

    1h 4m

  5. 31/10/2025

    137: Governing for transformation towards sustainable small-scale fisheries with Fikret Berkes and Nicole Franz

    In this episode, Xavier Basurto, a former guest of the show, joins Michael to interview Fikret Berkes and Nicole Franz. Fikret is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Manitoba. He is a legend in the field of the commons and social-ecological systems, with some of his most well-known works included Sacred Ecology, Coasts for People, and Navigating Social-ecological Systems. Nicole is a Research Scholar at the Center for Ocean Solutions at Stanford University. She has over two decades of experience working in intergovernmental organizations, namely the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome as well as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris Michael asks Nicole and Fikret’s about their new edited book entitled Governing for transformation towards sustainable small-scale fisheries, which is open access and published by the FAO. The book was written in support of the FAO's Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, and provides a human-centered, interdisciplinary approach to managing fisheries in a complex world. It addresses challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and privatization by advocating for a shift from top-down, single-species management to cooperative, adaptive governance systems that incorporate the knowledge and needs of resource users. During the interview, Michael and Xavier also take the time to discuss Fikret’s long career as a key contributor to the literatures on the commons, social-ecological systems and small-scale fisheries governance.   References: FAO. 2015. Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. Rome. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/i4356en   Berkes, F. & Franz, N. eds. 2025. Governing for transformation towards sustainable small-scale fisheries. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4289en   Website of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. https://www.fao.org/voluntary-guidelines-small-scale-fisheries/en/

    1h 23m

  6. 22/08/2025

    136: Urbanization and Inequality with Sean Fox and Gregory Randolph

    In this episode, Divya speaks with Sean Fox and Gregory Randolph about urbanization and how it is unfolding amid global shocks and affecting inequality. Sean Fox is a Professor of Geography and Global Development at the University of Bristol. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of global urbanization, the political economy of urban governance, and sustainable city futures. Gregory Randolph is an Assistant Professor in the School of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech. His work focuses on how local economies and urbanization patterns are being reshaped by 21st-century transitions namely technological, energy and demographic transitions, with a particular focus on inequality. Together, Sean and Gregory offer rich interdisciplinary insights that challenge conventional understandings of urbanization, showing that urbanization is not just about the growth of cities or a straightforward shift from rural to urban. Rather, it's a geo-demographic transformation that is deeply embedded in political, social, and economic processes. The conversation also sheds light on the hidden stories of urbanization in the global south for example, the stories of migration in the indian state of Bihar where Gregory has been working, deindustrialization, regional divergence, and the hollowing out of labor markets and how these processes contribute to interpersonal and inter-place inequalities. This episode was recorded at a time when massive wildfires in Los Angeles were making headlines everywhere, prompting a timely question for our guests: What should planners be thinking about as they rebuild cities after disasters? Both Sean and Gregory voiced serious concern about the increasing frequency and scale of natural disasters and how such events are amplifying pre-existing inequalities. They emphasized that recovery and rebuilding cannot be the task of planners alone. It must also be a political project—one that demands bold, inclusive, and forward-thinking political leadership committed to building cities that account for vulnerability, address structural inequalities, and prioritize resilience for all. Sean and Gregory are both compelling storytellers, and their work offers a grounded and timely lens on how urbanization is evolving in a world marked by rising uncertainties and deepening inequalities, and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to engage with them and their brilliant & relevant scholarship   References:  Fox, S., & Goodfellow, T. (2022). On the conditions of ‘late urbanisation’. Urban Studies, 59(10), 1959-1980. Randolph, G. F., & Currid-Halkett, E. (2022). Planning in the era of regional divergence: place, scale, and development in confronting spatial inequalities. Journal of the American Planning Association, 88(2), 245-252. Randolph, G. F., & Storper, M. (2023). Is urbanisation in the Global South fundamentally different? Comparative global urban analysis for the 21st century. Urban Studies, 60(1), 3-25. Fox, S., & Wolf, L. J. (2024). People make places urban. Nature Cities, 1(12), 813-820. Fox, S., Agyemang, F., Hawker, L., & Neal, J. (2024). Integrating social vulnerability into high-resolution global flood risk mapping. Nature communications, 15(1), 3155. Randolph, G. F. (2024). Does urbanization depend on in-migration? Demography, mobility, and India's urban transition. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 56(1), 117-135. Randolph, G. F., & Deuskar, C. (2024). Urbanization beyond the metropolis: Planning for a large number of small places in the global south. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 44(1), 279-291. Randolph, G. F. (2025). Planning the “Ruralopolis” in India: Circular Migration, Survival Entrepreneurship, and the Subversive Non-Farm Economy. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 45(2), 305-317.

    1h 3m

  7. 14/08/2025

    135: Relational values with Rachelle Gould

    In this episode, Michael speaks with Rachelle Gould, Associate Professor at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and an Environmental Fellow at the Gund Institute at the University of Vermont. Rachelle is a prominent and productive scholar on several topics, and one of the main ones she has written about is relational values, which were introduced to represent a different way of relating to the environment that hadn’t been expressed by the more traditional dichotomy of intrinsic and extrinsic value. Relational values have become very popular within academia and have become a focal point of publications by the The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, or IPBES, which Rachelle describes as the IPCC for Biodiversity. Rachelle was also a Lead Author on the recent IPBES Values Assessment. During their conversation, Michael asks Rachelle about some concerns he has about relational values, primarily that it seemed to be so popular that it was becoming a way of labeling anything that we like as relational, and secondly, that it had become a new panacea: something that doesn’t present trade-offs but which we should simply want more of, regardless of context. They discuss these concerns as well as the significant value that Rachelle sees in a concept that can better represent how human beings can and do relate to the natural world. References: Routledge Handbook of CES and Rachelle's critiques chapter IPBES Transformative Change Summary for policymakers IPBES Values Assessment West et al. relational turn paper Gould et al. response focused on Indigenous relationality Gould et al. response focused on Latin American relationality Muraca’s original relational values paper “Key to pluralistic valuation” Himes and Muraca 2018 Hoelle et al Relational values desirability paper Spash tribute critiques of monetary valuation Pratson relational values review Relationality is not WEIRD paper

    1h 13m

  8. 28/07/2025

    134: Politics of Development in South Asia with Saad Gulzar

    In this episode, Divya speaks with Saad Gulzar, Associate Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. At the time of recording of this episode, he was at Princeton University and has since moved to Notre Dame. Gulzar’s research focuses on the politics of development in South Asia and centers on a critical question: How can governments deliver better outcomes for their citizens? His work combines randomized control trials, administrative data, and in-depth qualitative insights to examine how political representation and bureaucracies can become more responsive. The conversation explores Gulzar’s research on the relationship between politicians and bureaucrats, and the conditions under which their collaboration leads to more effective governance. Gulzar’s findings highlight how the everyday decisions and motivations of these key actors shape the design and delivery of public policy. By uncovering these dynamics, his work offers valuable insights into how governments can better align expectations and improve the delivery of services in people's daily lives. References: Gulzar, S., Pathak, D., Thompson, S., & Toth, A. (2025). Can Party Elites Shape the Rank and File? Evidence from a Recruitment Campaign in India. American Political Science Review, 119(2), 812-831. Gulzar, S., & Khan, M. Y. (2025). Good politicians: Experimental evidence on motivations for political candidacy and government performance. Review of Economic Studies, 92(1), 339-364. Gulzar, S. (2021). Who enters politics and why?. Annual Review of Political Science, 24(1), 253-275. Gulzar, S., & Pasquale, B. J. (2017). Politicians, bureaucrats, and development: Evidence from India. American Political Science Review, 111(1), 162-183.

    46 min
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About

In Common explores the connections between humans, their environment and each other through stories told by scholars and practitioners. In-depth interviews and methods webinars explore interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work on commons governance, conservation and development, social-ecological resilience, and sustainability.

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  • Creator
    The In Common Team
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    240
  • Rating
    Clean
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    © Copyright 2019 All rights reserved.
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    In Common