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This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the proposed city-county consolidation in St. Louis. The report draws upon theoretical research considering the impact of local government consolidations on efficiency, equity, spillovers, and development. Where possible, we connect the ideas from the academic literature to arguments made regarding the situation in St. Louis. After exploring both the theoretical reasons for and against consolidation, we consider the real-world empirical evidence. Although city-county consolidations sometimes lead to positive outcomes, often they do not. Importantly, the context of consolidation matters. By understanding the importance of context with consolidations, we conclude with five lessons for citizens and policymakers in St. Louis drawn from our understanding of the relevant research. Although there are local government problems in St. Louis, city-county consolidation is not necessarily the only or best way forward.

At a time of increasing interest and advocacy in integrated and policy-oriented research, this paper offers an empirically-based view of the intellectual and practical challenges of undertaking such research. It analyses the experience of a long-standing university research and postgraduate training centre from 1973-2004: the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies at The Australian National University. The paper discusses staff development issues, cross-disciplinary understanding, organisational requirements for collaborative research, postgraduate and early career considerations, a range of integrative frameworks, and the tensions that arise for interdisciplinary research in the political and economic operating environments of modern universities.

At a time of increasing interest and advocacy in integrated and policy-oriented research, this paper offers an empirically-based view of the intellectual and practical challenges of undertaking such research. It analyses the experience of a long-standing university research and postgraduate training centre from 1973-2004: the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies at The Australian National University. The paper discusses staff development issues, cross-disciplinary understanding, organisational requirements for collaborative research, postgraduate and early career considerations, a range of integrative frameworks, and the tensions that arise for interdisciplinary research in the political and economic operating environments of modern universities.

This presentation was part of an international two-day virtual symposium: Bosnia, 25 Years After the Dayton Accords. From November 1-21, 1995, the presidents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia met at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base outside of Dayton, Ohio, along with high-level officials from the United States, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom. All were seeking an end to the war in Bosnia that had taken over 100,000 lives over the course of the previous 3+ years. The peace agreement that resulted – known as the Dayton Accords – did exactly that, but were quickly recognized as flawed and problematic. Now, 25 years later, the costs of peace as spelled out in the Accords have become clearer. We take this opportunity to look back at the Accords and to consider the trajectory of Bosnian politics in the quarter-century that has passed since then. Hosted by the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University, the Southern Connecticut State University Office of Academic Affairs, and the Southern Connecticut State University Judaic Studies Program. Free admission is free; registration required.