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In an effort to better understand why some societies cannot cope with severe environmental stress, Dr. Homer-Dixon then studied the sources of, and impediments to, technological and institutional innovation. This work produced a theory of innovation drawing on [[endogenous growth theory]] in economics and centered on the concept of the “ingenuity gap.” First introduced in an article in ''Population and Development Review'' in 1995, it provided a way of advancing beyond the sterile debate between Neo-Malthusians and economists over resource limits to economic growth.<ref>Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “The Ingenuity Gap: Can Poor Countries Adapt to Resource Scarcity?” ''Population and Development Review'', Vol. 21, No. 33 (September 1995).</ref>
In an effort to better understand why some societies cannot cope with severe environmental stress, Dr. Homer-Dixon then studied the sources of, and impediments to, technological and institutional innovation. This work produced a theory of innovation drawing on [[endogenous growth theory]] in economics and centered on the concept of the “ingenuity gap.” First introduced in an article in ''Population and Development Review'' in 1995, it provided a way of advancing beyond the sterile debate between Neo-Malthusians and economists over resource limits to economic growth.<ref>Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “The Ingenuity Gap: Can Poor Countries Adapt to Resource Scarcity?” ''Population and Development Review'', Vol. 21, No. 33 (September 1995).</ref>

Most recently, Dr. Homer-Dixon edited ''Carbon Shift: How the Twin Crises of Oil Depletion and Climate Change will Define Our Future'' (2009). In the book, six Canadian analysts from varied disciplines outline their views on the central debates over future energy availability and the economics of climate change.


Since complex systems theory currently informs his work, he established the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation. There, he has initiated three linked research projects: on the technological and social implications of rapid reduction in carbon emissions; on the consequences of a shift to a zero-growth global economy; and on how Internet-based open-source practices might support democratic problem solving.<ref>[http://wici.ca/research/ Research at WICI].</ref> <ref>WICI [http://wici.ca/research/mcgg/ Mass-collaborative global governance].</ref> These projects’ first products, in the form of scholarly articles, were scheduled to begin publication in 2012.
Since complex systems theory currently informs his work, he established the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation. There, he has initiated three linked research projects: on the technological and social implications of rapid reduction in carbon emissions; on the consequences of a shift to a zero-growth global economy; and on how Internet-based open-source practices might support democratic problem solving.<ref>[http://wici.ca/research/ Research at WICI].</ref> <ref>WICI [http://wici.ca/research/mcgg/ Mass-collaborative global governance].</ref> These projects’ first products, in the form of scholarly articles, were scheduled to begin publication in 2012.

Revision as of 19:56, 25 September 2012

Thomas Homer-Dixon (born in 1956 in Victoria, British Columbia) currently holds the Centre for International Governance Innovation[1] Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs[2] in Waterloo, Ontario. He is Director of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation[3] at the University of Waterloo, and Professor in the Centre for Environment and Business in the Faculty of Environment, with a cross-appointment to the Political Science Department in the Faculty of Arts. He previously held the George Ignatieff Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies[4] at the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies[5] at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Homer-Dixon’s research is highly interdisciplinary, focusing on threats to global security in the 21st century and on how societies adapt to complex economic, ecological, and technological change.[6]

Early life

Homer-Dixon was raised in a rural area outside Victoria, British Columbia.[7] In his late teens and early twenties, he gained first-hand knowledge of Canada’s oil industry while working as a roughneck on oil rigs, a laborer in gas refineries, and a welder’s helper on pipeline construction. In 1980, he received a B.A. in Political Science from Carlton University in Ottawa. He then established the Canadian Student Pugwash organization,[8] a movement that provided Canadian university students with a forum for discussion of issues of science, ethics, and public policy. He was accepted into the Ph.D. program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where his studies focused on international relations, defense and arms control policy, philosophy of science, cognitive science and conflict theory. He completed his Ph.D. in 1989. In the concluding years of his graduate studies, and as a postdoctoral fellow before leaving Cambridge, he began studying energy economics and the science of climate change.

Work

Teaching

Dr. Homer-Dixon began his teaching career at the University of Toronto in 1990 to lead several research projects examining links between environmental stress and violence in poor countries.[9] In 1993, he joined the faculty of University College and the Department of Political Science, progressing to full professor status in 2006. During this time, he was Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, University College, moving on to be the Director of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies until 2007. In 2008, Dr. Homer-Dixon moved to the University of Waterloo, Ontario to assume the role as the Centre for International Governance Innovation Chair of Global Systems at the newly created Balsillie School of International Affairs.[10] [11] He is also a full professor in the Faculty of the Environment and the Faculty of Arts, as well as the Director of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation. His work at both Universities involved supervising and sharing research experience with over 40 Ph.D. students.

Research and Writing

In the 1990’s, at the University of Toronto, Dr. Homer-Dixon pioneered the study of the links between environmental stress and violent conflict. Two seminal articles in the MIT journal International Security identified underlying mechanisms by which scarcities of natural resources like cropland and fresh water could contribute to insurgency, ethnic clashes, terrorism, and genocide in poor countries.[12] [13] The research emerging from these articles eventually involved 100 researchers on four continents [14] [15] and influenced policy debates about national and international security.[16] [17] Dr. Homer-Dixon’s first book, Environment, Scarcity, and Violence (Princeton University Press, 1999) summarized the results of this research and became a standard reference in the literature on environmental security.

In an effort to better understand why some societies cannot cope with severe environmental stress, Dr. Homer-Dixon then studied the sources of, and impediments to, technological and institutional innovation. This work produced a theory of innovation drawing on endogenous growth theory in economics and centered on the concept of the “ingenuity gap.” First introduced in an article in Population and Development Review in 1995, it provided a way of advancing beyond the sterile debate between Neo-Malthusians and economists over resource limits to economic growth.[18]

Since complex systems theory currently informs his work, he established the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation. There, he has initiated three linked research projects: on the technological and social implications of rapid reduction in carbon emissions; on the consequences of a shift to a zero-growth global economy; and on how Internet-based open-source practices might support democratic problem solving.[19] [20] These projects’ first products, in the form of scholarly articles, were scheduled to begin publication in 2012.

Impact

In the mid-1990s, Dr. Homer-Dixon’s research on the links between environmental stress and conflict[21] initiated work on the topic around the globe. His findings also influenced policy debates in the Clinton Administration, where he and his research team briefed senior officials in the National Security Council, the State Department, the United States Department of Defense, and the CIA, as well as cabinet members and the Vice President, Al Gore.[22] Consequently, the US federal government established several policy working groups and research programs to study the implications of environmentally induced conflict.[23]

Closer to home, Dr. Homer-Dixon’s research has directly influenced public policy nationally,[24] provincially, and locally.[25] Over the last decade, he has spoken to academic, business, and lay audiences across Canada about such topics as energy, the economy,[26] climate change, the dangers of complex terrorism, and the increasing need for resilience and innovation.[27]

Bibliography

  • The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization. Toronto: Knopf. 2006. ISBN 0-676-97722-7.
  • The Ingenuity Gap. New York: Knopf. 2000. ISBN 0-375-40186-5.
  • Environment, Scarcity, and Violence. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1999. ISBN 0-691-02794-3.
  • Population and Conflict. Liège: International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. 1994. ISBN 2-87108-032-1.
  • Environmental Scarcity and Global Security. New York: Foreign Policy Association. 1993. ISBN 0-87124-152-8.

References

  1. ^ Centre for International Governance Innovation web site.
  2. ^ Balsillie School of International Affairs web site.
  3. ^ WICI.
  4. ^ “George Ignatieff Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies.” Peace Magazine (July-August, 1996): 31.
  5. ^ “Peace and Conflict Studies Centre Named for Trudeau.” UofT Magazine (Summer 2004).
  6. ^ “Exploring Complexity in Economic Theory”, video of a talk given at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, Bretton Woods Conference, 2011.
  7. ^ Thomas Homer-Dixon's official biography (Accessed March 5, 2007.)
  8. ^ Rockwell, Peigi . “Professor for Peace: Thomas Homer-Dixon.” Peace Magazine (June/July, 1993): 20.
  9. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “Environmental Scarcities and Violent Conflict: Evidence from Cases.” International Security, Vol. 19, No. I, (Summer 1994): 5-40.
  10. ^ Davis, Jeff. “New School Aims to Breathe Life into Global Affairs.” CIGI Online (February 20, 2008).
  11. ^ Reinhart, Anthony. “Advantage Waterloo.” The Globe and Mail (July 3, 2009).
  12. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas (Summer 1994). “Environmental Scarcities and Violent Conflict: Evidence from Cases.” International Security Vol. 19, No. I, pp. 5-40.
  13. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “On the Threshold: Environmental Changes as Causes of Acute Conflict.” International Security, Vol. 16, No.2, (Summer 1994): 76-116.
  14. ^ Researchers – "Project on Environmental Scarcities, State Capacity, and Civil Violence".
  15. ^ Researchers – "The Project on Environment, Population, and Security."
  16. ^ Hurst, Linda. “The global guru World leaders are listening to.” Toronto Star (July 20, 1996): C1.
  17. ^ Laver, Ross. “Looking for Trouble.” Maclean’s 107 (September 5, 1994): 18-22.
  18. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “The Ingenuity Gap: Can Poor Countries Adapt to Resource Scarcity?” Population and Development Review, Vol. 21, No. 33 (September 1995).
  19. ^ Research at WICI.
  20. ^ WICI Mass-collaborative global governance.
  21. ^ Kennedy, Bingham. “Environmental Security: PRB Talks with Thomas Homer-Dixon.” Population Reference Bureau (January 2001).
  22. ^ “Apocalypse Soon.” The Economist. 332.7873 (July 23, 1994): A25.
  23. ^ On March 18, 2000, Thomas Homer-Dixon participated in the Environmental Change and Security Program: ISA Workshop on Environment and Conflict Workshop at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
  24. ^ Dembo, Ron. “Resilience and Civilization.” Interview in Huff Post Politics Canada (January 17, 2007).
  25. ^ Mercer, Greg. “Future City Planners Told Stakes Are High.” The Record.com (February 4, 2011).
  26. ^ Colman, Robert. “Thomas Homer-Dixon addresses CaGBC National Summit.” Green Business (June 10, 2009).
  27. ^ iPolitics,LIVE at 12:15pm, Thomas Homer-Dixon: Social sciences and good public policy.

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