Link to Macaulay Land Use Research Institute homepageSocio-Economic Research Group (SERG)
 

Overview

Head of group Bill Slee                    
Society, institutions & governance Kirsty Blackstock Katrina Brown Anke Fischer Keith Marshall Maria Nijnik Sharon Flanigan Heather Smith Julie Urquhart Kerry Waylen Katrin Prager  

Rural and regional economics

Kirsty Blackstock Jill Dunglinson Diana Feliciano Alana Gilbert Maria Nijnik Yan Xu          
Values, choices and behaviour Bedru Balana Tony Craig Ben Davies Anke Fischer Kluas Glenk Wendy Kenyon Maria Nijnik Sebastian Selge Kevin Chika Urama Koen Arts  
PhD students Koen Arts Diana Feliciano Sharon Flanigan Sebastian Selge Heather Smith Julie Urquhart        

Individual profiles

Head of Group

Bill Slee

Bill Slee is an experienced researcher in the field of rural and regional economics and head of the Socio-Economics Research Group and its three main groupings of social scientists. He was previously a senior lecturer in the University of Aberdeen and Director and Research Professor of Rural Economy at the Countryside and Community Research Unit at the University of Gloucestershire, where he retains a visiting chair. Further information on Bill Slee.

Contact: Vivienne King provides the Group with Administrative support, acts as Bill's PA, organises Bill's diary and is the first point of contact if Bill is out of the office

 

Researchers

Bedru Balana

Bedru Balana works in the Socio-Economic Research Group within the theme of values, choices and behaviour. His research interests are environmental valuation, 'poverty-environmental' relationships, sustainable management of natural resources, and farm household analysis. Further information on Bedru Balana.

Blackstock Kirsty Blackstock's work mainly falls within the theme of society, institutions and governance, particularly public and stakeholder participation in environmental policy making and implementation, and generally favours mixed qualitative methods such as interviews, focus groups and participant observation. Further information on Kirsty Blackstock.
Katriana Brown Katrina Brown is a human geographer working in the Socio-Economic Research Group as a post-doctoral researcher.  Her work falls within the theme of society, institutions and governance. She focuses on the moral and cultural dimensions of how formal and informal institutions mediate people's access to and control over rural resources and landscapes, with implications for land use and rural development. Further information on Katrina Brown.
Tony Craig

Tony Craig is an environmental psychologist working in the Socio-economics research group within the theme of values choices and behaviour. His work focuses on the relationship between psychological factors and environmental behaviour. Further information on Tony Craig.

Ben Davies Ben Davies is a Lecturer in the Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), based in Aberdeen Business School. Ben is an ecological economist working in the values, choices and behaviour group in the fields of environmental management, institutional economics and agri-environmental policy. Further information on Ben Davies.


Jill Dunglinson

Jill Dunglinson is a research assistant in the Socio-Economic Research Group with a general background in geography and sustainable rural development. She works within the theme of rural and regional economics. Further information on Jill Dunglinson.
Anke Fischer Anke Fischer has a background in social and learning psychology and environmental economics, and works on theme of values, choices and behaviour. Her current work (which is also relevant to SERG's research theme on society, institutions & governance) focuses on mental constructs of nature and biological diversity, particularly on the value judgements implied, and the consequences for public support for biodiversity management . Further information on Anke Fischer.
Carol Galan Diaz Carlos Galan-Diaz is an environmental psychologist working as a research assistant in the Socio Economic Research Group. Carlos is finishing writing up his PhD from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK which deals amongst other things with how people estimate their emotional and cognitive reactions to proposed environments based on visual representations, for example how people use the visuals used for a local planning proposal to judge the new environment. Further information on Carlos Galan-Diaz.
Alana Gilbert Alana Gilbert is a labour economist working on rural and regional economics issues. Recent research has concerned urban-rural wage differences but she is also investigating the environmental effects of changing levels of farm household pluriactivity. Further information on Alana Gilbert.
Klaus Glenk Klaus Glenk is post-doctoral researcher within the values, choices and behaviour group.  He is currently working on public attitudes and preferences towards soil-related ecosystem services and water management. Further information on Klaus Glenk.
Wendy Kenyon Wendy Kenyon is a senior research fellow funded by Scottish Government Environment and Rural Affairs Department and currently located at the Centre for Environmental Change and Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh.  She works within the theme on values, choices and behaviour. She has a background in environmental and ecological economics, and works on issues of environmental valuation, multi-criteria analysis, and public participation. Currently she is on secondment to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) based at Holyrood. Further information on Wendy Kenyon.
Keith Marshall Keith Marshall is a post-doctoral researcher with a multi-disciplinary background, whose work falls mainly within the themes of society, institutions and governance but who also does some work on valuation that falls within the topics of values, choices and behaviourFurther information on Keith Marshall.
Maria Nijnik Maria Nijnik is a researcher on the theme of values, choices and behaviour. Her is also relevant to the themes of rural and regional economics and society, institutions and governance. She works on the economics of sustainable resource management, with a particular focus upon forestry, the cost effectiveness of carbon sequestration, human dimensions of global change and new institutional economics. Further information on Maria Nijnik.
Katrin Prager Katrin Prager is an interdisciplinary social scientist with a background in landscape planning and environmental management, agri-environmental policy making and farmer adoption of sustainable farming practices. She works in the Socio-Economics Research Group within the theme of society, institutions and governance. Further information on Katrin Prager.
Kevin Chika Urama Kevin Chika Urama works in environmental and ecological economics on environmental decision making, sustainable resource management, policy analysis, and stakeholder evaluation, within the theme on values, choices and behaviour.  Kevin is currently on two years leave of absence from the Institute, based mainly in Nairobi as Director of the African Technology Policy Studies Network . He is maintaining very close links with the Institute and continues to work on projects with Scottish colleagues. Further information on Kevin Chika Urama.
Kerry Waylen Kerry Waylen is a post-doctoral researcher with a multi-disciplinary background, whose work falls mainly within the themes of society, institutions and governance.  Kerry uses mixed methods to probe issues relating to the sustainable governance of natural resources. Further information on Kerry Waylen.
Yan Xu Yan Xu works in the Socio-Economic Research Group within the theme of rural and regional economics. Her research interests are assessment of climate change policies and rural policies based on computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling. Further information on Yan Xu.

 

PhD students

koenarts

Koen Arts is a PhD student registered at the University of Aberdeen. He is interested in the issues of ecological restoration, reintroduction and the concept of ‘wilderness’ and works within the theme of values, choices and behaviour. Further information on Koen Arts.    
Bill Slee

Diana Feliciano is a PhD student registered with the University of Aberdeen, working within the Socio-Economic Research Group under the theme rural and regional economics. Her PhD title is "A New Approach to regional Greenhouse Gas Budgeting and Management". Her research interests are the management of GHG emissions and storage at the regional level, regional development, forestry and renewable energy. Further information on Diana Feliciano.

Sharon Phillip

Sharon Flanigan is a PhD student registered with the University of Aberdeen. She is developing an analytical framework for sustainable agrotourism in Scotland, working within the theme on Society Institutions and Governance.
Further information on Sharon Flanigan.


Sebastian Selge

Sebastian Selge is a PhD student registered with Aberdeen University. As an environmental psychologist, working within the theme of values, choices and behaviour he is interested in how people’s perceptions of non-native plant and animal species develop and change. Further information on Sebastian Selge.

Heather Smith Heather Smith is a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen, working on issues of society, institutions and governance. She is researching how trends in river basin planning and management will interact with the Scottish land use planning system. Further information on Heather Smith.
julie Urquhart

Julie Urquhart is a PhD student registered at the University of Gloucestershire, working on issues of society, institutions and governance. She is researching how public benefits from private forests and woodland in England give opportunities for public good enhancement. Further information on Julie Urquhart.

 

Updated: 23 Sep 2009, Content by: KW