Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos managed to secure approval for the new peace agreement between the government and FARC before he comes to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10.

Efforts to promote human rights are increasingly being challenged. Sadly, a number of new worries have emerged this year.

The book Women in Politics in Malawi was officially launched on Friday 30th September in Lilongwe, with great festivities and the presence of the Malawian Minister of Gender as well as the Director of CMI.

The Bergen Exchanges on Law & Social Transformation is an annual interdisciplinary meeting place for scholars who want to understand the interplay between law and social change. The lectures, roundtables and panels bring together scholars and practitioners from all over the world. Welcome

CMI seeks an experienced social anthropologist who can strengthen the institute’s disciplinary, thematic and regional expertise, and is keen to work within thematically oriented, multi-disciplinary research teams.

The role played by journalists in anti-corruption is extremely valuable. What can donors do to maximise the media’s role?

In October 2010, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel peace prize. New research from CMI shows that the Chinese sanctions had a substantial negative effect on Norwegian direct exports to China. In addition, an analysis of Norway’s voting pattern in the UN suggests that Chinese sanctions may have been effective in changing Norway’s position on human rights issues. The potential consequences are chilling.

Many asylum seekers who choose assisted return are from a country destroyed by war and conflict. More than half of those who return to countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq plan to migrate again. Assisted return is a viable type of support to assist with the return, but is not sufficient to prevent large numbers of people once again leaving insecure countries of return. Only minor changes are required, however, to increase the potential for permanent return.

Many asylum seekers who opt for assisted return come home to countries ruined by war and conflicts. More than half of the persons who return to countries like Afghanistan and Iraq plan to remigrate. Small and uncostly changes in the assisted return programme can increase the chances that people stay.

Corrupt judicial systems undermine reforms and are a major impediment to ensuring access to justice and human rights for ordinary citizens across the world, says a new report published by the United Nations Development Programme and U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre on 8 April. Titled, A Transparent and Accountable Judiciary to Deliver Justice for All, the report cites survey data suggesting that the public perceive the judiciary as the second most corrupt public institution, after the police.

Maja Janmyr (UiB), Are Knudsen (CMI) og Kjersti Gravelsæter Berg (UiB) i samtale om flyktningkrisen i Midtøsten.

Does self-serving elite behaviour make citizens more politically active? If we inform voters about the elite’s use of tax havens, are they more likely to take part in elections and other political processes? And does the form on the information matter, are voters more inclined to respond to information that stokes their moral indignation?

The Chr. Michelsen Prize for outstanding development research 2016 is awarded to Francesca R. Jensenius, Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI).

An oil spill in Peru has left a trail of destruction. The company responsible for the oil spill offered indigenous people in the affected areas the equivalent of five NOK to clean up the mess barehanded.

Terrorism dominates the news as violent attacks hurt random civilians and provoke strong reactions and condemnations across the globe. Fighting terror is high on the political agenda. But what is terrorism?

CMI researcher Inge Tvedten and his UiB colleague Bjørn Bertelsen took an unconventional grip in communicating their research project about people in Mozambique’s capital city Maputo. They let the Mozambican film company ANIMA go on an artistic spree with their research results. So far, more than 2000 people in the bairros have seen their film. This is one research project that will not just end up in a drawer.

Authoritarian regimes is the most common regime type aside from democracy. In these settings, the ruling party permits opposition but stifles their chances to win. Why do individuals run for legislative office on opposition versus ruling party tickets in such regimes? asks Keith Weghorst, Post-doctoral fellow at Vanderbuilt University in this seminar.

Politiet og PST har fått stadig vidare fullmakter til å nytta skjulte tvangsmidlar mot den som ein mistenkjer kan ha planar om terrorhandlingar ein gong i framtida. Kva effektar og bieffektar har terrorlovgjevinga?

The Syrian chaos triggered in 2011 is presently the world’s #1 problem. Join UofB's one day conference on the Syrian War on 15 February.

Fredrik Barth, one of the world's most prominent anthropologists, passed away last Sunday at an age of 87. He taught us how to think about and analyze cultural complexity, ethnic relations, liveliood systems, ecology, politics and religion.

A series of case studies on the implementation of Open Government Partnership (OGP) reforms found that civil society participation fosters successful implementation, and that the limited capacity of local governments and civil society actors can be an obstacle for reform. Political commitment and strong coordination at the country level also improve the implementation record of OGP National Action Plans.

Ottar Mæstad has accepted an extension of his engagement and will soon enter his second term as Director at the Chr. Michelsen Institute.

How can we promote migration research at CMI and UiB that responds to regional and international migration crises?

-A 'good' natural resource tax regime is one that does not undermine - or strangle - the development of the ordinary tax system, says CMI researcher Odd-Helge Fjeldstad. Different segments of the tax system 'interfere' with each other. If the most resourceful companies and individuals do not contribute with tax revenue due to tax avoidance and exemptions, this will affect the taxpaying behaviour of others.