One of the unusual features of the Asian EMERGENCE project is a
strong interdisciplinary element to the research.

The topic addressed by the EMERGENCE project stands at the intersection of several different disciplines. In order to understand the spatial dynamics of the relocation of employment in a global information society, it is necessary to bring together theoretical, methodological and empirical insights from economists, statisticians, economic geographers, organisational theorists and specialists in technology impact studies. An appreciation of the qualitative impacts of these relocations requires further inputs from sociology, gender studies, comparative cultural studies, comparative policy studies management science, urban design and industrial relations. The international EMERGENCE team, which has already collaborated successfully since 2000, is strongly inter-disciplinary, including statisticians, economists, sociologists, geographers, management scientists, policy analysts, technology specialists and personnel with backgrounds in gender studies, development studies, political science and trade union studies. We have found that, despite the many challenges involved in marrying differing conceptual frameworks, such collaboration has been extremely fruitful. As a result, we have been able to develop research instruments that can be used with confidence by researchers from a wide range of backgrounds, enriching the analysis of the results and making it possible to disseminate the results authoriatatively to an excectionally wide range of academic and non-academic audiences.

The Asian EMERGENCE team covers a similar spread, including specialists in technology, in human resource management and in management science, as well as a range of economics and social science disciplines.
 

© 2002, Institute for Employment Studies