Biography

Steve joined the Centre in August 2010, having previously been at the University of Reading (Geography) and University of East Anglia (Development Studies). He has a background in applied biological science, and his research and teaching interests are broad spanning both the natural and social sciences. Steve has helped pioneer a number of participatory methodologies for sustainability assessment, including Triple Task. He has been involved in research and sustainable development projects across Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa and Asia.

Research Interests

• Partnerships in sustainable development (including the role of faith based groups)
• Methodologies for stakeholder participation in sustainable development
• Methodologies for assessing sustainability, including indices and indicators
• Natural resource and environmental management
• Agricultural/rural development (including sustainability indicators, sustainable livelihood analysis, integrated pest management, microfinance and the impacts of new technologies such as conventional and genetically modified crop varieties)

Research Collaborations

• EU Framework 7 project (POINT) exploring the policy use of indicators in sustainable development and some key sectors (transport, energy and agriculture) with a number of partners throughout Europe.
• ESRC funded project entitled 'Analysing partnership in aid chains: A Catholic Church case study’.
• EU DG Environment funded project entitled 'Assessment of the economic performance of genetically modified crops worldwide'.
• DFID Research Into Use project on up-scaling sustainable seed yam production systems in West Africa
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation project entitled 'Yam Improvement for Income and Food security in West Africa'
•  EU Framework 7 project entitle 'Servicizing Policy for Resource Efficient Economy' 

Publications

Journal Papers (2008 to present)

• Cassar, L, Conrad E, Bell, S and Morse S. Assessing the use and influence of sustainability indicators at the European periphery. Ecological Indicators (accepted)

• Bell S. and Morse S. Some mysteries of groups and facilitators revealed within problem solving processes. Journal of the Operational Research Society (accepted).
• Mannion AM and Morse S. Biotechnology in agriculture: agronomic and environmental considerations & reflections based on 15 years of GM crops. Progress in Physical Geography (accepted).
• Bell S. and Morse S. How people use Rich Pictures to help them think and act. Systemic Practice and Action Research (accepted).
• Bell S and Morse S. Groups and Indicators in Post-Industrial Society. Sustainable Development (in press).
• Morse S. Out of sight, out of mind. Reporting of three indices in the UK national press between 1990 and 2009. Sustainable Development (in press).
• Bell S and Morse S. Rich pictures: a means to explore the ‘Sustainable Mind’? Sustainable Development (in press)
• Morse S and McNamara N. Partnership and inter-dependence in aid chains: Social pathology or social health? Journal of International Development (in press)
• Bell, S., Morse S. and Shah R. (2012). Understanding stakeholder participation in research as part of sustainable development. Journal of Environmental Management 101, 13–22
• Morse S and McNamara N. (2012). Trade-offs in the exploration of Sustainable Livelihoods: experience from a micro-credit intervention in Nigeria. The Geographical Journal 178(2), 162-174.
• Ibana S., Coyne D., Claudius-Cole A., McNamara, N and Morse S. (2012). Economic analysis of commercial seed yam production systems in the sub-humid ecologies of the River Niger. Journal of Crop Improvement 26, 22–38
• Morse S, Evans C and Mannion A. (2012). Location, Location, Location: Presenting the economic evidence regarding genetically modified crops. Applied Geography 34, 274 - 280
• Morse S. and Bell S. (2011). Sustainable development indicators: The tyranny of methodology revisited. Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development 6(1), 222–239
• Bell S and Morse S. (2011). Being, Engaging, Contextualising and Managing: BECM Matrix – a means for non-specialists to assess group dynamics? Journal of Systems Research and Behavioral Science 28(4), 319-339.
• Morse S (2011). Harnessing the power of the press with indices. Ecological Indicators 11(6), 1681-1688.
• Bell S and Morse S. (2011). An analysis of factors influencing use of indicators in the European Union. Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability 16(3), 281 - 302
• Finger, R., El Benni, N., Kaphengst, T., Evans, C., Herbert, S., Lehmann, B., Morse, S. and Stupak, N.  (2011). A meta-analysis on farm-level costs and benefits of GM crops. Sustainability 3(5), 743-762.
• Morse, S. (2011). Attracting attention for the cause. The reporting of three indices in the UK national press. Social Indicators Research 101(1), 17-35.
• Morse, S., Vogiatzakis, I and Griffiths, G. (2011). Space and sustainability. Potential for landscape as a spatial unit for assessing sustainability. Sustainable Development 19, 30-48.
• Bell, S. and Morse S. (2010). Triple Task (TT) method: Systemic, reflective action research. Systemic Practice and Action Research 23(6), 443-452.
• Haselip, J, AlShafei, N and Morse S (2010). EU energy security, sustainability and globalisation: What role for Qatari LNG amid calls for greater energy diversification? International Journal of Global Energy Issues Special issue: Energy security in the 21st century 33(1/2), 38-55.
• Morse, S., McNamara, N and Acholo, M. (2009). Potential for clean seed yam minisett production by resource-poor farmers in the middle-belt of Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Science 147(5), 589-600.
• Morse, S. and Mannion, A. M. (2009). Can genetically-modified cotton contribute to sustainable development in Africa? Progress in Development Studies 9(3), 225-247.
• Morse, S. and McNamara, N. (2009). The universal common good: Faith-based partnerships and sustainable development. Sustainable Development 17(1), 30-48.
• Morse, S. (2009). Post-(sustainable)-development? International Journal of Global Environmental Issues 9(1/2), 110-129.
• Shankar, B., Bennett, R. M and Morse, S. (2008). Production risk, pesticide use and GM Crop Technology in South Africa. Applied Economics 40(19), 2489-2500.
• Morse, S. (2008). Post-sustainable development. Sustainable Development 16(5), 341-352.
• Morse, S. (2008). The geography of tyranny and despair: Development indicators and the hypothesis of genetic inevitability of national inequality. The Geographical Journal 174(3), 195-206.
• Morse, S. and Bennett, R. M. (2008). Impact of Bt cotton on farmer livelihoods in South Africa. International Journal of Biotechnology 10(2//3), 224-239.
• Morse, S. and McNamara, N. (2008). Creating a greater partnership: Analyzing partnership in the Catholic Church development chain. Area 40(1), 65-78.
• Morse, S. (2008). On the use of headline indices to link environmental quality and income at the level of the nation state. Applied Geography 28, 77-95.

Books (2008 to present)

• Bell S and Morse S. (2012). Resilient Participation: Saving the Human Project? Earthscan, London. 224 pages. ISBN 978 1 849712552
• Morse, S. (2010). Sustainability: A biological perspective. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 288 pages. ISBN 978 0 52183 533 6
• McNamara, N. and Morse, S (2009). A reflective process for development. A pathway to meaningful partnership. On-Stream Publications, Cork. ISBN 978 1 897685 64 8
• Bell, S. and Morse, S. (2008). Sustainability Indicators. Measuring the immeasurable. 2nd Edition. Earthscan: London. 228 pages. ISBN 978 1 84407 299 6

Teaching

Teaching sustainability to first year undergraduate students taking the following modules:

• Design, sustainability & component production (ENG1058)
• Introduction to systems engineering & sustainability (ENG1054)
• Civil engineering practice & sustainability (ENG1051)

Contributions to the MSc modules 'Sustainable Development' and 'Environmental Economics'

Dissertation supervision at both undergraduate and masters level.