Dear colleagues,
my name is Jury Gualandris, Associate Professor of Operations and Sustainability at the Ivey Business School, and Director of the Network for Business Sustainability.
The Research Impact on Practice Award, sponsored by ONE and the Network for Business Sustainability, annually recognizes peer-reviewed research that has important implications for practice.
I'm excited to share the 2021 winner, "Evidence on Gender Inequality on Energy Use from a Mixed-Methods Study in India" The work is by Meital Rosenberg, Michaël Aklin, Daniel Erian Armanios and Paulina Jaramillo, of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.
About This Year's Winning Research:
Prior studies suggested that women particularly stood to benefit from increased electricity access. Analyzing Gujarat, a state in India with relatively high access to electricity, the researchers found a more complex picture of how access to energy improves lives. There, only a quarter of women felt that the energy expansion efforts had improved their lives, according to the researchers' survey.
Although households in Gujarat now had access to the grid, they didn't typically use that energy for tasks and appliances that improved women's lives. Men decided how energy was used and generally prioritized appliances they used more frequently.
This research has important implications for organizations working to advance the SDGs. Some SDGs are traditionally considered to be "resource-focused" goals – these include Zero Hunger (SDG 2); Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6); and Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7). But the research suggests that efforts to achieve these goals need to be grounded in local context and social norms. There's a critical link with "socially-focused" SDGs such as #1, No Poverty; #3, Good Health and Wellbeing; #5, Gender Equity; and #10, Reduced Inequalities.
The researchers write: "Understanding the power of linkages in the SDGs can lead to better outcomes and address systems problems. Neglecting to understand these linkages can create new problems."
Find out more: You can read both:
Best regards,
Jury Gualandris
About the Research Impact on Practice Award: The goal of this award, given annually since 2013, is to recognize, reinforce and share research addressing sustainability challenges. Feeling inspired? Learn more about the award and previous winners, and submit your work for consideration during the next award period, in Spring 2022.
About NBS: The Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to making business more sustainable. We do this by sharing evidence-based guidance for business leaders thinking ahead. Over 35,000 business leaders, researchers and students from around the world contribute to and follow our work. We also facilitate a community of 180+ sustainability research centres. NBS's main office is at the Ivey Business School (Canada), with a francophone office at L'Université du Québec à Montréal.
------------------------------
Jury Gualandris, PhD
Associate Professor
Director of Network for Business Sustainability
Ivey Business School at Western University
------------------------------