Case Studies

A multidisciplinary group of researchers, including Oxford DPhil students, early and late-career researchers, and experts are undertaking case studies of the crisis in Ukraine linked to the Russian invasion in February 2022, focusing on information and communication operations that are likely to have implications not only in the present conflict but in the long-term for global practices and policies. The research team will conduct an overarching case study of the developments around influence, networks, and security in the Ukraine crisis, as well as a set of embedded case studies of particular developments within Russia, Ukraine and internationally. These case studies are in early stages of development through working papers and roundtable discussions, with the first taking place at HIIG in Berlin on June 6th 2023, and a second planned for September 26th in Oxford. 

Initial support for this project comes from the Portulans Institute, which complements support from researchers in the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre (GCSCC), the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), and the Saïd Business School.

High-growth startups are critical for market innovation, job creation, and economic growth at both national and regional levels, making it imperative to create an enabling ecosystem that can help them thrive. Portulans Institute Fellow Raymond Onuoha developed a regional policy brief assessing the enablers of the emerging startup ecosystem in Africa, the challenges to their scaling, and the contextual influencing factors for the key startup hubs within the continent – Cape Town, Nairobi, Lagos, and Cairo. The paper’s primary objectives are to benchmark Africa’s key startup hubs with leading global tech ecosystems with respect to their potential to catalyze the startup ecosystem for market innovation, in order to recommend specifically-targeted policies for scaling the fledgling startup ecosystem in Africa. 

In this multi-part interview series engaging experts across industry, academia, law, government, and civil society, Portulans Institute Fellow Gabriel Souto explores the critical role of research and development in advancing technology and its accessibility to people in Brazil. The series delves into key topics including long-term planning in research and development, achieving continuity across administrations, and developing effective policy interventions that lower barriers to access and promote the inclusivity of marginalized voices in research and innovation.