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Cultivating a more dynamic relationship between science and policy is essential for responding to complex social challenges such as sustainability. One approach to doing so is to "span the boundaries" between science and decision making and create a more comprehensive and inclusive knowledge exchange process. The exact definition and role of boundary spanning, however, can be nebulous. Indeed, boundary spanning often gets conflated and confused with other approaches to connecting science and policy, such as science communication, applied science, and advocacy, which can hinder progress in the field of boundary spanning. To help overcome this, in this perspective, we present the outcomes from a recent workshop of boundary-spanning practitioners gathered to (1) articulate a definition of what it means to work at this interface ("boundary spanning") and the types of activities it encompasses; (2) present a value proposition of these efforts to build better relationships between science and policy; and (3) identify opportunities to more effectively mainstream boundary-spanning activities. Drawing on our collective experiences, we suggest that boundary spanning has the potential to increase the efficiency by which useful research is produced, foster the capacity to absorb new evidence and perspectives into sustainability decision-making, enhance research relevance for societal challenges, and open new policy windows. We provide examples from our work that illustrate this potential. By offering these propositions for the value of boundary spanning, we hope to encourage a more robust discussion of how to achieve evidence-informed decision-making for sustainability.

Currently available carbonate fuel cell materials have acceptable performance and endurance for commercialization. Many app roaches have been identified that may extend life well beyond the current 40,000 hours and […]

This paper endeavors to investigate whether the Islamic financial system can tackle the issue of financial exclusion in India or not. The present study has made an earnest attempt to explore the discriminating factors behind choosing of the institutes (conventional or Islamic), in decreasing order of their importance. Data for the study are collected from 635 respondents, who are customers of Islamic and traditional financial institutes. The area selected for the survey is the state of Kerala, which is considered as the Islamic finance hub in India. The data collected are analyzed by employing the discriminant analysis along with drawing inferences from descriptive statistics. The study finds various factors in descending order of their importance. The factors are type of employment, religion (Muslim/Non-Muslim), income and gender. These are discriminating factors for choosing particular institutes (conventional or Islamic). The study shows that Islamic finance system was chosen by those, particularly Muslims, who did not have good employment and sufficient income. Hence, it is recommended that extensive formal beginning of Islamic finance in India, will lead to higher financial inclusion, since generally the financially excluded individuals belong to the said segments of the society, furthermore, Islamic finance is highly fascinated by the mentioned groups, the planners should think accordingly. The study is novel in its’ approach as it evidently illustrates that Islamic financial system is chosen by those, who do not have good employment, Muslims and those who earn less. Thus, there should be extensive formal commencement of Islamic finance in India to kick off higher financial inclusion.