PASCAL

PASCAL International Observatory is a global alliance of researchers, policy analysts, decision makers and locally engaged practitioners from government, higher education, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector. It is organised around university centres in Africa (University of Johannesburg), Asia (University of the Philippines), Australasia (RMIT), Europe (University of Glasgow), and the US (Rutgers University), each responsible for its activities in that geographical region. A number of these centres also have sub-centres in other areas of the continent to which they devolve responsibility for certain foci of the observatory. Collectively PASCAL provides an observatory role through interpreting emerging approaches to city and regional development and helps mobilise this knowledge as a basis for policy action. Each of its centres also leads research and development projects related to its key focal points: place, social capital and learning cities. A selection of the projects led by its hub universities are found in the Projects section, alongside other services that PASCAL provides.
 
PASCAL has its origins in a major conference organised by the OECD in Melbourne in 2002 on the importance of learning cities and regions for regional development. PASCAL's focus is on the development and renewal of place. It gives special emphasis to the role of social capital and lifelong learning in these processes, considering how sustainable economic, social and cultural development can be achieved to the benefit of the communities concerned.
 
PIMA, the PASCAL International Member Association, grew out of PASCAL. It is global network of experienced individual adult learning and education professionals, with an active interest especially in the different dimensions and contexts of lifelong, wide and deep learning. It supports and participates in the organisational activities of PASCAL and other bodies, in the interests of greater social, economic and ecological justice locally and globally.