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Dr Qingxiu Bu

Dr Qingxiu Bu, Reader in Global Law in the School of Law, Politics and Sociology, tells us about working with the United Nations, influencing environmental policy in China, and the benefits of interdisciplinary research.

How do you describe your research area?

All of my work is around the supply chain and global law and governance. I also work in the related areas of sustainable development and the emerging concept of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) which is a form of investment that prioritises environmental and social considerations.

What is your background in law?

A long time ago, I worked as an international lawyer: in the Middle East, United States, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, lots of different countries. I worked on projects around business transactions, mergers and acquisitions. But the impact of this work is limited. I wanted structural transformation to influence more people, including public agencies.

That’s why I pursued a PhD degree in law. After years of studying and then teaching law, I realised it would be a good idea to work more closely with organisations like the United Nations and national and regional practitioners. I used my professional experience to collaborate with these organisations, and achieve impact that way.

On that note, you’ve just come back from Washington DC where you’ve been working with colleagues at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Yes. This trip was funded by an SSRP Impact Fund. The main purpose of this funding is to improve real-world impact, so it’s important to work with high-profile organisations like the United Nations. We can use their platform to disseminate our research outputs, which is the main reason I become involved with UNDP. 

If you work with policymakers or government officials in certain sectors, they can incorporate your ideas and findings into the policymaking process. I am sharing my ideas on sustainable supply chains and circular economy with the UNDP. The UN is trying to do more on ESG at the moment. Hopefully, more collaborations between SSRP and the UNDP are on the way.

What does this impact look like, in terms of policy?

I’ll give you a quick example. In 2018, I secured a global research grant for work on circular economy, supply chains and waste management, working with Shanghai Jiaotong University and other prestigious universities. Through this research, we tried to influence the Shanghai Municipal Government, and did quite well. The government directly and indirectly transformed how they dealt with waste management.

About six months after our project, Shanghai supermarkets stopped giving away free plastic bags. This does not seem much in the UK context, but in such a massive city, that’s really sensible. It’s a big example of sustainable practices. So this shows what can happen when you get involved with policymakers.

What other organisations or governments have you worked with?

With the SSRP Impact Fund I worked with the National School of Government, based in Pretoria, which trains senior government officials. I have done the same at Western Cape. Over a number of years I have provided training on select themes to enhance officials’ awareness of ESG, circular economy, and sustainable supply chains. Doing this work benefits me and them, because it feeds into my research.

Has sustainability always been a big research focus for you, or has it come to the fore more recently?

I started thinking about it more around 2017 and 2018. At that time I realised it’s impossible to address global challenges within one country. So you have to use other jurisdictions in other countries to make change. We always have a hypothesis in law. But how can we prove or justify whether this is right or correct? That’s why I try and borrow from other disciplines, using scientific evidence to justify my legal hypothesis.

It’s beneficial to become more involved not only in interdisciplinary research and teaching but also with policymakers. For instance, when we’re working with data, it helps to collaborate with other university departments to visualise and communicate this information effectively and widen our audience.

What do you want to do next?

I want to engage more closely with SSRP researchers. The interdisciplinary collaboration within the programme matches my philosophy very closely. I would especially like to focus on ESG, and how to generate more sustainable transactions, policymaking and lawmaking. I would love to design a masterclass or lecture on these subjects, in collaboration with others, even including local stakeholders.

Dr Bu's research supports the fulfilment of the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: 

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions 

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals