A planned update of a 1974 UN document could create a useful template for socially responsible science, says David Dickson.

Development needs collective local action. More science and technical advisors should be supporting that, says research officer Harry Jones.

Constant calls for evidence-based policy miss the underlying politics of knowledge, argues analyst Peter Bille Larsen.

Scientists in developing countries should increase the quality of their research by publishing more good papers, not fewer, says Rafael Loyola.

International bodies are offering true research opportunities, but African funding is needed to prepare the ground, writes Linda Nordling.

Initiatives to boost public participation on S&T policies must clarify their objectives and their impact should be assessed, says Carla Almeida.

The murder of health workers in Pakistan means the last leg of efforts to eradicate the disease can't be business as usual, says Heidi Larson.

In addition to programmes for training abroad, Latin America needs measures and organisations for the promotion of science, writes Carla Almeida.

Entrepreneurial initiatives to provide vital jobs must adjust to the tough enterprise environment or risk underperforming, says Athar Osama.

Donors must work with African countries to provide crucial science infrastructure, argues S&T policy scholar Nicholas Michael Bashour.

Africa's ever-improving climate change data need to be put to better use if they are to help farmers and avert disasters, says Linda Nordling.

As the Obama administration begins a second term, USAID's Alex Dehgan describes how the agency will build on its science-for-development agenda.

A successful model for making more out of physics for development is ready to roll out to others, writes Dipali Bhatt-Chauhan.

A six-country assessment shows how women's inclusion in science should be supported, write gender experts Sophia Huyer and Nancy Hafkin.

Developing countries deserve more support for their efforts to prioritise climate change in development, writes climate expert Simon Anderson.

The US development agency looks set to build on its 'development science' efforts during Barack Obama's second term, writes David Dickson.

Cuba's early warning approach holds lessons for other countries, write disaster risk reduction specialists Veronica F. Grasso and José Rubiera.

Scientific research in India needs to integrate better with rural development issues, say Rajeswari S. Raina and Kasturi Mandal.

Aid agencies and international research funders have a role in supporting Africa's nascent national science funds, writes Linda Nordling.