Participation-effect pathways in transdisciplinary sustainability research: An empirical analysis of researchers’ and practitioners’ perceptions using a systems approach

Thorsten Schilling,Claudia R Binder,Livia Fritz

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2019.08.010

Thorsten Schilling, Claudia R Binder + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.08.010

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Abstract

In sustainability research, transdisciplinary (TD) approaches that involve practitioners in the research process have emerged as promising tools for enhancing real-world knowledge and engendering societal change. However, empirical insights into how such participation can contribute to the societal effects of TD research are scant and largely rely on single case studies, neglecting practitioners’ perceptions. In this article, we empirically investigate the perceptions of both researchers and practitioners on how practitioners’ participation in TD research might instigate societal changes. We present the results of a qualitative meta-level study of participation processes in seven TD sustainability research projects from a large German research funding programme. Applying a systems approach, we (i) uncover direct, indirect and interlinked participation-effect pathways; and (ii) highlight feedback effects that shape a dynamically evolving participation process. By elucidating both researchers’ and practitioners’ perceptions of participation-effect pathways, this article contributes empirical insights to an emerging scholarship on theories of change in sustainability research and provides ideas on how to better include systems thinking into TD research and future studies of societal effects.

Highlights

Transdisciplinary (TD) approaches that involve diverse societal actors in sustainability research are gaining traction and political relevance in research policy and practice
We identified three types of system boundaries, which we conceptualised as arenas: (i) the arena of actor collaboration, where we analysed the effects of participation dynamics on the research and participation process itself; (ii) the arena of involved practitioners, where we examined effects on the practitioners involved in the project; and (iii) the arena of the wider practice context, which relates to changes in the wider context of the project
We provided empirical insights into the perceptions of both researchers and practitioners regarding the effects of their collaboration in TD sustainability research

Summary

Introduction

Transdisciplinary (TD) approaches that involve diverse societal actors in sustainability research are gaining traction and political relevance in research policy and practice. In response to ‘grand’ societal challenges (European Commission, 2019), science policy and research funding programmes increasingly request researchers to co-create or co-produce knowledge with policy-makers, businesses, and civil society actors (Schneider et al, 2019a; Van der Hel, 2016), opening up knowledge production to actors beyond the scientific realm. Such proposals are generally rooted in the expectation that incorporating practitioners and their expertise into the research process produces ‘robust’ knowledge and engenders desired societal change (de Jong et al, 2016; Polk, 2014). The participation of practitioners is commonly considered as an input factor whereas societal effects (outcomes and impacts) denote the desired endpoints reached through the creation of outputs (Shirk et al, 2012; Walter et al, 2007; Wiek et al, 2014)

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