Scientific Knowledge Transfer within the Limits of Research, Integration, and Utilization: Cases of Nature Conservation in Vietnam, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, and Sweden

Abstract

There is a strong scholarly consensus that scientific expertise plays an important role in addressing complex and uncertain issues in environmental governance. It is expected that when scientific ideas are put into practice, they should significantly contribute to the improvement of environmental solutions and a better science should lead to a better policy. However, such a perspective is rare in practice. There have been many efforts to explain the transfer of scientific knowledge from various perspectives. In this dissertation, Do Thi Huong uses a novel theoretical model of scientific knowledge transfer (RIU model) to explore limits of scientific knowledge transfer in cases of nature conservation in Vietnam, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, and Sweden with a great focus on three factors: Research, Integration, and Utilization. This dissertation consists of Do Thi Huong's four constitutive publications and a literature review of publications based on the RIU model from Germany, Indonesia, Japan, and Sweden. The dissertation focuses on three research questions: 1. What are the limits of scientific knowledge transfer? 2. Which factors determine the limits for scientific knowledge transfer according to RIU model? 3. Are these factors independent of each other? The RIU model served as a theoretical foundation for this dissertation. The RIU model predominantly follows the idea that policies are the result of co-production between scientific arguments and political reasoning. In the RIU model, knowledge transfer process is defined as a connection of three spheres: Research (R), Integration (I), and Utilization (U), each of which follows an individual logic. With the differentiation between research, integration, and utilization, typical activities of scientific knowledge transfer, based on different rationalities, can be analyzed and explained. Nevertheless, there is still the question of whether the factors limiting research, integration, and utilization depend on each other or they are independent of each other. This means whether a high amount of scientific statements causes much utilization always or they are independent of each other. The basic assumption of the RIU model is that the factors of research, integration, and utilization are independent of each other in limiting the transfer of knowledge. Do Thi Huong takes this assumption and formulates a leading hypothesis of her synthesis dissertation: The factors of research, integration, and utilization determine independently from each other the transfer of scientific knowledge. This dissertation was conducted using a meta-analysis of 15 publications based on the RIU model in five countries including Vietnam, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, and Sweden. The independence of research, integration, and utilization could be tested through direct hypotheses and indirect hypotheses in all 15 cases. The primary analysis of this dissertation consists of Do Thi Huong's four constitutive articles that relied principally on two sources of data: document analysis and semi-structured expert interviews. During the last four years, Do Thi Huong has conducted two field studies in Vietnam between October 2015 and February 2016, and between May and August 2017. She used the triangulation method (data, methodology, and investigator) for increasing study credibility. Qualitative content analysis and stakeholder analysis were also conducted to analyze all collected documents and role of actors with the aim of testing the hypotheses in particular cases studies in Vietnam. The results show that, first, there are five hypotheses that directly support the independence from each other of research, integration and utilization activities in the RIU model. These hypotheses have been examined in the comparative studies on forest policy development between Japan and Sweden, case studies of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, and case studies of fishery management in Indonesia. All five hypotheses are supported by empirical evidence of the case studies. Second, independence of research, integration, and utilization is tested indirectly. The truth table formulates eight combinations of research, integration, and utilization. Out of these, five are supported by empirical evidence of cases in Vietnam, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, and Sweden. These results indicate that the research, integration, and utilization are independent of each other in the investigated cases. One important consequence of independence is that a big amount of research does not necessarily lead to effective integration or utilization and vice versa. Third, by applying the RIU model, the limiting factors of knowledge transfer could be identified within research, integration, and utilization. The RIU model is a useful tool to particularly indicate these limitations and give recommendations to improve research or/and integration or/and utilization in an effort to enhance science – based policy support. Fourth, since the factors of research, integration, and utilization determine independently from each other the transfer of scientific knowledge, the author emphasizes the importance of checking all three factors to assess the transfer of scientific knowledge in practice.