Abstract
Transdisciplinary research offers a promising approach to development cooperation programs by integrating knowledge from academic and non-academic stakeholders, and from natural and social sciences. In the context of development research on water, there is little evidence on how stakeholder involvement takes place in the three stages of transdisciplinary research (problem definition, knowledge production, and knowledge application). This paper aims to create empirical evidence and insights on this question based on the Palestinian-Dutch Academic Cooperation Programme on Water (PADUCO). Six research projects, which have been implemented within the first phase of PADUCO, were examined using the data collected through a survey and document reviews. The results show that research problems were defined according to societal needs and contextual factors. Research teams were multidisciplinary and included non-academic members, whereas the institutional involvement of non-academic stakeholders was limited and unbalanced between the governmental and non-governmental actors. Although the application of the knowledge produced was mainly focused on academia, opportunities for broad dissemination were utilized, albeit to a limited extent. Finally, there was a lack of monitoring and evaluation of impacts, which is explained by the budget and time limitations of such small-scale projects and can be mitigated by programme-level measures.
Highlights
The value of development cooperation is acknowledged in creating sustainable solutions to increasingly complex problems of developing countries and regions [1]
All research projects included in this analysis were directly linked to existing and pressing water problems in Palestine, which were addressed within the scope of PADUCO-1
It appears that a corresponding societal problem is mainly presented as a means of justifying the research project within the cooperation program that was established through PADUCO-1
Summary
The value of development cooperation is acknowledged in creating sustainable solutions to increasingly complex problems of developing countries and regions [1] This type of cooperation often aims to improve the capacities of individuals and organizations in the target country by transferring technical knowledge. International organizations as well as countries in the Global North have been implementing development cooperation project programs in developing countries, and often focusing on few target sectors, such as water, food, and health, etc. Contextual barriers such as the limited applicability of knowledge, and the political fragility and conflict in the target country can hinder capacity development at various levels. Transdisciplinarity is relevant in the context of sustainable development, since it addresses the complexity associated with the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development [4,5]
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