Co-production Of Knowledge Research Articles

Improving patients’ experiences of diagnosis and treatment of vertebral fracture: co-production of knowledge sharing resources

BackgroundOsteoporosis involves changes to bones that makes them prone to fracture. The most common osteoporotic fracture is vertebral, in which one or more spinal vertebrae collapse. People with vertebral fracture are at high risk of further fractures, however around two-thirds remain undiagnosed. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends bone protection therapies to reduce this risk. This study aimed to co-produce a range of knowledge sharing resources, for healthcare professionals in primary care and patients, to improve access to timely diagnosis and treatment.MethodsThis study comprised three stages: 1. In-depth interviews with primary care healthcare professionals (n = 21) and patients with vertebral fractures (n = 24) to identify barriers and facilitators to diagnosis and treatment. 2. A taxonomy of barriers and facilitators to diagnosis were presented to three stakeholder groups (n = 18), who suggested ways of identifying, diagnosing and treating vertebral fractures. Fourteen recommendations were identified using the nominal group technique. 3. Two workshops were held with stakeholders to co-produce and refine the prototype knowledge sharing resources (n = 12).ResultsStage 1: Factors included lack of patient information about symptoms and risk factors, prioritisation of other conditions and use of self-management. Healthcare professionals felt vertebral fractures were harder to identify in lower risk groups and mistook them for other conditions. Difficulties in communication between primary and secondary care meant that patients were not always informed of their diagnosis, or did not start treatment promptly. Stage 2: 14 recommendations to improve management of vertebral fractures were identified, including for primary care healthcare professionals (n = 9) and patients (n = 5). Stage 3: The need for allied health professionals in primary care to be informed about vertebral fractures was highlighted, along with ensuring that resources appealed to under-represented groups. Prototype resources were developed. Changes included help-seeking guidance and clear explanations of medical language.ConclusionsThe study used robust qualitative methods to co-produce knowledge sharing resources to improve diagnosis. A co-production approach enabled a focus on areas stakeholders thought to be beneficial to timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment. Dissemination of these resources to a range of stakeholders provides potential for substantial reach and spread.

Herbicide-resistance management: a common pool resource problem?

AbstractHerbicide resistance is often viewed as a complex problem in need of innovative management solutions. Because of the transboundary mobility of many weeds, resistance to herbicides is also viewed as a community-scale issue. Consequently, the idea of greater coordination among resource users—especially growers—is often promoted as a management approach. Recently, scholars have framed herbicide resistance as a commons problem in need of collective action. Specifically, social scientists have explored the utility of adopting bottom-up, community-based approaches to help solve the growing problem of herbicide resistance through a framework for interpreting the commons known as common pool resource theory. This article analyzes how herbicide resistance fits—and fails to fit—within common pool resource theory and offers an updated conceptual framework from which to build future work. We argue that the application of common pool resource theory to herbicide-resistance management is underdeveloped, and approaches based on this theory have shown little success. The relevance of common pool resource theory for informing herbicide-resistance management is less settled than existing scholarship has suggested, and other frameworks for approaching transboundary resource problems—such as co-production of knowledge and participatory action research—warrant consideration.

The ‘obligatory passage point’ in knowledge co-production: Italy’s participatory environmental monitoring platform

ABSTRACT The process of developing of a participatory environmental monitoring network in Italy, unfolded between 2013 and 2020, is analysed in order to explore the dynamics of knowledge co-production involving collaboration between scientists and non-experts, in the present case constituted by a community of weather amateurs and practitioners. Based on a qualitative approach and 15 in-depth interviews with different stakeholders involved in the early development of the pilot network, the analysis focuses on the dynamics of collaboration between the actors involved that led to the creation of the Italian participatory environmental monitoring platform. For the analysis, we adopt the theoretical model of ‘translation' proposed by Michel Callon (1984), which focuses on the dynamics of the emergence of a network of collaboration between scientists and other heterogeneous actors. In particular, we focus on the notion of ‘obligatory passage point’ (OPP) along the translation process. Focusing on the process of translation and the dynamics that characterise the convergence towards a common OPP in the processes of network constitution and knowledge production highlights some crucial dynamics that support the unfolding of effective forms of participatory co-production, including: the understanding of how the roles and identities of different actors are recognised, transformed, productively aligned and consolidated; the performative power of participatory processes that are able to redefine and transform the pre-existing identities and roles of actors; and the outcome of the epistemic inclusion of practices and knowledge of less powerful actors within institutional, political and scientific frameworks.

Collaboration and engagement with decision-makers are needed to reduce evidence complacency in wildlife management.

There exists an extensive, diverse, and robust evidence base to support complex decisions that address the planetary biodiversity crisis. However, it is generally not sought or used by environmental decision-makers, who instead draw on intuition, experience, or opinion to inform important decisions. Thus, there is a need to examine evidence exchange processes in wildlife management to understand the multiple inputs to decisions. Here, we adopt a novel approach, fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM), to examine perceptions of individuals from Indigenous and Western governments on the reliability of evidence which may influence freshwater fisheries management decisions in British Columbia, Canada. We facilitated four FCM workshops participants representing Indigenous or Western regulatory/governance groups of fisheries managers. Our results show that flows of evidence to decision-makers occur within a relatively closed governance network, constrained to the few well-connected decision-making organizations (i.e., wildlife management agencies) and their close partners. This implies that increased collaboration (i.e., knowledge co-production) and engagement (i.e., knowledge brokerage) with wildlife managers and decision-makers are needed to produce actionable evidence and increase evidence exchange.

Developing Methodologies for Co-Production of Knowledge: Data Production and Analysis in Community-Based Research Partnerships

This article reports on the development of a local methodological innovation that supports the co-production of knowledge side-by-side with community-based research partners. In addition to conducting critical ethnography, Shea reports on how educators within an after-school community science program and a researcher developed practices to surface community educators’ values, demystify the data analysis process, conduct collective analysis, and produce critical layers of data through storytelling. The discussion offers scholars interested in co-producing knowledge an imagination for how to revise existing and taken-for-granted research practices to shift knowledge production.

“Na neitou qele ga qo” (“This is our only land”): Adaptation to the effects of climate change in rural indigenous Fijians

It has long been recognized that the Pacific Small Island Developing States are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, emphasizing the urgency with which adaptation planning and efforts need to be realized. History supports the resiliency of Pacific peoples, though a number of challenges to adaptive capacity have been noted in the previous literature, which has largely focused on low-lying atoll nations. To provide a different perspective, we interviewed 71 Indigenous and other traditional Fijians living in rural villages across a range of geographical locations to collect information on observed environmental changes, and adaptation efforts and challenges. Following an inductive thematic analysis, results identified changing patterns of consumption and production related to unpredictable and extreme weather patterns, with impacts on both overall food security and the financial viability of these communities. A number of physical adaptations to the villages themselves had been effected, which were costly and met with equivocal success. Consideration of migration to different geographical locations was minimal and undesirable. We provide recommendations for the culturally responsive, co-production of knowledge, resilience building, and adaptation planning with Indigenous and other traditional communities that meaningfully integrates scientific knowledge and respect for the wishes of these communities.

System effects mapping: a tool for promoting collaborative community ecological action

Across Indigenous scholarship and environmental sciences there is a growing recognition that community and stakeholder partnerships must underpin and guide the co-production of knowledge to better resolve the complex socio-political issues responsible for the production, and ultimately the mitigation, of pollution. This article reports work that aimed to support shared understanding within community stakeholder partners as part of two larger environmental science projects to understand and reduce pollution within an urban waterway. Utilizing participatory action research, transdisciplinary and translational ecology approaches, the research used System Effects Mapping to visualize a networked understanding of people’s connections to, and valuing of, their local water ways. This led to discussions on ways that community stakeholders felt they could act to improve the environmental conditions, taking into account how actions may interact. While actions identified were not necessarily novel, the approach supported shared understanding between researchers and community stakeholders and shared investment in the knowledge produced. Systems Effects Mapping was a useful method, with the social network output allowing for deeper exploration of transdisciplinary systems change.

Evaluation of a One Health Clinic: Enhancing access to healthcare and housing for young adults experiencing homelessness with animals

Abstract The One Health Clinic (OHC) is a transdisciplinary approach to healthcare services delivery, providing low-barrier healthcare and community services for people experiencing homelessness (PEH) and their companion animals that integrate human, animal, and environmental health. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of an OHC model in a youth and young adult shelter on access to healthcare, housing, and community resources. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with six OHC client participants and three provider participants, and a thematic analysis was used to study the effects of the OHC model on two key outcomes: overall health for humans and their companion animal(s), and access to public services for humans and their companion animal(s). Results showed that the OHC model provides multiple services in one place which reduces barriers to accessing health services, housing, and community resources. The integrated healthcare services promote positive interactions with providers and facilitate access to healthcare, housing, and community resources for PEH and their companion animals. Settings with similar goals of client health and access to healthcare, as well as housing services and community resources, can utilize the OHC care model to integrate services for lower barrier access to healthcare and community services to promote health on an individual level and from a One Health perspective. One Health impact statement Our study on the OHC model demonstrates the tangible impact of integrating healthcare services for homeless young adults and their companion animals. In the One Health context, our work addresses the complex interplay between human, animal, and environmental well-being. By bridging healthcare, housing, and community resources, the OHC model enhances access and reduces barriers. The One Health approach enriches impact, as collaboration across sectors yields multifaceted benefits. The transdisciplinary nature of our research fuses academic and non-academic knowledge, ensuring a holistic perspective. Practical solutions emerge from diverse insights, transcending traditional boundaries. This co-produced transformational knowledge facilitates real-world change, impacting lives, promoting resilience, and fostering sustainability. The OHC model exemplifies how cooperative, transdisciplinary efforts yield breakthroughs that elevate health, save lives, and nurture the optimal environment for people and their companion animals to live, work, and play.

The Museum as a Laboratory: An Approach to the Experience of Public Museums in Chile

The present article analyzes the recent debates regarding the redefinition of the museum, exploring resonances in reflective practices and processes in public museums in Chile. While these have caused controversy and discord, they appear to converge in the need to rethink the relationship between museums and society, seeking to make them more inclusive, democratic and diverse. The present discussion is based on the preliminary results of “LAB_Museums: Contemporary Museums and Museologies”, an ongoing interdisciplinary research intervention model promoting processes of co-production of knowledge regarding museums and museography. This paper is the publication of the results of the project. To this end, a collaborative ecosystem of knowledge has been developed between the university, museums and public sector, based on the implementation of laboratories, initially, in five public museums of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile: the National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Historical Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Popular Art Museum and the National Center of Contemporary Art. The theoretical/methodological framework used was that of Institutional Analysis (IA), based on which interviews and discussion groups with museum professionals promote dialogues on the present reality and contemporary challenges of museums.

Finding common ground on the threshold: An experiment in critical urban learning

The paper delves into the role of academic institutions in urban commoning, which involves the sharing and collaborative management of common resources. It specifically examines the impact of Practices of Urban Inclusion, an experimental learning programme, in fostering new forms of collaboration across places and institutions. This programme was co-designed and co-run by a network of four architecture and urban planning schools and three third-sector organisations across four European countries. The paper mobilises the concept of 'threshold spaces' by Stavros Stavrides to discuss if and how urban knowledge and learning can be co-produced and circulated ‘on the threshold’ between academia and civil society. Practices of Urban Inclusion is thus seen as a threshold space that aimed to bring different subjectivities and forms of knowledge into connection by foregrounding experiential knowledge, fostering collaborative learning, and connecting temporalities. The paper reflects on the key characteristics of the programme and highlights some of its commoning outcomes. We suggest that conceptualising knowledge co-production through ideas of commoning and threshold spatiality allows for more nuanced understandings of the dynamics of academia-civil society collaborations.

Permafrost grown: Investigating permafrost-agriculture interactions in Alaska

Permafrost grown: Investigating permafrost-agriculture interactions in Alaska Here, we learn about Dr. Melissa Ward Jones, who leads a transdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, co-producing knowledge with farmers to understand these unique agricultural systems better. In 1908, a field was cleared for cultivation in Fairbanks, Alaska, at a U.S. Federal Agricultural Experiment Station (Pewe, 1954) that is now part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Cultivated potatoes crops provided good yields, however, ten years after land clearing, the field began to sink down and mounds, up to 10 m in diameter and up to 2.5 m high, began to appear (Rockie, 1942). After repeated grading and land leveling, the mounds continued to be redeveloped, leading to the field’s abandonment sometime in the 1920s. Today, this area is a forested walking trail on the UAF campus, and the mounds remain (Figure 1).

Influence of proximities and their interaction effects on scientific collaborations: the case of Turkish regions

Proximity dynamics behind co-production of scientific knowledge have been explored for a decade while their combined effects form a recent interest area. The study seeks to discover these effects in the unexplored case of Turkish NUTS 3 regions. Cognitive, relational and institutional proximities and their interaction effects are evaluated towards this goal with a rapid expansion from 2006 onwards representing the institutional dynamics. The intensity of coauthorships is evaluated in six aggregate fields of FORD classification of OECD and measured based on travel time distance, publication sizes, similarity in knowledge bases, tie similarities of provinces and new universities’ academic presence born from a rapid expansion process after 2006. The results display positive role of geographical, cognitive, relational proximities. In interaction, provinces proximate in one of the latter two see an increase in coauthorships when they are also geographically close in most fields. However, cognitive and relational proximity together reduce coauthorship chances. On the other hand, new universities’ academic presence does not increase coauthorship chances, however, it does so when they are located in spatially closer regions in the extent of two fields.

Taking development for a ride: the World Bank’s research with ride-hailing companies

The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation has produced three research reports on gender equality and ride-hailing, in collaboration with ride-hailing companies. This article examines these reports in light of wider conversations about the growing corporate co-production of development knowledge. Focusing on research claims about the gender and development potential of ‘sharing economy’ firms like Uber, it argues that the shortage of women drivers has been successfully framed as a gender and development problem, rather than a labour supply problem to be resolved by ride-hailing companies themselves. Multi-stakeholder solutions are proposed, involving licensing actors, charities, government development agencies, banks, and insurance providers. Gender equality research contributes to a new development common sense involving expanding the numbers of indebted ‘independent contractors’ in the gig economy; reducing ‘regulatory burdens’ on platforms; and binding nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) ever tighter to corporate interests. This article shows the centrality of gender research to the Bank’s broader reorientation towards business-led development, and highlights some distinctive lessons of work on ride-hailing.

Assessing the Adoption of One Health Approaches in National Plans to Combat Health Threats: The Pilot of a One Health Conceptual Framework in Armenia.

Due to several factors, such as environmental and climate changes, the risk of health threats originating at the human-animal-environment interface, including vector-borne diseases (VBDs) and zoonoses, is increasing. Low-resource settings struggle to counter these multidimensional risks due to their already-strained health systems and are therefore disproportionally affected by the impact caused by these changes. Systemic approaches like One Health (OH) are sought to strengthen prevention and preparedness strategies by addressing the drivers of potential threats with a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach, considering the whole system at the human-animal-environment interface. The integration of OH in national plans can be challenging due to the lack of effective coordination and collaboration among different sectors. To support the process of knowledge coproduction about the level of OH integration in prevention and preparedness strategies against health threats in Armenia, a situation analysis was performed on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever/virus and anthrax (identified by local stakeholders as priorities to be addressed with the OH approach), and actions to strengthen the national OH system were identified with the support of a OH conceptual framework. The study highlighted that multidisciplinary and multisectoral efforts towards prevention and preparedness against VBDs and zoonoses threats need to be strengthened in Armenia, and priority actions to integrate the OH approach were identified.

Obstacles to co-producing evaluation knowledge: power, control and voluntary sector dynamics

Background: Despite literature recognising the huge potential of co-production as a positive approach to evidence creation, there is a dearth of evidence about how co-production principles can problematise knowledge exchange, specifically in evaluation work. Aims: To critically examine three evaluation projects commissioned by voluntary sector stakeholders to illustrate challenges in knowledge exchange linked to the co-production of evidence exchange. Methods: We critically compare the challenges experienced in co-producing evidence across three evaluations, reflecting on power dynamics, co-productive ways of working and emotions, which all impact upon successful knowledge exchange. Findings: In Project 1, internal monitoring data required for reporting was not shared. In Project 2, the commissioners’ need to evidence success resulted in limited knowledge sharing, with valuable learning about partnership issues and service delivery held internally. In Project 3, evidence demonstrating the failure of a local authority model of area management for community members was partially discredited by statutory stakeholders (state actors). Discussion and conclusions: Bias in evaluation reporting and academic publication can arise from current knowledge exchange processes, including co-production. Voluntary sector funding is problematic as stakeholders delivering programmes also commission evaluations. Knowledge exchange is influenced by vested interests arising from the political context in which data is gathered. Evaluators can face aggression, challenge and unfair treatment resulting in damaged relationships, and failures in knowledge exchange. The emotional elements of knowledge exchange remain under-reported. Varying and shifting power dynamics also limit knowledge exchange. Changing research practice, to support power sharing, needs further exploration to facilitate improved knowledge exchange.

Producing knowledge together: a participatory approach to synthesising research across a large-scale collaboration in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

BackgroundDespite that stakeholder participation in evidence synthesis could result in more useful outcomes, there are few examples of processes that actively involve them in synthesis work. Techniques are needed that engage diverse stakeholders as equal partners in knowledge co-production. The aims of this paper are to describe an innovative participatory process of synthesising a large body of academic research products and compare the findings of the participatory process against two traditional approaches to synthesis: a rapid review and a structured review.MethodsFirst, a rapid synthesis of all research outputs (n = 86) was conducted by researchers with in-depth knowledge of the collaboration’s research. Second, a team of researchers and service providers conducted a structured synthesis of seventy-eight peer-reviewed articles and reports generated by the collaboration. Fifty-five publications were brought forward for further synthesis in part three, a facilitated participatory synthesis. Finally, we explored the value added by the participatory method by comparing findings generated across the three synthesis approaches.ResultsTwelve researchers and 11 service providers/policy partners—8 self-identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander—participated in two facilitated workshops (totalling 4 h). Workshop activities engaged participants in reviewing publication summaries, identifying key findings, and evoked review, discussion and refinement. The process explicitly linked experiential knowledge to citations of academic research, clearly connecting the two knowledge types. In comparing the findings generated across all three methods we found mostly consistencies; the few discrepancies did not contradict but gave deeper insights into statements created by the other methods. The participatory synthesis generated the most, detailed, and unique findings, and contextual insights about the relevance of the key messages for practice.ConclusionThe participatory synthesis engaged stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and skillsets in synthesising a large body of evidence in a relatively short time. The participatory approach produced findings comparable to traditional synthesis methods while extending knowledge and identifying lessons most relevant for the participants who, ultimately, are the end users of the research. This process will interest other large-scale research collaborations seeking to engage stakeholders in evidence synthesis.

Centering Knowledge Co-Production in Sustainability Science: Why, How, and When

Solving complex sustainability problems requires novel, creative approaches. One such approach is knowledge co-production, where individuals with diverse expertise collaborate to generate knowledge in support of transformative solutions. Although the concept is not new, there is growing interest in using knowledge co-production in sustainability science, yet relatively few resources offer a practical guide, rooted in theory, to help researchers and practitioners understand when and how to co-produce in the context of sustainability science. This paper synthesizes the existing literature across multiple disciplines to present a novel framework and actionable strategies for effective knowledge co-production in sustainability. The wheel of knowledge co-production, the conceptual framework presented, emphasizes the importance of iterative phases of building relationships, assessing available resources, involving diverse participants, considering context, and working together with partners to design mutually beneficial and respectful processes and outcomes.

Compreender as Desigualdades Sociais e os Territórios pelas Histórias de Vida: reflexões partir das experiências do Núcleo IS-UP do Museu da Pessoa

The Nucleus of the ‘Museu da Pessoa’ (People’s Museum) was created to build a digital archive of qualitative data, while also promoting exhibi-tions and debates in research contexts. Through oral testimonies, life stories are collected and dis-seminated from a diversity of social actors across the national territory, facing various inequalities or vulnerabilities. With the aim of deepening the pro-cesses of structuring social inequalities and their individual inscriptions, this project democratises access to memory and gives visibility to socially vulnerable groups.Based on the experiences from the three main initiatives developed within the scope of the IS-UP Nucleus of the ‘Museu da Pessoa’, a reflection is made on the contributions of these initiatives. Framed by a theoretical-methodological framework related to the use of life stories in sociological research and situated in three different socio-territorial contexts in the northern region of Portugal, these initiatives focus on different social issues. They allow reflec-tions and analyses on various forms of social ine-quality. It is argued that this model enables simul-taneous knowledge acquisition, participation, and communication, combining fundamental research with the transfer and co-production of knowledge.

Co-Production of Knowledge at Sumida Farm Trains a New Generation of Community-Engaged Scientists

The Sumida watercress farm near Pu‘uloa (Pearl Harbor), O‘ahu has been in continuous operation since 1928. This family-run farm (Figure 1a) produces 70% of the state’s watercress crop, making it critical to Hawai‘i’s food production. The farm’s watercress relies completely on water from freshwater springs. However, the amount of water flowing from the springs has declined by half over the last century as a result of groundwater pumping, climate change, and other drivers (Oki, 2005). Mo‘olelo (oral histories) published in Hawaiian language newspapers from 1834 to 1948 document the springs’ use for agriculture and recreation by Hawaiian ali‘i (chiefs) for more than 1,000 years (Engels et al., 2020).

Being Human and “Hanging Out”: Mutuality, Trust, and “Voice” in Youth Participatory Research

Reflexively drawing on my experiences as a young researcher conducting collaborative research with young people from migrant backgrounds in rural Australia, this paper brings a critical lens to participatory or co-designed research processes with youth. Drawing on learnings from three relationships with young people involved, I explore some of the ethical complexities of participatory processes with young people, the nature of voice and listening, trust and reciprocity, and knowledge co-production. I argue that paradigms of youth participation and co-design should involve more than sharing projects. They should also involve sharing processes of co-imagining and co-creating accessible, ethical, enjoyable, and realistic forms of participation with young people—which vary across communities, places, and over time. Further, I explore what might be possible, in these processes, if we move beyond “word-centric” approaches to knowledge, “voice”, and connection, and learn to listen with our whole selves. What new insights might emerge when we recognise participatory processes and voice itself as co-created, co-creative, and mutually transformative?