Transdisciplinarity for social learning? The contribution of the German socio-ecological research initiative to sustainability governance. Presented by: Matai Blacklock Authors: Dr. Fred Luks and Bernd Siebenhuner Published in Ecological Economics (Jan, 2007)

Education  Hamburg University of Economics and Policy  University of Hawaii at Manoa  U.S. Based Research posts  Professorship  at the Hamburger Fern-Hochschule  University of Hanburg  Often lectured in Germany and the U.S.  Numerous publications Focus of Career  sustainable development | ecological economics  growth and the environment  the history of economic ideas  corporate social responsibility  sustainability communications DR. Frank Luks  Leader of an interdisciplinary research project at the Austrian Institute for Sustainable Development in Vienna Currently

Education  PH.D. from Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (2000)  Master’s degrees in Economics (1994) Free University Berlin  Master’s in Political Science (1995) Free University Berlin Research at the  Global Environmental Assessment Project at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Currently  Deputy Project leader of the Global Governance Project at the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) at the Global Change and Social Systems Department  Vice-president for Graduate Education and Quality Management at the Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg DR. Bernd Seibenhuner

 The authors rely heavily upon knowledge from other academics in the field.  The authors also draw upon their own personal experiences  Participant observation :  occurred while they were actively involved in the Socio- Ecological Research Program in Germany. Research Methods

 The role of science for social learning ( in the context of sustainable development )  5 specific challenges associated with modern scientific activities  The German Socio-Ecological Research Initiative  The relation between socio-ecological research, ecological economics and sustainable development. Main Topics

Ecological Economics: the science and management of sustainable development Adequate governance can promote sustainable development connection between the economy, society and the natural environment.  Must consider many societal actors Key Terms & Theories

Novel Perspectives on Science New View: the political systems depend on collaboration with other societal systems. Supports sustainable development Old View: science is seen as an advisor of policy makers and both spheres need to be rigorously separated Key Terms & Theories

 Complexities and uncertainties require this new perspective  New multidimensional problems:  poverty eradication, safeguarding ecosystem and sustainable economic development…  Can cope with changing governance systems  Promotes social learning Novel Perspectives on Science

 Social Learning:  A change in the norms of a society  Not based on individual learning  A process based on acquiring new knowledge  Requires an innovative scientific approach  Results in practical solutions to sustainability challenges Key Terms & Theories

 Mode 2 Science  The Co-production of Knowledge  Sustainability Science  Post-normal Science Changing Roles in Science

 Coined by Michael Gibbons  Novel way of approaching science  Challenges contain many uncertainties and complexities  Sharing must occur across traditional scientific boundaries  Allows for the generation of Insightful knowledge Mode-2 Science

 Involves multiple societal actors collaborating  Very effective at improving the policy making process  Science and politics are intermingled  Four key areas of co-production Co-Production of Knowledge

 Engineer’s identities are formed during knowledge production.  Scientist interaction with society develops beneficial institutions.  Science and society mutually assign meaning to topics  Historical, political and cultural influences are formed by scientific concepts and theories Four Key Areas of Co-Production

 Knowledge about sustainable development is crucial  Can create sustainability related policies and incentives  Leads to the improvement of ecosystems  Goal oriented sustainable development topics  Reinforce the need for interaction between science and society  Provokes the need for normative scientific research  Normative:  evokes key social norms which aim to promote specific goals Sustainability Science

 Aims to increase the problem solving ability of science  “soft” scientific inputs vs. “hard’ value decisions  Think climate change issues  New methodologies  must aim to avert dangerous outcomes of sustainability problems  New forms of communication with non-scientific actors Post-Normal Science

 Created in 1999 by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research.  Part of the national sustainability strategy of Germany.  Incorporates the changing roles of science into research design.  Based upon Transdisciplinarity:  The inclusion of non-scientific actors into the processes of knowledge generation. The German Socio-Ecological Research Program

Projects clustered by topics  Networks of supply and disposal systems  Sustainable food and agriculture systems  Urban and regional development  Others  The evaluation of transdisciplinary research The German Socio-Ecological Research Program

Five Main Challenges:  Transdisciplinarity  Policy integration  Normativity  Learning approaches to governance  International dimension The relationship between the S.E.R.P and 5 main challenges related to Sustainability

 Described as inclusion of non-scientific actors into the processes of knowledge generation.  Demonstrated by the Socio-Ecological Research Program  Room for improvement Transdisciplinarity

 Goal:  For collaborative scientific and societal actors to influence the policy making process.  The S.E.R.P fell victim to this challenge  Collaborative actor groups were from too limited of a region  S.E.R.P could be improved if a broader range of societal actors were chosen. Active Policy Integration

 Goal:  Develop widespread social norms based on scientific knowledge that foster sustainable development  The S.E.R.P goal was to develop normative knowledge  Researchers attempted to, however it is quite hard  Good communication skills are needed Normativity

 The S.E.R.P originated as a learning endeavor  Proponents of S.E.R.P acknowledge its need to adapt  Institutions established to help  Strategic Advisory Board | External Review Committee  Most successful aspect of the S.E.R.P program Learning

 International research projects result in more significant findings.  Due to the scope of the knowledge generated  The S.E.R.P was not able to use an international approach  Seen as a major flaw in the program by the authors  Room for improvement and input from other nations  Difficult to achieve due to Federal German funding source International Approach

 Conventional science methods need to be abandoned and novel ones adapted  The S.E.R.P had its pros and cons  Socio-ecological research shares the same intrinsic values as ecological economics Conclusion

Questions?

 Luks, F., & Siebenhüner, B. (2007). Transdisciplinarity for social learning? The contribution of the German socio-ecological research initiative to sustainability governance. Ecological Economics, 63(2–3), 418–426. doi: /j.ecolecon Bibliography