With increasing expectations for research to address complex real-world problems and to achieve societal impact, there is a corresponding need for appropriate methods to conceptualize, assess and analyze how research projects contribute to change processes (Belcher et al, 2020). During the last years, reflection on possible impact pathways, which connect research activities and outputs with desired societal effects, has gained relevance in different strands of transdisciplinary sustainability research (Schneider et al., 2019, Muhonen et al., 2019, Kreß-Ludwig et al., 2024). Pathways approaches support creating new futures, and provide plausible narratives about how changes can happen without the specificity of a single roadmap that assumes the ability to control all the complex web of influencing factors (Sharpe et al., 2016). Co-productive, recursive development of pathways and regular reflection on them foster the common understanding of the envisioned transformation. Discussing the assumptions about the impact mechanisms within the pathways can reveal possible feedback loops as well as uncertainties and risks as a basis for impact-oriented adjustments of the research design (Mayne, 2020; Belcher et al., 2020). Becoming aware of the influence that contextual conditions have on the occurrence of societal impact helps to avoid the trap of linear and causal transfer models.
In this workshop session, we are going to introduce and discuss results of international studies on impact pathways conducted in different thematic fields, e.g. sustainable urban and rural development, and socio-technical and social innovations for sustainable regional development:
Michael Kreß-Ludwig and Oskar Marg will reflect on societal impact dimensions and their interrelationships in terms of impact pathways based on a research project that accompanied 50 urban transdisciplinary research projects (Kreß-Ludwig et al. 2024). They will show which kind of societal impact the projects addressed, which methods they used to achieve these impacts (considering also the role of contextual factors), and general theses on how to generate impact in transdisciplinary urban research. On the basis of six in-depth studies, three exemplary patterns of impact pathways were made visible, which start at different points: a) learning and networking in society, b) learning or network effects of key governance actors or c) experimental changes in the physical environment. These exemplary impact pathways show that "direct" impacts (directly triggered by project activities) can lead to various "indirect" or mediated impacts. It will be shown that it is necessary to think about these different possible impact pathways and their respective starting points to be able to plan and strengthen social impacts.
Martina Schäfer and Emilia Nagy will introduce a generalized impact pathway they drafted based on formative evaluation of four transdisciplinary research projects on establishing innovations for sustainable regional development (Nagy et al. 2023). As direct effects they differentiate between network and learning effects which occur related to establishing the project team and joint problem formulation and those that go along with iterative testing and improving solution-oriented knowledge. In a later phase of the project – and beyond project duration – they focus on indirect effects which occur due to activities aiming at long term establishment of the regional innovations as well as transfer of results to other contexts. They also identified supporting conditions and risks that should be considered in planning impact-oriented research. For example, additional actors are often necessary for the continuation and scaling-up of the innovation, with whom contacts must first be established. In general, it is important to realistically assess and provide the necessary resources for the learning processes and network activities.
Stephanie Moser will deal with the question of how societal effects of transdisciplinary and transformative research can be established and consolidated beyond the duration of projects. The results are based on a joint reflection process with non-scientific stakeholders in a transdisciplinary research project in a rural, alpine region in Switzerland. In this joint societal reflection and learning process (cf. the social learning pathway in Schneider et al., 2019) key factors to building ownership and willingness to consolidate ongoing collective action were identified: shared understanding, deliberative values, changing roles and responsibilities of the academic and non-scientific stakeholders involved, and institutionalization of further support processes (Moser et al., forthcoming; Poelsma et al., forthcoming). These insights raise the question of how these key factors could be considered and addressed at an early stage in future transdisciplinary projects.
The central results on impact pathways in transdisciplinary sustainability research and questions that arise from the comparison of these results will be presented and discussed in the session. In working groups, participants will deepen and broaden their understanding of the following questions:
- Which forms of societal effects are dominant in transdisciplinary sustainability research?
- Is it possible to identify general patterns of impact pathways in transdisciplinary sustainability research?
- What elements make up a general impact pathway of research modes, which aim at testing possible solutions?
- Which preconditions and risks must be considered to increase the potential for building up impact pathways?
- Which similarities and differences can be seen between the different presented results on impact pathways in different thematic fields?
- Is the reflection of impact pathways considered useful for fostering transformation-oriented research?
The workshop results are intended to help participants reflecting on how to align their future research in an impact-oriented manner.
Description of the workshop design (in person / 90 min):
- 30 min: 2-3 Inputs by the conveners and Q&A
- 25 min: Working in groups on the proposed questions
- 25 min: Discussion of the key insights of the group discussion
- 10 min: Main implication for further research on impact pathways in transformation-oriented research
1–3 key readings
- Schneider, F., Giger, M., Harari, N., Moser, S., Oberlack, C., Providoli, I., ... & Zimmermann, A. (2019). Transdisciplinary co-production of knowledge and sustainability transformations: Three generic mechanisms of impact generation. Environmental Science & Policy, 102, 26-35.
- Kreß-Ludwig, M., Marg, O., Schneider, R., Lux., L. (2024): Lessons from transdisciplinary urban research to promote sustainability transformation in real-world labs. Categories, pathways, and key principles for generating societal impact. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 33/S1 (2024): 10 – 17.
- Wiefek, J., Nagy, E., & Schäfer, M. (2024). Systematic Impact-Orientation in Real-World Laboratories: Introducing a Framework for Designing Formative Evaluation of Transdisciplinary Research. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 33/S1: 94-101.
References
Belcher, B. M, Davel R., Claus, R. (2020): A refined method for theory-based evaluation of the societal impacts of research. In: MethodsX 7: 100788
Kreß-Ludwig, M., Marg, O., Schneider, R., Lux., L. (2024): Lessons from transdisciplinary urban research to promote sustainability transformation in real-world labs. Categories, pathways, and key principles for generating societal impact. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 33/S1 (2024): 10-17.
Mayne, J. (2020). Sustainability analysis of intervention benefits: A theory of change approach. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 35(2), 204-221.
Muhonen, R., Benneworth, P., Olmos-Peñuela, J. (2020). From productive interactions to impact pathways: Understanding the key dimensions in developing SSH research societal impact. Research Evaluation, 29(1), 34-47.
Nagy, E., Schäfer, M., Roth, C. (2023): Innovative Ideen aus dem ländlichen Raum. Barnim & Uckermark im Wandel. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10572384
Sharpe, B., Hodgson, B., Leicester, G., Lyon, A., Fazey, I. (2016). Three horizons: A pathways practice for transformation. Ecology and Society, 21, 2: 47.
Schneider, F., Giger, M., Harari, N., Moser, S., Oberlack, C., Providoli, I., ... & Zimmermann, A. (2019). Transdisciplinary co-production of knowledge and sustainability transformations: Three generic mechanisms of impact generation. Environmental Science & Policy, 102, 26-35.
