Demarcating transdisciplinary research in sustainability science—Five clusters of research modes based on evidence from 59 research projects

Abstract

The discourse revolving around "new modes of knowledge production"-particularly in sustainability-oriented research-seems to suggest a duality of transdisciplinary versus non-transdisciplinary research. Yet, in reality, a spectrum of transdisciplinary research modes may be expected. This article offers an empirically grounded distinction of five research modes, based on a cluster analysis of 59 completed sustainability-oriented research projects. Projects in one cluster approximate a transdisciplinary ideal type, while another cluster combines almost purely practice-oriented projects. Among the three remaining clusters with varying degrees of practitioner interaction, one cluster assembles projects with strictly academic research, while realizing substantial societal impact. Furthermore, our analyses indicate that the choice of research mode strongly depends on the funding context, with mission-oriented funding encouraging more collaborative modes. Overall, clusters with more practitioner interaction display stronger societal outputs and impacts at the cost of academic outputs and impacts. Beyond the demarcation of transdisciplinary research modes in sustainability science, our empirical analysis revealed three important tensions related to the theory and practice of this research approach: the duality of science and society (and scholars and practitioners); imbalances in the involvement and influence of different societal actor groups; and tensions between societal and academic outputs and impacts.

Transdisciplinary research with Sámi reindeer herders: A comparative case study analysis

“…The ndings align with the spectrum of transdisciplinary research identi ed by Jahn et al (Jahn et al 2021). Their empirical research on transdisciplinarity illustrates the diversity of research approaches and demarcates clusters of ve different transdisciplinary research modes.…”

“…The results reveal a tension related to the theory and practice of TDR, which has been identi ed before in the scienti c literature. Transdisciplinary approaches often imply a conceptual dualism of science and society or scientists and practitioners (Jahn et al 2021). My study can also detect this 'conceptual researcher-practitioner dualism'.…”

“…This diversity of transdisciplinarity is the expression of each project's unique and individual circumstances and corresponding design decisions (Fernández González et al 2021). Jahn et al (Jahn et al 2021) connect their ndings to Mobjörk's (Mobjörk 2010) distinction between 'consulting' and 'participatory' transdisciplinarity. Whereas 'consulting' refers to limited involvement mainly as information inputs from the practice side, 'participatory' describes research with substantial involvement and knowledge co-creation.…”

Transdisciplinarity in transformative ocean governance research—reflections of early career researchers

“…Further, transdisciplinarity is indispensable to the success of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which commenced in 2021 and sets out visions for developing and supporting the "science we need for the ocean we want", to ensure that we develop "transformative" solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda and "connect ocean science with the needs of society" (UNESCO, 2020) further strengthening the demand for research that stretches beyond a single discipline. However, there is a lack of consensus among researchers regarding the meaning of transdisciplinarity (see Heinzmann et al, 2019), and how its operationalization may be used as a vehicle to meet these global goals (see Jahn et al, 2021).…”

Getting personal with collaborative sustainability experimentation: Reflections and recommendations from a transdisciplinary partnership with the Swedish craft beer sector

“…Research focused on promoting sustainability transitions via the employment of collaborative transdisciplinary approaches has rapidly expanded in recent years (Sengers et al 2019 ; Lang and Wiek 2022 ; Tengö and Anderson 2022 ). It has grown into a diverse field, evolving from largely hypothetical contributions on how to coordinate and carry out concerted processes, including interaction of actors from in- and outside of academia, to concrete examinations of particular cases located around the globe (Lang et al 2012 ; Darbellay 2015 ; Polk 2015 ; Zscheischler and Rogga 2015 ; Turnhout et al 2019 ; Bergmann et al 2021 ; Jahn et al 2021 ). Methods have also advanced to focus on the process of knowledge co-production and co-design as well as the testing of sustainability solutions (Pohl and Hirsh-Hadorn 2007 ; 2008 ; Giuseppe 2015 ; Moser 2016 ; Felt et al 2016 ; Renn 2021 ; Hakkarainen et al 2021 ).…”