wp3 / DC5
Replicating and scaling up different public participation practices for circular transitions
In particular, this PhD focuses on building organisational and cross-sector capabilities in enabling democratic and participatory processes for public innovation that support transition towards socio-technical models based on circular processes. Expected results are:
1) Conceptual framework integrating current practices and theories on democratic participation and systems innovation in processes relating to climate transitions;
2) Qualitative data about barriers and challenges to replicating and scaling public participation;
3) Thematic analysis of barriers to and opportunities for capability building enabling replicating and scaling public participation services;
4) Guidelines for organisational capability building and cross-level public participation.
Christina’s research aims to contribute to the academic discourse on scaling public participation for sustainable transitions and support a local government in Sweden in amplifying its public participation. Taking a programmatic approach, this research is conducted through a series of experiments adopting research-through-design. The first context is a citizen assembly initiated by the environmental department. The second context is within the pre-school department, where several civil servants are scaling up their prototype to increase children’s participation in the budgeting process. The research will support these projects and explore how design can enable public participation to scale out, up, and deep in these contexts.
The theoretical and methodological structure of the project will be developed at the departments of Architecture, Design and Media Technology at Aalborg University, Copenhagen. The methodological approach will include literature review, analysis of existing cases, qualitative interviews, collaboration with local stakeholders, scenario development and testing and systemic prototyping. This approach will be based on the engagement of local communities, organisations and institutions, to experiment and propose socio-institutional structures that support the replication and scaling up of practices that lead to circular transition.
Danish Design Center (Denmark) (3 months) with mentor Julie Hjort;
Drift/Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands) (6 months) with mentor Professor Derk Loorbach.
