TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring societal effects of transdisciplinary research projects
T2 - Design and application of an evaluation method
AU - Walter, Alexander I.
AU - Helgenberger, Sebastian
AU - Wiek, Arnim
AU - Scholz, Roland W.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and the novatlantis initiative of the ETH domain. We thank Robert Bügl, Kiyotada Hayashi, Peter Loukopoulos, Michael Stauffacher, Joe Ravetz, Wolfgang Zierhofer and the three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. Heather Murray's and Stephanie Keller's editorial support is acknowledged.
PY - 2007/11
Y1 - 2007/11
N2 - Most Transdisciplinary Research (TdR) projects combine scientific research with the building of decision making capacity for the involved stakeholders. These projects usually deal with complex, societally relevant, real-world problems. This paper focuses on TdR projects, which integrate the knowledge of researchers and stakeholders in a collaborative transdisciplinary process through structured methods of mutual learning. Previous research on the evaluation of TdR has insufficiently explored the intended effects of transdisciplinary processes on the real world (societal effects). We developed an evaluation framework for assessing the societal effects of transdisciplinary processes. Outputs (measured as procedural and product-related involvement of the stakeholders), impacts (intermediate effects connecting outputs and outcomes) and outcomes (enhanced decision making capacity) are distinguished as three types of societal effects. Our model links outputs and outcomes of transdisciplinary processes via the impacts using a mediating variables approach. We applied this model in an ex post evaluation of a transdisciplinary process. 84 out of 188 agents participated in a survey. The results show significant mediation effects of the two impacts "network building" and "transformation knowledge". These results indicate an influence of a transdisciplinary process on the decision making capacity of stakeholders, especially through social network building and the generation of knowledge relevant for action.
AB - Most Transdisciplinary Research (TdR) projects combine scientific research with the building of decision making capacity for the involved stakeholders. These projects usually deal with complex, societally relevant, real-world problems. This paper focuses on TdR projects, which integrate the knowledge of researchers and stakeholders in a collaborative transdisciplinary process through structured methods of mutual learning. Previous research on the evaluation of TdR has insufficiently explored the intended effects of transdisciplinary processes on the real world (societal effects). We developed an evaluation framework for assessing the societal effects of transdisciplinary processes. Outputs (measured as procedural and product-related involvement of the stakeholders), impacts (intermediate effects connecting outputs and outcomes) and outcomes (enhanced decision making capacity) are distinguished as three types of societal effects. Our model links outputs and outcomes of transdisciplinary processes via the impacts using a mediating variables approach. We applied this model in an ex post evaluation of a transdisciplinary process. 84 out of 188 agents participated in a survey. The results show significant mediation effects of the two impacts "network building" and "transformation knowledge". These results indicate an influence of a transdisciplinary process on the decision making capacity of stakeholders, especially through social network building and the generation of knowledge relevant for action.
KW - Evaluation model
KW - Impact evaluation
KW - Societal effects
KW - Societal impact
KW - Stakeholder participation
KW - Transdisciplinary research
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U2 - 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2007.08.002
DO - 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2007.08.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 17904636
AN - SCOPUS:35348879715
SN - 0149-7189
VL - 30
SP - 325
EP - 338
JO - Evaluation and Program Planning
JF - Evaluation and Program Planning
IS - 4
ER -