TY - JOUR
T1 - Labbing for sustainability transformations
T2 - Learning about challenges and strategies for impact
AU - Erisman, Jetske C.
AU - Feenstra, Léon D.
AU - Broerse, Jacqueline E.W.
AU - Grijseels, Mike
AU - Gudek, Luka
AU - de Hoop, Evelien
AU - Jones, Tobia S.
AU - Loeber, Anne M.C.
AU - Luger, Jonathan
AU - van der Meij, Marjoleine G.
AU - Pruse, Baiba
AU - Regeer, Barbara J.
AU - Saidi, Trust
AU - Schrammeijer, Bep A.
AU - Zeidan, Hussein
AU - Zuiderent-Jerak, Teun
AU - Kok, Kristiaan P.W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - While the issue of creating impact in real-world labs for experimenting with sustainability transformation has been studied, little is known about how to assess and understand impact in practice. Deciding on "what counts as impact"is challenging as problem definitions and solutions are political and contested. In our research projects for sustainability transformations in fields such as agriculture, food, and healthcare, we encountered typical questions of creating impact in real-world labs. We established a Community of Practice to explore the different challenges pertaining to these impact questions. We identified four overarching challenges related to impact: 1. measuring the impact of Labs, 2. dealing with positionality and power dynamics, 3. fostering impact within and beyond projects, and 4. ensuring impact across different contexts. This paper offers practical strategies for responding to these challenges: 1. tailor-made training for Labbing, 2. reflexively engaging with power dynamics, 3. forging rich, translocal learning and impact. Sharing learnings from our experience with Labbing may broaden the repertoire of fellow Lab practitioners in enhancing and strengthening their impact.
AB - While the issue of creating impact in real-world labs for experimenting with sustainability transformation has been studied, little is known about how to assess and understand impact in practice. Deciding on "what counts as impact"is challenging as problem definitions and solutions are political and contested. In our research projects for sustainability transformations in fields such as agriculture, food, and healthcare, we encountered typical questions of creating impact in real-world labs. We established a Community of Practice to explore the different challenges pertaining to these impact questions. We identified four overarching challenges related to impact: 1. measuring the impact of Labs, 2. dealing with positionality and power dynamics, 3. fostering impact within and beyond projects, and 4. ensuring impact across different contexts. This paper offers practical strategies for responding to these challenges: 1. tailor-made training for Labbing, 2. reflexively engaging with power dynamics, 3. forging rich, translocal learning and impact. Sharing learnings from our experience with Labbing may broaden the repertoire of fellow Lab practitioners in enhancing and strengthening their impact.
KW - Community of Practice
KW - evaluation
KW - impact
KW - living labs
KW - sustainability
KW - transformation
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U2 - 10.14512/gaia.33.S1.10
DO - 10.14512/gaia.33.S1.10
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85188823792
SN - 0940-5550
VL - 33
SP - 64
EP - 71
JO - GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society
JF - GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society
IS - Supplement 1
ER -