knowledge and society
DESCRIPTION
Role of knowledge in societyTRANSCRIPT
Knowledge and SocietyPromoting Sustainable
Communities in Devon and Cornwall
Town and Parish CouncilsGregory Borne
Introduction
• Example- ‘Promoting Sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall’
• Translating research into knowledge for broader society
• Activity
Recent and Current Research
Two Significant Research projects 1. Exploring discourses of sustainable development in
governance structures (2001-2006)• Global – United Nations Environment Programme• Local – Carbon reduction innovation support pilot2. Promoting Sustainable Communities in Devon and
Cornwall (2007 – 2010)
Promoting Sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall
Research Aims:Focus on Sustainable Development, Risk and climate change • Understand Education and training needs for local communities • To explore perceptions and understandings of sustainable development
and risk within local government and local community networks • Understand the opportunities and barriers for creating sustainable
communities • Explore the relationship between knowledge, institutions and policy• Explore the interaction between multiple stakeholders • Explore the opportunities and barriers for responses to risks such as
climate change • Create effective policy synergies between global aspirations and local
needs
Why Town and Parish Councils?Practical• Closest level of government to the community • Very little research already conducted• Localism – TPC’s increasingly powerful in shaping local communities, total
place, community budget, presumption in favour of sustainable development
• Urban and Rural (parish councils in London for the first time in 45 years –town council in East London)
Conceptual• Nexus point for multiple networks (Global and Local)• Uniform structure whilst also being diverse and contextual (10000 TPC’s
in England and Wales)• Access institutional, community and individual perspective • Hybrid organisation local government/ volunteers/ community members
Multiple Dimensions
Sustainable Communiti
es
Interconnected Perspective
Complex, reflexive and non linear
Participatory and action orientated
Multi Sectoral –Govnt, business, NGO and local community
Project PartnersKnowledge Interaction
• All TPC’s in Devon and Cornwall (614)• Cornwall Council• Devon County Council• Devon Association of local Councils• Cornwall Association of local councils• South West Lifelong learning Network• University of Plymouth
Initial Consultation
• Interaction at the research formulation stage Consultation Questions: • How do my research goals match the goals of
the project partners?• What knowledge outputs would the project
partners like to see?• Will there be compromise?• Can we create synergies for the research
project?
Methodology
• Multi methodological structure • Qualitative and Quantitative techniques• Survey – 6000 questionnaires to all town and
parish councilors in Devon and Cornwall (70 per cent response rate)
• 200 in-depth interviews Triangulation
Diverse geographical area
RESULTS and Primary Areas
How is community defined and understood?
Part of a
Community
Multiple Communities
Work
Family
and Fr
iends
Internet
Nation W
ide
Local
Areas
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
96
56
6
61
6 7
85
95
65
39
63
8 8
89
Community
DevonCornwall
Per
Cent
Do people feel part of the community?
How is a sustainable community defined?
Community is diverse and fractured
Multiple Communities in a single area
What elements do people feel that constitutes a community for them?
Aware of Sustainable Development
Climate
Change
Ozone L
ayer
Agenda 2
1
Biodiversi
ty
Global W
arming
Carbon Fo
otprint
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
98
85
40
85
98 9698
87
35.5
84.5
98 95.5
Aware of Sustainable De-velopment Related Issues
DevonCornwall
Per C
ent
• Respondents asked if they were aware of a number of issues that relate to sustainable development
• Relationship between knowledge an action
Perceptions of Global Warming
Not Hap
pening
All Natu
ral Cau
ses
Made W
orse by H
umans
All Human
ity's F
ault
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
38
78
104
8
80
6
Global Warming
DevonCornwall
Per C
ent
What do Members of town and parish councils feel about global warming
Do they think it is actually happening and if so why?
Qualitative interviews revealed that there may be a problem with this result !!!
Global and Local Connections
Air Pollu
tion
Wate
r Pollu
tionTra
fficW
aste
Global W
arming
Flooding
Economy
Population
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
10
15
26
53
17
8
21
47
9 9
3
16
43
12
4649
Global and Local
LocalGlobal
Interactions between the Local and the global
How important are the issues to local communities and the global realm?
Mechanisms for Achieving Sustainable Development
LAA
CAA
Susta
inable
Community St
rateg
y
Quality
Parish
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
29
10
60
34
10
52
61
Awareness
DevonCornwall
Per C
ent
• Aware of mechanisms that may be understood as relating to sustainable communities
• Empowering local communities
Partnership• Interaction between the
different stakeholders • Interaction between other
parishes • Interaction between the
national and local government • TPC are a hybrid organization
so how does this effect their role with other organizations?
Qualitative Component
THEMESIntra and inter Community
Dynamics Structural InertiaRisk CommunicationHybrid Knowledge ‘sIndividual and group behaviourDiscourses of sustainable
development
ANALYSIS
Grounded theory
Corpus Analysis
Content analysis
Translating Research into PolicyKnowledge and Society
• But how did I translate the research into outputs for broader society?
• What mechanisms did i use?• How does broader society use my research? • What's still left to be done?
Outputs
• Education and training programmes in Cornwall and Devon (http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=17712)
• Reports for all skakeholders• Book (2012) ‘Governance in Transition: Sustainable
Development at the Local Level in a Global Context’• New insights into sustainable development governance and
community dynamics.• A framework for future research • Collaborations• www.sustainableparish.com
Policy Relevant
The Media • Media is an important part of
transmitting scientific knowledge to the general public
• The general public (you and me) play an important role in influencing policy
(cyclical relationship)
• Why is some science/knowledge reported and others overlooked?
• How do we know what is reported is accurate?