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Selected Publication:

Pregernig, M.
(2007): Impact assessment of transdisciplinary research: In need of a more distanced view
GAIA. 2007; 16(1): 46-51.

Abstract:
Transdisciplinarity has become a fashionable term in contemporary reflections on alternative forms of scientific research. The transdisciplinary scientific community has paid great attention to quality assurance and evaluation in order to prove and ensure the added value of a transdisciplinary approach. Currently, the focus is very much on procedural and project-oriented aspects. My analysis of two bioregional assessments, which were carried out in the United States of America in the mid-1990s, indicates that many of the characteristics that make up a successful transdisciplinary research effort cannot be determined by just looking at the project itself. Rather, in order to identify many characteristics any analysis must also include a broader conceptual and empirical framework. My research findings provide two important conclusions and recommendations for the praxis of transdisciplinary research. First, evaluation studies should take a longer-term perspective and have a more "distanced" look at transdisciplinarity. Second, research programme management should reconsider its euphoria for evaluation, controlling and other types of accompanying process support since the success of transdisciplinary research also depends on a number of factors that are not amenable to direct management interventions.
Authors BOKU Wien:
Pregernig Michael

Find related publications in this database (Keywords)
bioregional assessments
impact assessment
participation
transclisciplinarity


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