Presentation at European Environmental Evaluators Network Forum 4.-5. November 2020.

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WHAT CAN SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE
OFFER FOR TRANSFORMATIVE
POLICYMAKING ?
Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki,
Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science,
University of Helsinki
EEEN2020: European Environmental Evaluators Network Forum
4-5 November 2020

2. • Sustainability science
• Pathways towards transformative change
• Governance and politics in sustainability
transformations
• Role of sustainability science in
introducing change?
• Conclusions
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CONTENT

3. • Complex
• Urgent
• Uncertain
• Both problems and solutions are value-laden
• Additional scientific knowledge are not necessarily
able to solve these problems
=> call for new approaches that transcends the disciplinary
and sectoral borderlines
SUSTAINABILITY PROBLEMS
ARE…

4. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE
• Two main goals:
• Increase understanding of social-ecological systems
• Link knowledge to action to aid societal change
• Reconfiguring the way science is organized and the relationship between science and
practice
• Sustainability science needs to be tightly coupled to decision- and policy-making
processes, rather than being merely “curiosity-driven”
• Sustainability scientists should be trained to be “normatively competent,” to develop
interventions that make the world a better—more sustainable—place
Clark and Dickson 2003; Kates 2011; Jerneck et al. 2011; Bettencourt and Kaur 2011, Spangenberg 2011; Clark and Dickson 2003, Kates et al. 2001)
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6. • ”Transformational” turn in sustainability research literature:
• Transition, transformation, transformative adaptation,
transformative knowledge, transformative research,
transdisciplinarity…
• Sustainability Science is a discipline which aims to cover these
aspects
• It is not purely environmental science nor social/political science,
but use all sciences as a breeding ground when striving for
sustainability
• Recognized by UN as a means to achieve SDGs
AIMING TOWARDS
TRANSFORMATION

7. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE ALSO AIMS TO
TRANSFORM SCIENCE ITSELF
Transformations of science systems:
• Evolution of science systems in order
to support their effective contribution to the 2030 Agenda
• Development of open science systems
• Promotion of transdisciplinary approaches to knowledge generation
• Knowledge brokerage and science advisory ecosystems
• Scientific capacity needs at individual, institutional and policy levels, as well as systems
of research incentives
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Mobilizing global sustainable science action is imperative if we are to realize the 2030 Agenda. The International Science Council

8. NEW ROLES OF RESEARCHERS
Reflective scientist - Analyse dynamics and actors - Provide knowledge on
the basis of analysis - Analyse outcomes –Observe - reflect and analyse actions
Process facilitator - Initiate process - Select participants - Facilitate process
Change agent - Motivate participants - Empower participants to lead/own the process - Network with
stakeholders outside the group - Support in policy formulation
Knowledge broker - Support in making sustainability meaningful in the given context - Provide space
for critical reflection - Mediate different perspectives
Self-reflexive scientist - Engage in a (self-) reflexive practice with regard to own normative orientation
- Engage in self-reflexive practice with regard to internal and external power dynamics
(Wittmayer and Schäpke 2014)

9. Practice
Source of knowledge
Commission reports
Research
Transdisciplin
ary research
Interdisciplinary integrationPB knowledge integration
TRANSDISCIPLNARITY IN
SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE

10. • Knowledge of the current status: Systems
knowledge (what is?)
• Knowledge concerning that which may and may not
be: Target knowledge (where to go?)
• Knowledge on how to make the transition from the
current to the target situation:
Transformation/transformative knowledge
(how to get there?)
Oct 9, 2018Helsinki Sustainability Science Center 10
THREE FORMS OF SCIENTIFIC
KNOWLEDGE IN SUSTAINABILITY
SCIENCE
(Source: ProClim 1997)

11. CO-PRODUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE
● Is a core in sustainability science
● It is approach as well as set of methodologies
● It widens the roles of researchers and science
● “Processes that iteratively unite ways of knowing and acting—including ideas, norms,
practices, and discourses—leading to mutual reinforcement and reciprocal
transformation of societal outcomes” (Wyborn et al 2019)
● Aim is to produce societally robust knowledge
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12. PATHWAYS TO TRANSFORMATIVE
CHANGE
• In sustainability science the aim is to identify pathways to transformative
change that are:
• Progressive (in a normative sense of social justice)
• Systemic (addressing various factors simultaneously
and in an interrelated way)
• Long term (cannot be easily reversed in the short term)
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13. HOW TO GET INTO THE
TRANSFORMATIVE TRACK?
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14. SOLUTION PATHWAYS TOWARDS
SUSTAINABILITY ARE ACHIEVED
VIA….
• REGULATION/POLICIES/ TREATIES
Can the democratic system solve the wicked problems?
• BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE
What are the possibilities to change people’s behaviour?
• TEHCNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND MARKET MECHANISM
Is the speed of the technology development enough? Do the markets support just
development?
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15. GOVERNANCE AND POLITICS IN
SUSTAINABILITY TRANSFORMATIONS
• Governance and politics are central to understanding, analysing, and shaping
transformations towards sustainability
• Governance is inherently implicated in any intentional effort to shape ‘transformations
towards sustainability’
• Transformations towards sustainability are deeply and unavoidably political, and need
to be recognised as such
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16. CHANGE MECHANISMS
- Innovation - A completely novel activity or application of an activity in a new location
- Expansion - An application of an existing activity at a much greater scale or much
greater intensity
- Reorganisation - A major change in the governance structures that frame
transformation
- Reorientation - A reconfiguration of social values and social relations towards
transformation
(Few et al 2017)
- Creative destruction – destabilisation
- Learning
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Source: 2016 POLICY INNOVATIONS FOR
TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE

18. SMALL WINS VS.
DESTRUCTION
• “Concrete, complete outcomes of moderate importance” that can create momentum for larger-
scale change.”
• Identifying, gathering, and labeling several small changes that are present but
unnoticed
• Particular interventions may be incremental or piecemeal, small to moderate changes could
have the potential to cumulate into more substantial transformation over time. (Termeer &
Metze 2019)
• Do we have time for small-winns?
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19. TRANSFORMATIVE
POLICY MAKING?
• Strategic long-term policy making providing clear direction for transitions
processes, including through inclusive anticipatory deliberation (re-orientation)
• Utilization of instrument mixes which pay attention to the creation and
destruction side of transition processes, including through a greater
openness to societal experimentation (expansion?)
• Establishment of new or adjustment of existing institutional arrangements
and governance structures to support transitions towards sustainability
(innovation and re-organisation?)
Rogge et al 2020
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20. FACTORS THAT ENABLE TRANSFORMATION
QCA – INSIGHTS FROM 13 COUNTRIES
• Institutional setting: a) The positive push of already existing policy change, or b)
the negative stress of resource scarcity, represents institutional conditions for
transformative change
• Policy Arena: The presence of powerful transformational coalitions and strong
ownership and leadership are also needed. In the absence of these internal drivers,
performance-based funding can work as a strong incentive.
Korhonen-Kurki et al 2019
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21. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE
INTRODUCING CHANGE?
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22. SCIENCE –POLICY INTERFACES
Science Policy interfaces are vehicles to
integrate transformative knowledge into
policy-making
• Science-Policy Panels
• Co-production of knowledge in research projects –
Transdisciplinary research
• Round-tables for researchers and policy-makers
• Forum/platforms
• Science advise
• Science dialogues
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23. FINNISH EXPERT PANEL
FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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Voice of science – support for decision making – initiator of dialogue
• Global Sustainable Development Report, GSDR (2019)
• Transition workshops on six pathways towards transformation - How to change and
challenge they way we think and act – as well as shake up the societal structures?

24. Intermediate
outcomes
End-of-project
outcomes
Engagement
activities
Research
activities
Impacts
Recommendations and guidelines for effective and just climate policies for all levels
Policy analysis,
emission
analysis, TOC
analysis,
Understanding of the distant impacts of
the EU and Finnish consumption and
investments in the land use system in
case countries
TOC validation
workshops
Effective and just land use systems for climate change mitigation and
adaptation
Effective and just climate policies
for LUC in all levels
Changes in material
and investment
flows
Understanding of why policy fails - or
succeeds in the land use system
Engagement events with national
decision makers
Knowledge sharing
through participation in
international events, such
as COP
Knowledge products in the form of
briefs and summaries accessible to
policymakers
Knowledge products: interactive
multimedia products, toolbox,
social media available to wider
public
Finnish and EU policy and trade and
investment actors are informed about the
spillovers
National decision makers in
Brazil, Indonesia, Laos, DRC are
informed
International (such as COP)
climate society is informed
Knowledge co-
generation
Understanding land use
change related emissions and
their drivers and enabling
conditions
Societal advisory board –
intensive engagement with the
board throughout the project in
Finland
Analysis of resource,
financial, and ideational
flows
Brazil Indone
sia
Laos DRC
Changes in ideational flows
Knowledge products: open access
peer-reviewed journal articles
SUSTAIN
ABILITY
SCIENCE
IMPACT
PATHWA
YS –
THEORY
OF
CHANGE

25. Identification values
and stakes
Concept to frame
the problem
To understand system
Phases in policy cycle
Degreeofconsensus
To identify multiple
solutions
To assess outcomes
Evaluation
Implement
ation
Policy
design
Stakehold
er
identificati
on
Problem
identificati
on
Source – modified from Sarkki
et al 2020
Sustainability science - transformative elements
Adaptive
capacity
”power
triangle”
System
analysis
Backcasting
scenarios
Transformative policy
evaluation

26. CO-PRODUCTION EXAMPLE –
SCIENCE HAVING IMPACT
• Peat soil of croplands and forests is currently the large emission source in the Finnish
LULUCF sector, and also significant globally. With current management practices the
emissions are likely to increase
• This was not widely regonised
• Researchers applied a project on climate-smart management options to forested and
cultivated peatland with knowledge co-production approach
• Co-creation and active communication with policy-makers – peatlands highligthed in a
new goverment climate program
• Co-creation with farmers and forest owners – gradual change in practises (however
incentives needed)
See more: https://www.luke.fi/sompa/en/
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27. DOES TRANSDICIPLINARY RESEARCH PRODUCE
SOCIETAL IMPACTS?
Litterature view: in-depth participation of users and the integration of relevant knowledge from both
practice and research in real-world problem contexts produce socially robust results that
contribute to sustainability.
Review of transdisciplinary projects - The conclusions show that transdisciplinary processes, do
produce different types of socially robust knowledge, but this does not necessarily result in
the ability to influence change in a sustainable direction.
This instead creates a paradox in that the participation of stakeholders and the integration of
knowledge from diverse sources require spaces that are both embedded in and insulated from
practice and science proper.
Such spaces produce results that are not easily aligned with sector-based target groups and
formal policy process
HOW TO OVERCOME THIS CHALLENGE?
(Polk 2014 )

28. CONCLUSIONS
• Sustainability transformations are political and need to be governed
• There are various mechanisms of change and governance elements that may induce
transformation
• No one- fits- all- solutions – multiple pathways
• Sustainability science has an important role in creating transformative knowlege
and ”sustainability innovations” that can destabilize the existing setting and
having impact
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29. THANK YOU!
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