Connection, Participation and Empowerment in Community-Based Research: the Case of the Transition Movement

该项目将探索英国过渡运动中的参与和知识交流模式，特别关注学术研究人员、过渡倡议（促进社区主导应对气候变化、石油峰值和经济收缩的地方团体）和过渡网络（致力于支持过渡倡议并使其工作成为可能的国际协调机构）之间的关系。在即将出台的卓越研究框架（REF）日益强调研究“影响”的背景下，许多人文和社会科学领域的研究人员将寻求更直接地与社区团体和运动中的潜在研究受益者接触。然而，转型网络和个别转型计划（与其他社区组织）的经验表明，与研究人员合作的潜在利益并不总是被实现。过渡网络还指出，虽然它认识到这些潜在的好处，但在实践中这些好处并不总是被实现，而且存在科学家可能消耗有限的时间和资源的风险。在此背景下，本项目将调查研究人员、过渡网络和当地过渡倡议之间的关系如何能够互惠互利。它将通过感兴趣的学者和过渡网络工作人员之间的合作来做到这一点。该团队将首先领导一个记录和反思研究人员参与过渡的经验的过程。然后，从这一阶段吸取的教训将用于设计加强知识共享和研究人员参与的战略和协议。还将举办一系列试验性讲习班，以检验新的办法和响应过渡网络所确定的需要。在整个过程中，该项目将尝试一种受永续文化设计启发的共同探究方法，选择这种方法是因为它与过渡运动（本身就受到永续文化的影响）相关。该项目的主要产出将包括管理学术研究人员与过渡小组或社区之间关系的指导方针，一份面向普通受众的报告，该报告将总结从文档、设计和试点阶段获得的主要发现，以及一篇发表在同行评审期刊上的学术文章。该项目将涉及一系列利益相关者和受益者，包括转型网络成员和工作人员、地方转型倡议、对转型运动作为社区主导的适应气候变化和石油峰值的相关例子感兴趣的学者和政策制定者，以及对定性和参与性研究方法感兴趣的学者。该项目有助于互联社区计划的发展，解决其三个核心主题中的所有三个，包括来自四项现有范围界定研究的研究人员，并以范围界定阶段广泛的进一步研究的结果为基础。

This project will explore patterns of engagement and knowledge exchange within the Transition movement in the UK, with particular attention to the relationships among academic researchers, Transition initiatives - local groups promoting community-led responses to climate change, peak oil and economic contraction - and the Transition Network, an international coordinating body dedicated to supporting Transition initiatives and enabling their work.In the context of an increasing emphasis on research 'impact' in the forthcoming research excellence framework (REF), many researchers in the humanities and social sciences will be seeking to engage more directly with potential research beneficiaries in community groups and movements. However, the experiences of both the Transition Network and individual Transition initiatives (as with other community organisations) suggest that the potential benefits of collaboration with researchers are not always realised. The Transition Network has also indicated that, while it recognises these potential benefits, in practice these are not always realised, and there are risks that researchers can be a drain on limited time and resources.Against this background, this project will investigate how relationships among researchers, the Transition Network, and local Transition initiatives can be mutually beneficial. It will do this through a collaboration between interested academics and Transition Network staff. This team will first lead a process of documenting and reflecting on experiences of researcher engagement with transition. The learning from this phase will then feed into the design of strategies and protocols for enhancing knowledge sharing and researcher engagement. A series of pilot workshops will also be held, to test new approaches and respond to needs identified by the transition network. Throughout, the project will experiment with a co-inquiry methodology inspired by permaculture design, chosen for its relevance to the Transition movement (itself informed by permaculture).The main outputs from this project will include guidelines for managing relationships between academic researchers and Transition groups or communities, a report for a general audience that will summarise key findings from the documentation, design and piloting phases, and an academic article in a peer-reviewed journal.The project will be relevant to a range of stakeholders and beneficiaries, including Transition Network members and staff, local Transition initiatives, academics and policy-makers interested in the Transition movement as a relevant example of community-led adaptation to climate change and peak oil, and academics interested in qualitative and participatory research methodologies.The project contributes to the development of the Connected Communities programme, addressing all three of its three core themes, including researchers from four existing scoping studies and building upon findings from a broad range of further studies in the scoping phase.