The urgent need for a socio-ecological transition and the complexity of related problems require
ways of knowledge production that combine the expertise of researchers with knowhow
and insights of stakeholders affected by those problems, and who are potential local
actors of change.
In this context, stakeholder participation has gained prominence in development research.
On the one hand, it can help researchers to learn about local realities and therefore question
existing hypotheses, discover problems and coping strategies, and integrate local views
and ideas about present and future (policy) solutions. On the other hand, it can enable local
stakeholders to co-design the research process and to obtain new perspectives on specific
issues they are concerned with.
In the past years, a large variety of participatory processes and methods have been developed
and implemented in development research. However, in order to be an integral and
valuable part of the research, those processes have to be carefully designed and carried
out. Critical reflection and exchange of experiences in this field can help to advance the
quality and effectiveness of participatory processes.
The conference wants to address the following questions
- How are “stakeholders” defined in different research projects?
- What do we mean by “successful” stakeholder participation?
- Which forms and methods of stakeholder participation are conducive for which kind of development research projects?
- How can participatory processes be designed as an integral part of the research?
- What can we learn from existing experiences?
Registration: office(at)oefse.at or 01/317 40 10
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