Scenario planning as communicative action: lessons from participatory exercises conducted for the Scottish livestock industry

AbstractBased on Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action, this paper critiques the transparency and legitimacy of participatory scenario planning, considering a case study of scenario development for the livestock industry within Scotland. The paper considers the extent to which the case study approximates the conditions for ‘ideal speech situations’ and how these conditions could be applied more widely in participatory scenario planning. The authors explore the rationale for participatory scenario planning within the science–policy interface with critical reference to the corporate context in which scenario planning has evolved. The aim is to optimise the potential for its use in the context of socio-technical and environmental governance. Researcher co-reflections on the case study are mapped within a matrix of indices representing conditions for ideal speech situations. Further analytical categories highlight the extent to which ideal speech was approximated. Although many of the constraints on achieving ideal speech situations reflect intransigent, practical logistics of organising participatory exercises, our novel approach enables the systematic identification of some important issues and provides a conceptual framework for understanding how they interrelate that may prove useful to practitioners and theorists alike

Ethical Dimensions of Digital Visual Research Methods

This report summarises the main findings from a one year research project looking at the ethical challenges arising from the use of digital, visual methods in research. Digital, visual methods offer a host of new possibilities for researchers leading to rapidly rising use further promoted as technology has become more affordable and user-friendly. In addition, these methods can also be used to empower individuals and communities and to promote conflict resolution and dialogue. Researchers have made use of the possibilities offered by these technologies in a variety of ways which have different ethical challenges associated with them. To organise the findings we have categorised methods into the following three types: LOOKING THROUGH - researcher-led activities in which participants respond to digital, visual media LOOKING AT - research into already existing digital, visual material LOOKING WITH - participatory (co-)production of, digital, visual artefacts While research projects as well as ethical challenges may occur across these types, we employ this typology to organise what can otherwise seem a bewildering wealth of different technologies and approaches. Furthermore, particular challenges have been found to be primarily associated with particular stages of the research process (such as planning, implementation and dissemination/sharing). We address these in the ‘check list’ of issues at the end of this report.<br/