The interrelation between collective participation and sustainable decisions – a qualitative assessment approach

The theoretical claim for stakeholder participation in order to achieve sustainable policy outcomes is prominent in the literature. Empirical evidence substantiating this claim is, however, lacking. The complex characteristics of the concepts of sustainability and participation demand a systematic approach in which method develops from theory. We propose a qualitative assessment approach based on theoretical considerations. We deliberately restrict our approach not to prove causalities but to demonstrate tendencies. Our methodological starting point refines the complex interrelation between collective participation and sustainability by qualitatively assessing the value of the two concepts separately before looking for mutual or opposing trends. Based on theory, both concepts are re-split into two dimensions. Collective participation is re-split into 1. inclusion and 2. influence and sustainability is re-split into 1. the external impact of decisions and 2. the internal capacity to face pressures. For each dimension the approach combines an abstracting point-based scaling system with explanatory narratives. This ensures the comparability of different cases and at the same time the transparency and reliability of the assessment. By matching and comparing the previous scaling results in the end, the assessment procedure explores whether the degree of collective participation and the degree of sustainability are rather synchronic or opposite. We exemplify our approach with an example of local level non-governmental neighbourhood governance in India and review primary data on the agitation for green spaces and slum eviction in Hyderabad. This application outlines the disregard for diversity among stakeholders and the cost-benefit assessment of sustainability as remaining theoretical and methodological items for the amendment of our assessment approach in its current version. After refinement the presented approach is intended for the application on diverse cases of direct decision-making and for the meta- analysis and comparison of secondary case-studies as well as for the analysis of primary qualitative data

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Does participatory and collective governance promote sustainable decisions?

Die Dissertation untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen der kollektiven Beteiligung betroffener Akteure und nachhaltigen Entscheidungen im Umgang mit Ressourcen. Hierbei wird eine zweiteilige Forschungsagenda aus einem theoretisch-methodologischen und einem empirischen Ansatz verfolgt. Zunächst soll die theoretische Debatte um die operativen Mechanismen zwischen partizipativen Governance-Formen und nachhaltigen Ergebnissen unter der Einbindung von Erkenntnissen zu kollektiven Handlungen vorangetrieben werden. Daneben sollen empirische Einsichten zu konkreten Fällen von kollektiver partizipativer Ressourcen-Governance in Hyderabad, Indien, gewonnen werden. Fünf wissenschaftliche Aufsätze widmen sich diesen beiden Forschungszielen. Der erste Aufsatz untersucht mit Hilfe einer Haushaltsumfrage in Hyderabad die Chancen für eine stärker inklusive Planung in der Wasserversorgung. Der zweite Aufsatz präsentiert eine umfangreiche Literaturauswertung und den Entwurf eines eigenen theoretischen Frameworks. Die folgenden Aufsätze liefern mittels qualitativer Fallstudien Erkenntnisse zu konkreten Formen der kollektiven Partizipation in Hyderabad: Der dritte Aufsatz ist eine Fallstudie über den genossenschaftlichen Sektor in Hyderabad und legt Defizite in der Mitglieder-Partizipation und Autonomie offen. Der vierte Aufsatz stellt dar wie SCOTRWA, ein Zusammenschluss von Nachbarschaftsorganisationen in Hyderabad, sein Sozialkapital für ein kollektives Vorgehen gegen medizinische Ausbeutung einsetzt. Schließlich entwirft der fünfte Aufsatz einen methodologischen Ansatz für die Auswertung qualitativer Daten. Die Anwendung untersucht eine Mitgliederorganisation von SCOTRWA und verdeutlicht die empirische Komplexität der Beziehung zwischen kollektiver Partizipation und nachhaltigen Entscheidungen. Diese Erkenntnisse beeinflussen rückwirkend die theoretischen und methodischen Konzepte der Dissertation wobei der methodologische Ansatz die Grundlage für weitergehende Forschung bildet.This dissertation studies the interrelation between collective stakeholder participation and sustainable decision-making when dealing with various resources. It follows an iterative research agenda consisting of a theoretical-conjoint-methodological approach and an empirical approach. First, the thesis aims to advance the theoretical debate on the relation between participatory governance and sustainable outcomes incorporating considerations on collective action. The second research aim is to accumulate concrete empirical insights on cases of collective stakeholder participation in Hyderabad, India. These two research goals are pursued via five research papers. Based on a household survey, paper 1 explores the prospects for more inclusive water planning at the neighbourhood level in Hyderabad. Paper 2 presents an extensive literature review resulting in the design of a distinct theoretical framework. The two following papers disclose through qualitative case studies insights on concrete collective stakeholder participation in Hyderabad. Paper 3 studies the cooperative sector in Hyderabad, revealing its lack of member participation and autonomy. Paper 4 exemplifies how SCOTRWA, a federation of neighbourhood associations in Hyderabad, uses its social capital as a tool for collective action against medical exploitation. Finally, paper 5 designs and applies a qualitative data evaluation approach to assess the interrelation between collective participation and sustainable decision-making. The approach is applied to a campaign promoted by a member association of SCOTRWA. This application points to the complexity in the interrelation between collective participation and sustainable decision-making and retroactively affects the dissertation’s theoretical and methodological conceptualisations. The methodological approach thereby establishes an innovative basis for further research