By directly linking research processes to change makers, co-production promises to create more impactful knowledge and actions. However, what co-production means in practice is not always clear or consistent. Drawing on the experiences of 32 co-production initiatives from around the world that aim to enhance sustainability, Josephine Chambers, Carina Wyborn, Henrik Österblom, Lakshmi Charli-Joseph, Jessica Cockburn, Rosemary Hill, Ruth Brennan, Chris Cvitanovic and their many co-authors, present a scheme for understanding different kinds of co-production, and the different tradeoffs they entail. In so doing, they highlight 6 modes of co-production that emerge when particular design choices are made

Brennan, Ruth

Chambers, Josephine

Charli-Joseph, Lakshmi

Cockburn, Jessica

Cvitanovic, Chris

Hill, Rosemary

Wyborn, Carina

Österblom, Henrik

English

LSE Research Online

The	hitchhiker’s	guide	to	co-production:	Six	ways	tolink	knowledge	and	action	for	sustainabilityBy	directly	linking	research	processes	to	change	makers,	co-production	promises	to	create	more	impactfulknowledge	and	actions.	However,	what	co-production	means	in	practice	is	not	always	clear	or	consistent.	Drawingon	the	experiences	of	32	co-production	initiatives	from	around	the	world	that	aim	to	enhance	sustainability,Josephine	Chambers,	Carina	Wyborn,	Henrik	Österblom,	Lakshmi	Charli-Joseph,	Jessica	Cockburn,Rosemary	Hill,	Ruth	Brennan,	Chris	Cvitanovic	and	their	many	co-authors,	present	a	scheme	for	understandingdifferent	kinds	of	co-production,	and	the	different	tradeoffs	they	entail.	In	so	doing,	they	highlight	6	modes	of	co-production	that	emerge	when	particular	design	choices	are	made.How	can	humanity	address	the	vast	sustainability	challenges	that	we	face?	Today	there	is	no	shortage	of	ideas	andrecommendations.	Yet,	what	do	they	actually	do	for	society?	In	Douglas	Adams’	The	Hitchhiker’s	Guide	to	theGalaxy,	a	supercomputer	is	famously	tasked	with	calculating	the	answer	to	the	ultimate	question	of	life,	theUniverse,	and	everything.	After	7.5	million	years,	it	answers	“42”.	An	answer	of	little	use	to	anyone	when	theoriginal	question	remains	a	mystery.This	metaphor	is	apt	for	the	state	of	many	academic	disciplines:	research	churns	out	advice,	yet	often	with	poorconnection	to	the	world	beyond	academia,	where	progress	is	at	best	incremental.	One	response	to	this	is	“co-production”	–	processes	that	connect	researchers	and	diverse	societal	actors	to	grow	critical	insights	in	ways	thatpromise	to	spur	direct	action.	Instead	of	a	single	lead	researcher	(or	computer),	co-production	entails	collaborativework	to	navigate	often	contrasting	views	regarding	what	questions	matter,	and	how	their	exploration	can	generatesocietal	change.Co-production	is	widely	applied	to	address	sustainability	challenges,	and	action	is	urgently	needed.	Yet,	questionsremain	around	the	many	proliferating	concepts	and	methods	that	make	up	co-production.	In	response,	our	initialanswer	was	also	42	–	in	this	case,	42	scholar	practitioners	deeply	engaged	in	co-production.	Together,	we	mappedout	commonalities	and	differences	across	32	initiatives	that	designed	to	connect	diverse	sectors	and	sustainablydevelop	ecosystems	at	local	to	global	scales	in	six	continents.	We	asked	ourselves:	How	do	our	approaches	differ?Why?	What	are	the	implications?In	our	new	study,	“Six	modes	of	co-production	for	sustainability”,	we	share	our	collective	insights	via	a	heuristic	tooldesigned	to	support	diverse	change	agents	–	researchers,	policy	makers,	activists,	community	leaders,	and	CEOs–	to	reflect	on	how	they	attempt	to	link	diverse	knowledge	and	action.	The	six	modes	we	identify	vary	in	theirpurpose	for	using	co-production	–	to	solve	predefined	problems,	or	to	reframe	problems;	understanding	of	power	–focusing	on	changing	people’s	behaviour,	or	more	systemic	issues;	approach	to	politics	–	empoweringmarginalized	actors,	or	influencing	powerful	actors	to	yield	power;	and	pathways	to	impact	–	by	primarily	producingscientific	knowledge,	or	through	more	integrated	forms	of	knowing,	relating	and	doing.	These	differences	influencethe	kinds	of	outcomes	that	are	possible,	as	well	as	the	critical	risks	they	pose.	Here	we	offer	a	brief	tour	of	six	suchinitiatives.Impact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 1 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/Mode	1.	Researching	solutionsImpact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 2 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/For	over	a	decade,	the	Durban	Research	Action	Partnership	(D’RAP)	has	built	relationships	between	academicsand	local	municipality	officials	in	the	eThekwini	Municipality	(South	Africa).	The	partnership	has	co-producedknowledge	to	assist	managers	in	the	municipality	to	make	biodiversity	conservation	and	climate	adaptationdecisions.	While	this	mode	supports	environmental	decision-making,	it	risks	an	over-emphasis	on	scientificknowledge	at	the	expense	of	other	knowledge	forms	(e.g.	indigenous	knowledge).	Nonetheless,	building	newworking	relationships	and	increasing	knowledge	and	capacities,	are	widely	recognized	as	important	outcomes	forsustainability.Mode	2.	Empowering	voicesImpact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 3 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/Indigenous	peoples	are	highly	exposed	to	climate	change	impacts.	Yet	adaptation	plans	frequently	ignore	bothcolonial	contexts	and	Indigenous	strengths,	thereby	increasing	vulnerability.	Ltyentye	Apurte	Rangers,	the	CentralLand	Council	and	researchers	from	Australia’s	national	science	agency	CSIRO	worked	together	to	empowerIndigenous	voices	through	a	co-produced	book	on	climate	change	in	central	Australia.	The	Rangers	presented	thisinformation	in	Arrernte	(the	local	Indigenous	language)	to	local	audiences	who	identified	meaningful	communitysolutions.	They	also	identified	neo-colonial	policy	settings	that	hinder	implementation,	highlighting	how	newrelationships	between	Indigenous	peoples	and	nation-states	that	empower	local	decision-making	and	learning	arevital	for	adaptation.Impact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 4 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/Mode	3.	Brokering	powerImpact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 5 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/Seafood	production	is	dominated	by	a	few	companies,	or	“Keystone	Actors”.	Scientists	brought	ten	of	thesecompanies	together	for	a	series	of	Keystone	Dialogues	that	resulted	in	the	Seafood	Business	for	OceanStewardship	(SeaBOS)	initiative.	SeaBOS	is	a	unique	space	for	reframing	ocean	governance	with	CEOs	who	arepowerful	enough	to	influence	norms	and	practice	throughout	the	seafood	production	system.	Activities	include	pre-competitive	approaches	for	transparency	and	traceability,	collaborative	strategies	for	reducing	antibiotics,	plastics,and	climate	emissions,	and	advocacy	for	better	regulations.	Brokering	power	is	challenging,	but	SeaBOS	illustratesthe	importance	of	this	mode	for	opening	up	new	conversations	and	actions	between	scientists	and	powerful	actors.Mode	4.	Reframing	powerImpact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 6 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/A	multi-year	process	in	Northern	Peru	brought	NGO,	government,	community,	and	academic	actors	together	toexamine	why	joint	conservation	and	development	projects	often	fail.	A	regional	dialogue	and	subsequentorganizational	workshops	explored	problematic	assumptions	behind	prevailing	models,	why	they	persisted,	andopportunities	for	transformation.	This	mode	explicitly	brings	knowledge	capable	of	challenging	power	relations	intopolicy	and	practice,	but	in	doing	so	risks	polarizing	tensions	and	co-optation	by	vested	interests.	It	is	thereforecrucial	for	this	mode	to	build	legitimate	and	safe	spaces	for	critique,	combined	with	inspiring	opportunities	to	dothings	differently.Impact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 7 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/Mode	5.	Navigating	differencesIn	Scotland,	a	protracted	conflict	between	a	small	island	community	and	the	Scottish	Government	was	sparked	bythe	creation	of	a	marine	protected	area	(MPA).	A	participatory	mapping	process	created	an	interactive,	online,cultural	map	of	the	sea,	revealing	different	ways	of	knowing	the	marine	environment	not	visible	or	acknowledgedwithin	the	marine	policy	environment	where	biological	diversity	was	the	focus.	The	recognition	of	rich	and	diversecultural	heritage	and	social	relations	bound	up	with	marine	biodiversity	opened	up	possibilities	for	the	design	of	acommunity-led	and	government-supported	co-management	process.Impact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 8 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/Mode	6.	Reframing	agencyImpact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 9 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/The	Transformation-Lab	in	the	Xochimilco	urban	wetlands	of	Mexico	City	was	a	2.5-year	process	devised	to	enablecollective	agency	for	social-ecological	transformation.	Diverse	participatory	methods	were	used	to	create	a	safe-enough	collaborative	space	where	participants	could	question	their	own	agency.	This	entailed	challenging	dominantways	of	viewing	sustainability	problems	and	recognizing	capacities	to	work	together	in	new	ways.	A	persistentchallenge	of	this	mode	is	to	avoid	echo	chambers	that	fail	to	produce	tangible	action	and	change.	Yet,	this	modeshowed	that	it	is	essential	to	transform	understandings	to	foster	new	connections	and	identify	novel	pathwaysforward.The	future	of	co-production	for	sustainabilityOur	study	marks	an	ongoing	shift	–	away	from	separate	worlds	of	research	and	practice,	and	towards	anunderstanding	of	the	need	to	cross	these	artificial	boundaries	to	achieve	a	more	sustainable	society.	But	this	is	noteasy.	We	can	no	longer	be	passive	hitchhikers.	We	must	become	active	co-pilots	charting	novel	paths	together,often	in	unknown	and	uncomfortable	spaces.	One	thing	we	are	sure	of	is	that	the	answer	is	not	42,	nor	a	fixedmenu	of	six	modes.	Sustainability	requires	exploration	of	diverse	approaches	that	will	generate	new	risks	and	newopportunities,	and	enabling	institutions	to	navigate	these	trade-offs.	Our	empirical	study	offers	insights	from	the	realworld.	A	willingness	to	listen,	reflect,	and	learn	together	will	help	us	share	the	responsibility	and	power	of	decision-making	to	ultimately	advance	societal	change.	This	post	draws	on	the	authors’	published	article,	Six	modes	of	co-production	for	sustainability,	published	in	NatureSustainability.	Note:	This	article	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Impact	Blog,	nor	of	the	LondonSchool	of	Economics.	Please	review	our	comments	policy	if	you	have	any	concerns	on	posting	a	comment	belowImage	Credit:	In	text	images	reproduced	with	permission	of	the	authors,	infographic,	featured	image	TeeFarm	viaPixabay.Impact of Social Sciences Blog: The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: Six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability Page 10 of 10		Date originally posted: 2021-08-06Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/08/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-co-production-six-ways-to-link-knowledge-and-action-for-sustainability/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/

The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability

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The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability

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