The emergence of interdisciplinary knowledge in problem‐focused research

Abstract

In this paper I explore the specific properties associated with the new knowledge produced by inter‐ or transdisciplinary research. Using my analysis of a land use planning study in the Meuse valley in The Netherlands, I argue that the process of knowledge integration requires the exercise of value judgement and that the outcomes are emergent. I also show that the selection of a boundary object as objective facilitates interdisciplinary research because it is shared amongst disciplines and because it necessitates judgement in its implementation.

If Post-Normal Science is the Solution, What is the Problem?: The Politics of Activist Environmental Science

“…The substantial literature on boundary organizations and boundary work provides more strategic lessons for PNS proponents: getting your view to count is all about balancing processes of demarcation (for science's credibility and authority) and coordination (with a view to relevance and salience ;Halffman 2003;Hoppe 2005). These lessons can be briefly summarized as institutionalized double participation and accountability across the science-policy divide, and coproduction of a social and cognitive order, for example, through the use of boundary objects in continuous communication and interaction between policy workers and scientific experts (Star and Griesemer 1989;Guston 2001;Miller 2001;Hoppe and Huijs 2003;Nutley, Walter, and Davies 2003;Wesselink 2009). …”

You gain some funding, you lose some freedom: The ironies of flood protection in Limburg (The Netherlands)

“…It was initiated in 2001 by the Secretary of State for Transport, Public Works and Water Management and implemented by Rijkswaterstaat's regional directorate Limburg. Its objective was the selection of a politically acceptable set of flood management measures that would ensure the legal level of flood protection as well as provide as much 'landscape quality' as possible (see Wesselink (2009) for a discussion of landscape quality and its interpretation in IVM). The required space for the selected measures would have to be reserved and protected from all developments, so in effect this study investigated whether the area covered by the planning framework 'Room for the River' would be large enough in future.…”

“…1 Through discourse analysis of published government reports, newspaper articles and interviews with actors involved he demonstrated how securitisation of flooding played an important role in establishing the agreed programme of work. Using ethnography and participatory observation, Wesselink (2007bWesselink ( , 2009) described how water expertise and politics are interwoven by the participants in a government study on future flood management in Limburg, whereby challenging the established rules on flood management and spatial planning play a crucial role (Wesselink et al, 2006. For this article, we collected additional information on the negotiations surrounding Meuse flood management projects by consulting water experts who were closely involved in these projects (e.g.…”

From climate research to climate compatible development: experiences and progress in the Netherlands

“…The analysis is carried out on the basis of documented accounts from both programmes, including articles and reports from the projects and the articles presented in this special issue. Special attention is given to the existence of features of 'top-down' as well as 'bottom-up' approaches (Adger et al 2005a, b) and features of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research (Wesselink 2008(Wesselink , 2009) at both project and programme level. Experiences from the followup programme KfC supplied additional sources to reflect upon our findings.…”