Knowledge co-production (also known as action-oriented knowledge, transdisciplinary and participatory research, and post-normal science) is an emerging field of importance with diverse socio-environmental science applications. What precisely is encompassed by co-production is as heavily researched as its applications. Its purpose is generally understood to be for developing a shared understanding of a system or framework by bringing together diverse people and/or knowledges, which can increase engagement and empowerment of stakeholders by virtue of being inclusive. The intention is also to remove or reduce bias toward those with the most power, resulting in more equitable outcomes. Co-production describes a process which embodies co-design, co-development, and co-delivery (Fleming, 2022), but does not necessarily require all three; and effective model co-production must include reflection and adaptation. Knowledge co-production has been explored in applications concerning water, energy, infrastructure, and ecology, as a few examples. This session seeks to understand the spectrum of co-production work, how it intersects with modelling, and the benefits (or drawbacks) of co-producing models. We wish to invite talks that may include participatory modelling and its methods (e.g., Voinov et al., 2016) but also those that explore more deeply why we co-produce models, how co-production supports effective decision-making, and how sociocultural conditions (e.g., power, politics, diversity, etc) must be balanced for a successful outcome. Co-production may not always result in successful outcomes, and we are interested in both successes and failures.
Fleming, A., 2022. Collaborative climate science research approaches – a summary [Fact sheet] (Fact sheet). CSIRO, Hobart, Australia. Voinov, A., Kolagani, N., McCall, M.K., Glynn, P.D., Kragt, M.E., Ostermann, F.O., Pierce, S.A., Ramu, P., 2016. Modelling with stakeholders – Next generation. Environmental Modelling & Software 77, 196–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2015.11.016
Key topics: Co-production, Participatory modelling, Socio-environmental modelling, Transdisciplinarity