Researcher interview #1: Why is it important to study participation in the sustainability transition? Professor Sampsa Hyysalo answers
First up is Sampsa Hyysalo, project consortium leader and professor at Aalto University.
The aim of the project is to increase participation in the sustainability transition. But what does that actually mean?
"The sustainability transition affects people's everyday lives both today and in the lifetime of future generations, and the changes will have a strong impact on the conditions of society in the long term. Due to the scale, complexity, and long-term nature of the transition, a deep understanding of the subject is required, which has contributed to the fact that preparations have been made within fairly narrow expert circles. It is paradoxical that the sustainability transition is a phenomenon with a broad impact and long duration, but partly for this reason, participation in its preparation has been limited and restricted to a relatively small group of participants.
The starting point for the Material Democracy project is that the group of participants can be expanded in a way that also benefits policy preparation. Increasing participation can also improve the quality of policy preparation and produce more diverse information and understanding to support the preparation process.”
Why is it important to study this topic?
“Because transitions are complex and long-lasting, it is not trivial how people can meaningfully participate in them. New, more advanced ways are needed for citizens and experts from different fields to work together effectively to anticipate transitions and their consequences.
In research and the development of participation, it is important to note that decisions related to transitions are made at different levels, which may also require different forms of participation. Transitions are planned at a high level of foresight, but at the same time, concrete processes related to, for example, municipal land use and household energy renovations are also essential in the transition and participation in it. Our research project aims to respond to the challenge of identifying a great need for broader participation and involvement in the planning and implementation of the sustainability transition at different levels and in different processes, but sufficient solutions have not yet been found.”
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