What is power and how does it play a role in transdisciplinary research projects? That question was the focus of Rathenau Institute's symposium on 12 September, titled: Under influence: The role of power in transdisciplinary research.
What is power?
Hanging from a clothesline were cards from the audience with different definitions of power written on them. According to Eefje Cuppen, director of the Rathenau Institute, power is the access to or deposition of resources. Inez Dekker, PhD candidate in CropMix, adopted a more conceptual definition: Power is relational. "It exists in the relationship between people and is not something objective."
Experiences from practice
Ans Hobbelink, board member of AVVN and member of CropMix, AVVN, participated in a panel discussion and talked about her experiences in practice. As far as she is concerned, societal partners can help shape research. "AVVN has knowledge about biodiversity and natural gardening. That knowledge can be of value for a programme like CropMix.’ Last year, AVVN also put this into practice by working with CropMix on the MoestuinMix experiment. Unfortunately, this year's snail infestation threw a spanner in the works. "It rained a lot and the snails ate the young plants meant for the experiment. An unforeseen circumstance, but therefore also a learning moment." She also stressed the need to give something back to participating partners and stakeholders. "In the case of MoestuinMix, we asked something from our members, the allotment gardeners. It's important to also give them something in return for their contribution and give them feedback about the results."
The financer's power
The conversation also turned to the ‘power’ of research funders. The way grants are designed determines a lot. Michaela Hordijk, human geographer at the University of Amsterdam, works on large, international projects, for example on urban development, water management and climate adaptation. She outlined her experience with European projects, in which all deliverables are fixed at the start. That is not very flexible. "Personally, I prefer to operate in a ‘goal-seeking’ manner, where you can set your course as you go along. I think it is right that we have to account ourselves, after all we are spending public money, but the emphasis on deliverables does not do justice to other forms of knowledge, such as workshops and co-creation sessions with stakeholders. You can't always quantify their impact." Another example of the power of research funders is that social partners in consortia have to put in co-financing to participate in a project like CropMix, whilst you would want to reward (pay) them for their contribution and efforts instead.
Asymmertry of power
Laurens Hessels, researcher at the Rathenau and professor at Leiden University, provided some theoretical background on power. "When you research a societal problem, you need all stakeholders at the table. What you don't want is for the asymmetry of power you see in society to be reproduced in the project." In other words, if, for example, arable farmers have little power in the current agricultural system, give them more say in a project in which you are trying to address those problems.
Three times left is also right
Solutions to redistributing power in transdisciplinary research were also discussed by the speakers and audience. First of all, we need to become aware of power and power differences. Between consortium partners and researchers, but also between funders and consortia and amongst partners themselves. Next, what could help is having a common goal. Lastly, we need a dose of rebellion: trying to do things differently and looking for opportunities, despite the rules and drive for deliverables. Or as Thijs Simons of SIA nicely put it, "Three times left is also right."
