pathways for CO-creation between local authorities and collective actions for a SUSTAINable transition

Project Information

CO-SUSTAIN

Grant agreement ID: 101132467

DOI

10.3030/101132467

EC signature date 10 November 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Culture, creativity and inclusive society

Total cost

€ 2 774 250,00

EU contribution

€ 2 774 250,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CO-SUSTAIN (pathways for CO-creation between local authorities and collective actions for a SUSTAINable transition)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The CO-SUSTAIN project seeks to address the challenge of a democratic climate transition, by defining and testing new democratic pathways enabling local policymakers to support various and novel forms of political participation and empowering citizens to act for a sustainable transition.
In Western democracies, traditional institutional participation is on the decline while non-institutional participation has been increasing. Non-institutional participation for the climate transition often relies on a prefigurative approach, thus creating spaces to incubate alternative ideas and novel forms of political participation.

The CO-SUSTAIN overall objective and long term ambition, is therefore to increase the accountability of democratic governments and at the same time to encourage and reinforce manifest and latent forms of civic and political participation (Collective Action Initiatives) conceived as niches of innovation to support a radical yet necessary changes in the socio-technical system involved in governing the climate transition.

The aim is therefore to provide robust empirical evidence on the dynamics and impacts of diverse forms of political participation to contrast the democratic challenges posed by the climate transition.
In order for its ambition to be fulfilled, CO-SUSTAIN develops an innovative theoretical framework resulting from the combination of the literature on Socio-technical Transition, Collective Action and deliberative and prefigurative democracy. On the methdological side, the projects is focused on the analysis of a wide number of past and current case studies of poltical and civic participation, to which in the project we make reference respectively as Historical Examples and Case Studies. In order fo the case studies to be properly analysies CO-SUSTAIN relies on the inegration of a numebr of different quantitative and qualitative methods and tools spanning from Stakeholder Analysis to Particpatory System Mapping, from Institutional Etnography to Social Network Analysis and Gamification.

Trough the adoption of this theoretical and methodological framework, CO-SUSTAIN will pursue the followng outcomes:
1) A better understanding of how latent and manifest forms of political participation linked to the climate imperative and other political and societal imperatives have arisen, interacted with institutions, and impacted governance
2) Improve policymaking approaches at all levels of government to address the climate imperative in a democratic manner
3) Enhance the capacity of democratic systems to mobilise and engage citizens through participation
4) Encourage international cooperation through better understanding of the consequences of climate crisis scenarios on demand for democratic structures, international politics and citizen engagement.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During RP1, the project laid important theoretical and methodological foundations for the smooth implementation of the research activities along the whole duration of the project.
At the same time, in RP1 it was possible to get to a first understanding of the societal dynamics behind and the effects of political participation beyond the initial expectations.

First, an integrated research framework that combines the theoretical part the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) with Collective Action theory and clearly identify how the different.

Secondly, building on this framework, the multi-method analysis of the Historical Examples was launched. The analysis is based on different methods to collect information (interviews, participatory observation and textual analysis) that feed different methods for their analysis and interpretation (stakeholders and social network analysis , system mapping). A first key output is a comprehensive stakeholder and context analysis in the 18 cases.

Third, a systematic literature review helped link historical insights to current case studies. This work also informed a policy brief with recommendations in areas such as governance, stakeholder engagement, inclusive participation, legitimacy, and strategic communication.

Fourth, the project developed an Impact Assessment Framework with tools to evaluate the quality and impact of participatory processes.

A fifth important activity was the release of a comparative framework to explore what factors enable or hinder collective action to understand how different elements interact to support or block participation

Finally, the project advanced through the design of the deliberation process expected to be implemented in the next months. At the same time, the context and stakeholders analysis in each site has been designed and launched

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

CO-SUSTAIN advances current research by offering a new framework to understand and support political participation in sustainability transitions.
By linking Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and Collective Action theory through the concept of Collective Action Initiatives (CAIs), the project allows for a deeper understanding of how civic engagement can act as a driving force for change. This model was tested across 18 diverse historical cases.
Methodologically, the project innovates by adopting a participatory approach from the very beginning: engagement with historical cases’ representatives shaped both the research tools and questions, ensuring contextual relevance and legitimacy. Tools such as participatory system mapping and social network analysis have been tailored and tested to capture complex local dynamics. The Impact Assessment Framework introduces new ways to measure the effects of participation over time.

CO-SUSTAIN overview of the project

CO-SUSTAIN overview of the Historical Examples