IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v5y2013i10p4195-4221d29053.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Addressing the Complexities of Boundary Work in Sustainability Science through Communication

Author

Listed:
  • Bridie McGreavy

    (Sustainability Solutions Initiative, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA)

  • Karen Hutchins

    (Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA)

  • Hollie Smith

    (Sustainability Solutions Initiative, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA)

  • Laura Lindenfeld

    (Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA)

  • Linda Silka

    (School of Economics, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA)

Abstract

Sustainability science seeks to identify and implement workable solutions to complex problems. This transdisciplinary approach advances a commitment to work across boundaries that occur among individuals, disciplines, and institutions to build capacities for informed and innovative decision making in the face of uncertainty and change. The concept of boundary work and related discussions of boundary objects and organizations are important, expanding focal areas within sustainability science. While communication is described as central to boundary work, insights from the field of communication have largely yet to inform theorizing about boundaries within sustainability science. In this paper, we highlight three communication perspectives, namely media studies, collaboration and partnerships, and systems theories, which are particularly relevant for understanding how boundaries form, the social context in which boundary work occurs, and informed strategies for enhanced boundary spanning and management. We use three case studies to illustrate how communication theories and methods provide dynamic and strategic lenses within transdisciplinary processes to enable collaborators to build capacity for change, sustain critical and reflective inquiry, and approach difference as generative in collective efforts to produce sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Bridie McGreavy & Karen Hutchins & Hollie Smith & Laura Lindenfeld & Linda Silka, 2013. "Addressing the Complexities of Boundary Work in Sustainability Science through Communication," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(10), pages 1-27, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:5:y:2013:i:10:p:4195-4221:d:29053
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/5/10/4195/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/5/10/4195/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jahn, Thomas & Bergmann, Matthias & Keil, Florian, 2012. "Transdisciplinarity: Between mainstreaming and marginalization," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-10.
    2. Fabio Orecchini & Adriano Santiangeli & Valeria Valitutti, 2011. "Sustainability Science: Sustainable Energy for Mobility and Its Use in Policy Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 3(10), pages 1-11, October.
    3. Teresa Myers & Matthew Nisbet & Edward Maibach & Anthony Leiserowitz, 2012. "A public health frame arouses hopeful emotions about climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 113(3), pages 1105-1112, August.
    4. Geoff Brumfiel, 2009. "Science journalism: Supplanting the old media?," Nature, Nature, vol. 458(7236), pages 274-277, March.
    5. Mary Ann Curran, 2009. "Wrapping Our Brains around Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 1(1), pages 1-9, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jens Koehrsen, 2017. "Boundary Bridging Arrangements: A Boundary Work Approach to Local Energy Transitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-23, March.
    2. Deana Pennington & Gabriele Bammer & Antje Danielson & David Gosselin & Julia Gouvea & Geoffrey Habron & Dave Hawthorne & Roderic Parnell & Kate Thompson & Shirley Vincent & Cynthia Wei, 2016. "The EMBeRS project: employing model-based reasoning in socio-environmental synthesis," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 6(2), pages 278-286, June.
    3. Laura N. Rickard, 2021. "Pragmatic and (or) Constitutive? On the Foundations of Contemporary Risk Communication Research," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(3), pages 466-479, March.
    4. Carlie D. Trott & Andrea E. Weinberg & Laura B. Sample McMeeking, 2018. "Prefiguring Sustainability through Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Reflections and Recommendations for Student Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-21, September.
    5. Corrine Nöel Knapp & Robin S. Reid & María E. Fernández-Giménez & Julia A. Klein & Kathleen A. Galvin, 2019. "Placing Transdisciplinarity in Context: A Review of Approaches to Connect Scholars, Society and Action," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-25, September.
    6. Katherine E. Laycock & Carrie L. Mitchell, 2019. "Social capital and incremental transformative change: responding to climate change experts in Metro Manila," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 47-66, January.
    7. Timothy M. Waring & Sandra Hughes Goff & Julia McGuire & Z. Dylan Moore & Abigail Sullivan, 2014. "Cooperation across Organizational Boundaries: Experimental Evidence from a Major Sustainability Science Project," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-20, March.
    8. Jakob Lundgren, 2021. "The Grand Concepts of Environmental Studies Boundary objects between disciplines and policymakers," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(1), pages 93-100, March.
    9. Kenneth E. Wallen & Karen Filbee-Dexter & Jeremy B. Pittman & Stephen M. Posner & Steven M. Alexander & Chelsie L. Romulo & Drew E. Bennett & Elizabeth C. Clark & Stella J.M. Cousins & Bradford A. Dub, 2019. "Integrating team science into interdisciplinary graduate education: an exploration of the SESYNC Graduate Pursuit," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 9(2), pages 218-233, June.
    10. Gerlak, Andrea K. & Guido, Zack & Owen, Gigi & McGoffin, Mariana Sofia Rodriguez & Louder, Elena & Davies, Julia & Smith, Kelly Jay & Zimmer, Andy & Murveit, Anna M. & Meadow, Alison & Shrestha, Padme, 2023. "Stakeholder engagement in the co-production of knowledge for environmental decision-making," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    11. Kirsi Pauliina Kallio & Salla Jokela & Mikko Kyrönviita & Markus Laine & Jonathon Taylor, 2021. "Skatescape in the Making: Developing Sustainable Urban Pedagogies through Transdisciplinary Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-16, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Marc A. Rosen, 2013. "Engineering and Sustainability: Attitudes and Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Stefan Liehr & Julia Röhrig & Marion Mehring & Thomas Kluge, 2017. "How the Social-Ecological Systems Concept Can Guide Transdisciplinary Research and Implementation: Addressing Water Challenges in Central Northern Namibia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-19, June.
    3. Shiji Chen & Clément Arsenault & Yves Gingras & Vincent Larivière, 2015. "Exploring the interdisciplinary evolution of a discipline: the case of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(2), pages 1307-1323, February.
    4. Elzbieta Rynska & Joanna Klimowicz & Slawomir Kowal & Krzysztof Lyzwa & Michal Pierzchalski & Wojciech Rekosz, 2020. "Smart Energy Solutions as an Indispensable Multi-Criteria Input for a Coherent Urban Planning and Building Design Process—Two Case Studies for Smart Office Buildings in Warsaw Downtown Area," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-24, July.
    5. Stefano Carattini & Andrea Baranzini & Philippe Thalmann & Frédéric Varone & Frank Vöhringer, 2017. "Green Taxes in a Post-Paris World: Are Millions of Nays Inevitable?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 68(1), pages 97-128, September.
    6. Bo MacInnis & Jon Krosnick & Adina Abeles & Margaret Caldwell & Erin Prahler & Debbie Dunne, 2015. "The American public’s preference for preparation for the possible effects of global warming: impact of communication strategies," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 17-33, January.
    7. Nicolás Ruiz, Néstor & Suárez Alonso, María Luisa & Vidal-Abarca, María Rosario, 2021. "Contributions of dry rivers to human well-being: A global review for future research," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    8. Ranger, S. & Kenter, J.O. & Bryce, R. & Cumming, G. & Dapling, T. & Lawes, E. & Richardson, P.B., 2016. "Forming shared values in conservation management: An interpretive-deliberative-democratic approach to including community voices," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(PB), pages 344-357.
    9. Juerges, Nataly & Jahn, Stephanie, 2020. "German forest management stakeholders at the science-society interface: Their views on problem definition, knowledge production and research utilization," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    10. Eastwood, C.R. & Turner, F.J. & Romera, A.J., 2022. "Farmer-centred design: An affordances-based framework for identifying processes that facilitate farmers as co-designers in addressing complex agricultural challenges," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    11. Arora-Jonsson, Seema, 2016. "Does resilience have a culture? Ecocultures and the politics of knowledge production," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 98-107.
    12. Ericson, Torgeir & Kjønstad, Bjørn Gunaketu & Barstad, Anders, 2014. "Mindfulness and sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 73-79.
    13. Jessica Cockburn, 2022. "Knowledge integration in transdisciplinary sustainability science: Tools from applied critical realism," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(2), pages 358-374, April.
    14. Shin-Cheng Yeh & Haw-Jeng Chiou & Ai-Wei Wu & Ho-Ching Lee & Homer C. Wu, 2019. "Diverged Preferences towards Sustainable Development Goals? A Comparison between Academia and the Communication Industry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-21, November.
    15. Samantha K. Stanley & Caroline Ng Tseung-Wong & Zoe Leviston & Iain Walker, 2021. "Acceptance of climate change and climate refugee policy in Australia and New Zealand: The case against political polarisation," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 1-9, December.
    16. Lundgren, Jakob, 2022. "Unity through disunity: Strengths, values, and tensions in the disciplinary discourse of ecological economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    17. Waes, Arnoud van & Nikolaeva, Anna & Raven, Rob, 2021. "Challenges and dilemmas in strategic urban experimentationAn analysis of four cycling innovation living labs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    18. Haack, Frederik & Nagel, Manuel & Richters, Oliver & Schäfer, Ernst & Wunderlich, Sebastian, 2015. "Energieeffizienz & Rebound-Effekte im Kontext der Energiewende," EconStor Research Reports 142463, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    19. Candice Howarth & Laurie Parsons, 2021. "Assembling a coalition of climate change narratives on UK climate action: a focus on the city, countryside, community and home," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 1-19, January.
    20. Hubeau, Marianne & Marchand, Fleur & Coteur, Ine & Mondelaers, Koen & Debruyne, Lies & Van Huylenbroeck, Guido, 2017. "A new agri-food systems sustainability approach to identify shared transformation pathways towards sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 52-63.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:5:y:2013:i:10:p:4195-4221:d:29053. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.