Background

Politics, society and science are repeatedly calling for public participation in decision-making processes and research priorities - a demand that is based on the idea that scientific knowledge production and social co-determination cannot be thought of separately. At the same time, however, there are many challenges in practice - of a methodological, institutional and epistemic nature. How exactly the results of participatory processes are received and used (or not) by participants, scientists involved and the respective research organizations remains an empirical question. It has been shown time and again that the integration of participation results is not a linear process, but is characterized by specific situational, infrastructural and power constellations. However, this question of the effects of participation processes is of crucial importance when it comes to integrating participation in a meaningful and sustainable way.

This is where the PaFo project comes in by intensively accompanying and scientifically researching participatory activities to address gaps in knowledge regarding the actual integration of participation outcomes in different research organizational structures. The question of impact is not understood as a static variable, but rather as a relational structure that unfolds along specific actor constellations, institutional framework conditions and material arrangements. In order to capture these dynamics empirically, PaFo uses a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods. The challenge lies not only in the measurement of effects, but also in the development of context-specific indicators that take into account both the situationality of participation processes and their comparability.

This results in a double tendency: On the one hand, the empirical analysis enables a critical and reflective examination of participation processes and their institutional integration; on the other hand, the knowledge gained in this way can be used for the further development of participatory research and its epistemic, social and political anchoring. Ultimately, this opens up potential for a transfer of knowledge that not only takes place between ‘society’ and ‘science’ but also triggers new negotiation processes within scientific institutions themselves.

Research question

The aim of the PaFo project is to answer the following research questions:

• Whether or how can the impact of participatory formats on research be measured?
• How can the results of dialogue processes be constructively and sustainably integrated into research agendas and research organisations? What hinders this?
• How does participation change the perspective of those involved (citizens, scientists, administration)?

Although participatory approaches are increasingly finding their way into research organizations, there is often no systematic investigation of their actual and long-term effects. One of the reasons for this is that there is a lack of concrete criteria for adequately recording the effect of participatory processes. Participation is often advocated as a normative practice without any critical reflection on its structural anchoring or epistemic consequences. This is precisely where PaFo comes in: Using the example of participation at KIT, the project develops context-specific impact criteria that are not only applied, but also scrutinized and further developed in an ongoing process of reflection. The aim is not only to gain insights into the integration of participatory processes, but also to generate methodological impulses for their further development.

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