ABSTRACT
Based on the scholarly literature on the knowledge commons—following the seminal works of Yochai Benkler on large-scale public collaborations in digital networks, this chapter distinguishes three specific hurdles that need to be overcome for successfully organizing large-scale transdisciplinary research: (1) the instrumentalization of the common research purpose by disciplinary or practice-related knowledge interests; (2) the misalignment of the partners due to an unstructured diversity of value perspectives on sustainability; and (3) the isolation of many niche networks around specific transdisciplinary research topics.
Given the historical importance of the scholarship on collective action based on the rational actor perspective, Chapter 2 introduces the various strategies for overcoming these hurdles from the perspective of the so-called second-generation theories of collective action developed by Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom. The discussion in this chapter shows how these various strategies lead to three distinct research styles, respectively focused on knowledge co-production for impact, social learning on sustainability values for fostering mutual understanding, and dissemination of transdisciplinary knowledge co-production practices through competence building in larger polycentric networks.
