Constructing the Public in Roadmapping the Transition to a Bioeconomy: A Case Study from the Netherlands

Durwin H.J. Lynch, Pim Klaassen, Lan van Wassenaer and Jacqueline E.W. Broerse
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Durwin H.J. Lynch: Athena Institute for Research on Innovation and Communication in Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Pim Klaassen: Athena Institute for Research on Innovation and Communication in Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lan van Wassenaer: Wageningen Economic Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Jacqueline E.W. Broerse: Athena Institute for Research on Innovation and Communication in Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: In recent years there has been increasing attention to the transition toward a bioeconomy. From comparable transitions toward sustainability, we know that transitions require integral, inclusive approaches toward developing a long-term strategy, focusing not only on technological innovation, but also on involving the public. This is not easy. Public engagement encompasses diverse forms of public and civil society participation, and it is crucial to understand the specificities of these interactions and their effects on potential transition pathways. We present a conceptual-analytical paper where the focus lies on understanding sense-making practices in the construction of publics in the bioeconomy. Using a case-study approach, this article describes five partialities of the constructed public in the bioeconomy and analyzes the orchestration, productive dimensions and effects of these constructions. Our analysis offers a new perspective on, and appreciation of, the partiality of different forms of public participation, and varying degrees in which possibilities of system change in the bioeconomy transition are inclusive or exclusive toward differentially constructed publics. This offers an alternative, constructive way of exploring actor dynamics and politics in system change. We aim to contribute to a more nuanced and integral interpretation of public engagement in sustainability transitions, which is relevant to actors from academia, policy, industry and other spheres relevant to the bioeconomy transition.

Keywords: public engagement; bioeconomy; transition management; STS; participative collective; public construction; sustainability transition; participatory mechanism; coproduction; the Netherlands (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:8:p:3179-:d:345629

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