Advancing Pluralism in Impact Assessment Through Research Capacity: Lessons from the Yukon Territory, Canada

Samantha Darling, Blane Harvey and Gordon M. Hickey
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Samantha Darling: Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, 21,111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada H9X 3V9, Canada
Blane Harvey: ��Department of Integrated Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 1Y2, Canada
Gordon M. Hickey: Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, 21,111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada H9X 3V9, Canada

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), 2022, vol. 24, issue 02, 1-35

Abstract: Impact assessment (IA) involves complex interactions among societal actors with diverse knowledge systems and worldviews (ontological pluralism) that ideally combine to both define and support societal goals, such as sustainable development. An often acknowledged but rarely explored concept in these efforts is research capacity — the ability of a group to engage, produce, maintain and use knowledge — and associated implications for pluralistic process outcomes. This paper presents an embedded case study of the IA policy network in the Yukon Territory, Canada, to explore the various roles of research capacity in a well-established IA process where Indigenous and public representation are guaranteed, as is financial support for boundary spanning and knowledge brokering roles to support pluralism. Using Rapid Policy Network Mapping, we examine the formal and informal connections amongst IA policy actors and identify sources and flows of knowledge throughout the network. Results indicate that while research capacity is critical to well-functioning IA processes in the Yukon Territory, the ability of the IA policy network to source, disseminate and engage new knowledge is limited. Important boundary spanning ‘choke points’ can act as both facilitators and barriers, based on the capacity of the knowledge brokers occupying these spaces. The findings inform policy efforts to ensure inclusion and advance pluralism in IA processes.

Keywords: Policy networks; knowledge networks; network governance; science–policy interface; capacity building; Northern Canada; traditional knowledge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1142/S1464333222500260

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