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Nordisk institutt for studier av innovasjon, forskning og utdanning

Nordic Institute for Studies of innovation, research and education (NIFU) is a research institute based in Oslo, Norway. NIFU's research is characterised by scientific quality, strong sectoral expertise and good insight into knowledge policy issues. The researchers involved in Trans4Demo are specialised in sustainability transition studies and policy analysis.

Role in the project

NIFU is leading WP4, which will explore novel repertoires of engagement as a way of responding to critiques of current representative democratic mechanisms. This includes using the future as a novel site for examining the future of democracy and working on a children's climate report. NIFU will also lead the comparative analysis between the case studies in WP3.

Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan is one of Poland's leading universities, with around 40,000 students and almost 3,000 academic staff. AMU has a strong interdisciplinary profile, encompassing the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. The Faculty of Sociology at AMU is one of the oldest sociological centres in Poland, founded in the early 1920s by the world-renowned scholar Florian Znaniecki, among others. Sociological research includes environmental sociology, civic activism and social movements, urban sociology, sociology of everyday life, social inequalities, and quantitative methods and research.

Role in the project

Adam Mickiewicz University leads the Trans4Demo project and its consortium. In addition to coordinating Trans4Demo activities (WP1), AMU is actively involved in all remaining work packages (WP2-WP8), including theorising, empirical research and policy impact.

WP6 – Dissemination, Communication, Exploitation, and Sustainability

Work Package 6 (WP6) ensures the effective dissemination of project results and engagement with stakeholders through communication strategies and a sustainability plan. Key activities of WP6 include the development of a communication and Dissemination Plan and a Sustainability Plan, as well as the production of policy briefs and the participation and hosting of relevant events.

WP5 – Stakeholder Consultation and Policy Recommendations

Work Package 5 (WP5) focuses on synthesising project findings into actionable policy recommendations and engaging stakeholders to refine these strategies through consultations. This will be implemented in the following steps, starting with collation and cross-referencing, followed by applying a Just Transitions Lens and policy lab evaluation, which will lead to the finalisation of the policy recommendations.

WP4 – Novel Sites and Repertoires for Democratic Renewal

Work Package 4 (WP4) explores innovative engagement practices and identifies new sites for democratic renewal, addressing criticisms of representative democracy and mitigating polarising protests by reviewing global initiatives involving children and youth in environmental politics to map existing practices and facilitate cross-country learning and investigating novel democratic practices, such as citizen councils, arts-based mobilisations, and dialogue-based interventions, to foster engagement and rebuild trust in polarised societies.

WP3 – Causes and Consequences of Contestation of Sustainability Transitions

Work Package 3 (WP3) examines the root causes of protests and contestations surrounding sustainability transitions and their consequences on policies and liberal-democratic practices through national case studies. The examination will take place through the development of a case study protocol, which will be applied when conducting national case studies and a comparative analysis across these case studies.

WP2 – Types of Political Protest and Opposition

Work Package 2 (WP2) focuses on testing and refining the typology of political protest and opposition developed in WP1 through empirical studies and pilot analyses. It aims to evaluate action repertoires and conceptions of crisis and urgency in sustainability transitions and map the variation in contestation across different contexts. This includes operationalising the typology of political protests against sustainability transitions, developing the pilot studies and proceeding with evaluation and mapping.

WP1 – Conceptualisation and Theoretical Development

Work Package 1 (WP1) focuses on building the conceptual framework to explore the intersection of sustainability transitions, populism, and democratic crises. The main objectives are defining democracy and climate urgency relations, analysing populism and crisis narratives and developing a typology of contestation.

WP0 – Project Management

Work Package 0 (WP0) focuses on managing and coordinating the project to achieve its goals within time and budget constraints. This involves establishing structures to ensure effective collaboration, progress monitoring, and quality assurance. Key activities include establishing the General Assembly, forming the Project Management Board, developing a Management and Quality Plan and a Data Management Plan and organising mid-term evaluations and workshops with the Advisory Board.