Podocarpus multi-actor simulatie voor Netwerk Participatie op 3 februari 2012

Nog plaatsen beschikbaar voor de Podocarpus simulatie die we vanuit Cycloop begeleiden voor het Netwerk Participatie!

Hier de aankondiging die op de website van Netwerk Participatie te vinden is:

Heb jij ook zin om eens aan den lijve te ondervinden hoe het is om met heel wat verschillende actoren een oplossing te vinden voor een complex maatschappelijk vraagstuk? Dan is het Podocarpus park simulatiespel zeker iets voor jou! In het kader van zijn doctoraatsonderzoek ontwikkelde Art Dewulf (Wageningen Universiteit) aan de hand van een echte case uit Zuid-Amerika een uitgekiend, complex, gelaagd multi-actorspel. Door het spelen van dit spel leren we bijvoorbeeld hoe verwarring en onenigheid ontstaan wanneer de verschillende partners de op te lossen kwestie anders framen. Het is een intense (leer)ervaring waarbij we samen onderzoeken wat cruciale sleutelmomenten zij om dergelijke processen met succes te kunnen begeleiden. Art schreef hierover een boeiend artikel in een speciale editie van het HRD nummer Develop (winter 2010) . Je kan het hier vinden.

Het belooft een boeiende dag te worden. Er zijn 20 plaatsen en jij kan erbij zijn door onderstaand inschrijvingsformulier in te vullen. De dag zal plaatsvinden in www.heerlijckyt.org op 3 februari 2012 en kost voor leden 210 euro en niet-leden 250 euro.

Cycloop Course on “Facilitating multi-actor collaboration for sustainable resources management”

The intensive training course “Facilitating multi-actor collaboration for sustainable resources management” will take place in Brussels, Belgium, from April 16 till 24, 2012. It is a joined initiative of Cycloop, network of experienced action-researchers specialized in multi-actor collaboration and sustainability (www.cycloop.org) and the Centre for Sustainability Management of the HUBrussel (Brussels University College www.hubrussel.be, part of the Association K.U.Leuven).

The course is based on the principles of experiential learning. We invite participants to use their own experiences with multi-actor collaborative initiatives as an input for the course. The course starts with a multi-actor simulation to provide shared experiences on which we can reflect and build during the following course days. All sessions will be highly interactive.

The emphasis of the program is on social process facilitation. The course is directed  to scholars and practitioners with experience in local or regional development projects. Candidates from the South can apply for scholarships, covering tuition fee, travel costs and accommodation, funded by the Flemish Interuniversity Council (www.vliruos.be). You can find more information about this training course, including the application form on, the website: www.hubrussel.be/multi-actor. The deadline for subscription is January 31, 2012 and the number of participants is limited to 23.

Vacature voor doctorandus over “Multi-actor governance for sustainable materials management”

Er is een vacature voor een doctoraatsstudent in het kader van het Steunpunt voor Duurzaam Materialenbeleid dat in 2012 van start gaat, en waar Cycloop in participeert. Het onderzoeksonderwerp is “Multi-actor governance for sustainable materials management”. De doctoraatsstudent zal tewerkgesteld worden aan het Centrum voor Duurzaam Ondernemen aan de HUBrussel en gezamenlijk begeleid worden met de Public Administration and Policy groep aan de Wageningen Universiteit. Promoter van het doctoraat is Prof. Dr. ir. Katrien Termeer (Wageningen University) en co-promoteren zijn Marc Craps (HUBrussel) en Art Dewulf (Wageningen University).

Hieronder vind je meer informatie over het project en de vereisten. Voor meer informatie en kandidaatstelling contacteer marc@cycloop.org of art@cycloop.org.

Description of the project

The governance challenges for sustainable materials management are manifold. Entire production and consumptions systems need to be innovated to be able to close the materials circle, requiring transformations from linear supply chains to production-consumption-production cycles. Even without considering the challenges of redesigning material flows on a global level, these transformations present difficult exercises in steering society in a more sustainable direction. Multi-actor governance, implying cooperation between a wide range of public and private actors, is required to make this happen. Working across the boundaries of organizations will be necessary, between government organizations, designers, industries, retailers, NGO’s, consumers, research and education etc. Closing materials cycles creates new interdependencies between government and businesses (e.g. coordinating innovations in materials processing with regulations on production systems and waste treatment), and between producers and consumers (e.g. producers start to depend on consumers for their supply of reusable materials).
Multi-actor governance implies a broad innovation in the public policy field. Focusing on policy networks and policy communities is both more encompassing and discriminating. It involves attention to informal, non-governmental as well as formal, governmental mechanisms, and further differentiation of actors and relationships within the government as well as in society. In any policy domain, a variety of actors take initiatives to achieve their objectives and develop relationships to influence the outcomes. This multi-actor process shapes societal coordination. The patterns that emerge do not rest solely on government authority, but on a multiplicity of in(ter)dependent actors, specific to the policy arena. As such, the networks that develop in this process are – at least to large extent – self-organizing. They function as informal social systems, rather than bureaucratic structures, based on mutual, open-ended commitment, rather than formal contracts.
This research project involves answering fundamental questions, like how can existing concepts and theoretical frameworks on multi-actor collaboration be further developed to make them relevant and applicable for the complex sustainability challenges of materials management? It also involves applied research questions related to the concrete Flemish cases and practices at the core of this research proposal.

Requirements

We are looking for a social scientist with a background in public administration, policy sciences, organization sciences, or communication sciences and a keen interest in multi-actor governance and interaction processes in complex sustainability issues. Academic writing skills are important, because the dissertation will be composed of journal articles in international peer reviewed journals. Fluency in Dutch and English and good communication skills are required to work with stakeholders in cases of sustainable materials management. Experience with empirical research projects, interdisciplinary research, group process facilitation and both qualitative and quantitative research methods will be considered as an advantage.