Research Guide

Within the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) we have set up a research working group. In this context I have worked out a research guide how to approach ecovillages, a research protocol and information on the state of the art. It is available on the website of the GEN research working group.

Links to websites on research about communities and ecovillages:

Empirische Zugänge zu Intentionalen Gemeinschaften

Die folgenden Dokumente unterstützen eine eigene (qualitative) Forschungsstudie und Interviews in intentionalen Gemeinschaften zu entwickeln. Über die Jahre habe ich in Forschung und Lehre spezielle Zugänge zu intentionalen Gemeinschaften entwickelt, teilweise in Zusammenarbeit mit Kollegen.

Methodische Zugänge zu intentionalen Gemeinschaften I

Latest Research Projects

In the last years, Iris was involved in the following research projects:

VREDE (Visual tools for Responsible Decision making) (October 2019 – September 2021). (Coordinated by GUT (Gender und Technik, Vienna, AT) Funded by Austrian Research Promotion Society). The project VREDE aims to investigate how an easy-to-use, VISUAL TOOL can be designed and designed for group decisions on complex issues. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain several goals for which good group decision-making is a key success factor: for example, gender equality (5), decent work (8), and less inequality (10). The tool developed in VREDE would – in addition to the benefits for companies and organizations – also be a contribution to the societal transformation towards global sustainability goals (SDGs).

LiFT 1.0 and 2.0 (Leadership for transition) (2013-2018). (Coordinated by University of Trondheim, NO; Funded by the EU- Erasmus+ strategic partnership program). LiFT has experimented and further developed on the Collaboratory method, a co-creative deliberation and decision-making process helping large and diverse groups of stakeholders to come up with constructive solutions to complex problems. With this, LiFT has facilitated numerous local workshops around controversial political topics throughout Europe and contributed to dialogue and practical solutions. The project rationale holds that in times of multidimensional crisis, leadership increasingly needs to empower individuals and society at large to take over responsibility for working towards the common good. Publications on the Collaboratory method and experiences.

TRANSIT (TRANsformative Social Innovation Theory) (2014-17). (Coordinated by DRIFT, University Rotterdam, NL; Funded by EU FP7-research program “empowering people, changing societies”). TRANSIT has carried out in-depth case study analysis of 20+ transnational networks and 100+ local initiatives of transformative social innovation across Europe and Latin America, amongst them e.g. Ecovillages, Co-housing, ImpactHUB, time banks, Slow Food and Via Campesina. The research results of TRANSIT can be find online: numerous publications, policy briefs and a data base of critical turning points of 100+ local initiatives including actor dynamics and learnings of the history which can be researched.

COSIMA (Governing community-based social innovation for climate change mitigation and adaptation) (2015-17). (Coordinated by University Klagenfurt, AT; Co-supported by the Austrian Climate Research Program). The project has applied empirical analysis of community-based initiatives (three ecovillages (Sieben Linden, Pomali and Gänserndorf in Germany and Austria) and three low-carbon municipalities), stakeholder involvement and the development of policy strategies and instruments. It was analysed how community-based initiatives develop and stabilise climate change mitigation and adaptation practices to identify policy instruments and governance mechanisms to support the development, stabilisation and main-streaming of these practices. For research results, see under publications.