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Sustainable Development and Participatory Action Research: A Systematic Review

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  • Jennifer Keahey

    (Arizona State University)

Abstract

Sustainable development scholars are employing participatory action research to establish platforms for collaborative inquiry and knowledge integration. While this action research tradition supports the revitalization of scholarly influence in sustainability policy and practice, its recent expansion into new topics and disciplines suggests the need for broad-based evaluation. To fulfill this task, I conduct a systematic review of the last decade of peer-reviewed research. The results of this study advance scholarly knowledge in three critical ways. By mapping the field, I identify global patterns of engagement and assemble an interdisciplinary toolbox of methods for research and action. By interrogating descriptions of methodology and lessons learned, I uncover key issues with research and practice, including threats to methodological integrity. By connecting empirical insights with the discourse on ethics, I clarify research standards and suggest strategies for improving engagement. This article brings coherence to an emergent and potentially transformative field that is located at the crossroads of sustainability and participation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Keahey, 2021. "Sustainable Development and Participatory Action Research: A Systematic Review," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 291-306, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:syspar:v:34:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s11213-020-09535-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11213-020-09535-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anne P. M. Velenturf & Phil Purnell, 2017. "Resource Recovery from Waste: Restoring the Balance between Resource Scarcity and Waste Overload," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Christian Fuchs, 2017. "Critical Social Theory and Sustainable Development: The Role of Class, Capitalism and Domination in a Dialectical Analysis of Un/Sustainability," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(5), pages 443-458, September.
    3. Carolyn Whitzman, 2017. "Participatory Action Research in Affordable Housing Partnerships: Collaborative Rationality, or Sleeping with the Growth Machine?," Planning Practice & Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(5), pages 495-507, October.
    4. Naomi Joy Godden, 2017. "The Participation Imperative in Co-operative Inquiry: Personal Reflections of an Initiating Researcher," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Midori Kawabe & Hiroshi Kohno & Takashi Ishimaru & Osamu Baba, 2013. "A University-Hosted Program in Pursuit of Coastal Sustainability: The Case of Tokyo Bay," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(9), pages 1-20, September.
    6. Carlie D. Trott & Andrea E. Weinberg & Laura B. Sample McMeeking, 2018. "Prefiguring Sustainability through Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Reflections and Recommendations for Student Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-21, September.
    7. Anne Blanchard & Jean-Paul Vanderlinden, 2013. "Pre-requisites to interdisciplinary research for climate change: lessons from a participatory action research process in Île-de-France," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 16(1/2), pages 1-22.
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    Cited by:

    1. Margherita Paola Poto & Arianna Porrone, 2021. "A Co-Created Methodological Approach to Address the Relational Dimension of Environmental Challenges: When Critical Legal Analysis Meets Illustrated Storytelling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-10, November.
    2. Maura A. E. Pilotti & Khadija El Alaoui & Hanadi M. Abdelsalam & Rahat Khan, 2023. "Sustainable Development in Action: A Retrospective Case Study on Students’ Learning Before, During, and After the Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, May.

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