Co-Producing Sustainability Knowledge: Assessing SANDEE's Role as a Research Network in South Asia

South Asia, as local and regional environment problems have grown, societal demand for new knowledge has outpaced the ability of traditional institutions to respond. In this context, we examine the experience of the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) as a regional research network engaged in the task of coproduction of knowledge. We argue that research networks contribute to the growth of sustainability knowledge through (a) knowledge creation, (b) knowledge transfer and (c) knowledge deepening. We use data drawn from participants in training programs to quantitatively evaluate four research outcomes and find that research support from SANDEE is associated with increased international peer-reviewed publications. We supplement the quantitative analyses with a qualitative discussion on what has sustained and made a geographic network such as SANDEE feasible. We also discuss the challenges posed by the need for interdisciplinary approaches and the reasons why there is a lag between knowledge development and governance reforms. This institutional paper, which was developed as a response to a panel discussion on knowledge networks in 2012, offers ‘insider' insights gleaned through long-term association with SANDEE.