SMARTNORTH: Sustainable development and MAnagement by paRTicipatory governance practices in the High NORTH, 2021

The project investigates the scope of and driving forces for the development of participatory governance (PG) practices and their potential effects on sustainable development in High North communities. The growing use of ICT technology and so-called "smart" city/community/region concepts open up new areas for public innovation, especially regarding the development of new PG practices in the High North. Such innovations can give greater voice to local stakeholders, in relation to strategic, urban and financial planning decisions in the High North territories. However, knowledge about the nature of such PG practices in the context of the High North is mostly missing. This project would address the need for new knowledge about:

1) the variation of practices in the High North;
2) the driving forces behind the development of such PG practices, their divergence or convergence within the High North and towards global trends; and
3) the potential effects of such PG practices on the sustainable development of High North communities.

Founded on an international team, the project is an interdisciplinary research, combining the fields of public administration, management and organizational science. The two-year project will:
1) map PG experiences in the High North via a comprehensive media review;
2) identify and conduct in-depth qualitative studies of several exceptional cases of PG experiences in the High North territories of Norway, Finland, Russia and North America, through documentary analysis, observations, interviews and experimental methodology.

We will summarize and conceptualize PG experiences in the High North by incorporating the dimension of countries' comparison. The output of the project will be five papers in top international academic journals, several chronicles in High North newspapers, a policy-oriented report, participatory practices' guidelines and a bank of best PG practices in the High North.

本项目旨在探究高北极地区（High North）社区参与式治理（Participatory Governance，PG）实践的发展范畴与驱动因素，及其对可持续发展的潜在影响。随着信息与通信技术（Information and Communications Technology，ICT）的广泛应用以及所谓“智慧”城市/社区/区域发展理念的推广，公共创新迎来了全新的应用场景，尤其为高北极地区新型参与式治理实践的构建提供了契机。此类创新能够赋予当地利益相关者更多话语权，使其在高北极地区的战略规划、城市建设与财政决策中发挥更大作用。但目前学界针对高北极地区背景下此类参与式治理实践的本质认知仍较为匮乏。本项目将针对以下三方面的知识缺口展开研究：
1. 高北极地区参与式治理实践的差异化特征；
2. 此类参与式治理实践的发展驱动因素，及其在高北极地区内部的分化与趋同态势，以及与全球发展潮流的契合程度；
3. 此类参与式治理实践对高北极地区社区可持续发展的潜在影响。

本项目依托国际化研究团队开展，属于跨学科研究范畴，融合了公共行政学、管理学与组织科学等多个领域的理论与方法。这项为期两年的项目将通过以下两项核心任务推进研究：
1. 通过全面的媒体文献综述，梳理高北极地区的参与式治理实践经验；
2. 选取挪威、芬兰、俄罗斯及北美地区高北极领土内的若干典型参与式治理实践案例，采用文献分析、实地观察、访谈与实验研究法开展深度质性研究。

我们将结合跨国比较维度，对高北极地区的参与式治理实践经验进行系统归纳与概念化提炼。本项目的最终产出包括：5篇发表于国际顶级学术期刊的论文、若干刊载于高北极地区主流报刊的专题报道、一份政策导向型研究报告、一套参与式治理实践操作指南，以及一个高北极地区最佳参与式治理实践案例库。