Developing a programme theory for a transdisciplinary research collaboration: Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Environmental improvement is a priority for urban sustainability and health and achieving it requires transformative change in cities. An approach to achieving such change is to bring together researchers, decision-makers, and public groups in the creation of research and use of scientific evidence. Methods: This article describes the development of a programme theory for Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health (CUSSH), a four-year Wellcome-funded research collaboration which aims to improve capacity to guide transformational health and environmental changes in cities. Results: Drawing on ideas about complex systems, programme evaluation, and transdisciplinary learning, we describe how the programme is understood to “work” in terms of its anticipated processes and resulting changes. The programme theory describes a chain of outputs that ultimately leads to improvement in city sustainability and health (described in an ‘action model’), and the kinds of changes that we expect CUSSH should lead to in people, processes, policies, practices, and research (described in a ‘change model’). Conclusions: Our paper adds to a growing body of research on the process of developing a comprehensive understanding of a transdisciplinary, multiagency, multi-context programme. The programme theory was developed collaboratively over two years. It involved a participatory process to ensure that a broad range of perspectives were included, to contribute to shared understanding across a multidisciplinary team. Examining our approach allowed an appreciation of the benefits and challenges of developing a programme theory for a complex, transdisciplinary research collaboration. Benefits included the development of teamworking and shared understanding and the use of programme theory in guiding evaluation. Challenges included changing membership within a large group, reaching agreement on what the theory would be ‘about’, and the inherent unpredictability of complex initiatives.
Source: Wellcome Open Research
Authors: Gemma Moore, Susan Michie, Jamie Anderson, Kristine Belesova, Melanie Crane, Clément Deloly, Sani Dimitroulopoulou, Hellen Gitau, Joanna Hale, Simon J. Lloyd, Blessing Mberu, Kanyiva Muindi, Yanlin Niu, Helen Pineo, Irene Pluchinotta, Aarathi Prasad, Anne Roue-Le Gall, Clive Shrubsole, Catalina Turcu, Ioanna Tsoulou, Paul Wilkinson, Ke Zhou, Nici Zimmermann, Michael Davies, David Osrin
Institutions: University College London, BuroHappold (United Kingdom), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, The University of Sydney, École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique, Public Health England, African Population and Health Research Center, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Chinese Center For Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Ronin Institute, Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,128
Awards: Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES) Platform Grant Renewal Bid: Built Environment Systems Thinking, Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health (London Hub), Community interventions for primary and secondary prevention of violence against women and girls: a cluster randomized controlled trial in urban India, G5314826822, G5684119536, G6713015371, G8378431102
OpenAlex ID: W3132780470