| 31. |
- Wibeck, Victoria, 1974-
(författare)
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Communicating progress towards environmental quality objectives : the case of "Zero eutrophication"
- 2008
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Ingår i: Vetenskap för hållbar utveckling,2007.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Sweden, efforts to achieve environmental sustainability have been canalised through a system of management-by-objectives (MBO), including sixteen national environmental quality objectives. In the process of monitoring and assessing progress towards the environmental objectives, communication of scientific information is a crucial component. While management literature emphasizes well-functioning communication as a prerequisite for successful MBO, empirical studies have shown that communication problems and misunderstandings are likely to arise in the dissemination, implementation and assessment of visionary objectives at different levels in the environmental bureaucracy. Thus, there is a need to further identify and discuss obstacles in the communication process, focusing on the information flow between the scientific community and the environmental bureaucracy. In the paper, I discuss prerequisites for communication between scientists, practitioners and policy makers involved in the assessment of environmental goal achievement. I take my point of departure in the communicative context at hand when communicating progress towards the national environmental objective -Zero eutrophication-. The paper is based on analyses of policy documents on the environmental objectives, and individual and focus group interviews with key actors within the environmental bureaucracy and scientists developing statistical tools for the assessment of progress towards environmental objectives. When scrutinizing the communicative context at hand when results from the environmental objectives are communicated, it is obvious that all parts of the communicative chain could be problematized and are not always clear to the actors involved in the communicative situation. Thus, I argue that in the efforts to communicate messages related to the assessment of environmental objectives, there is a need to return to the following five fundamental questions: - WHY should assessment activities take place? - WHAT should be assessed? - HOW should assessment be effected? - BY WHOM should assessment be effected? - TO WHOM should the assessment methods and results be communicated? In the paper I discuss the questions above, taking my point of departure in the interview data and the analysis of the policy documents. I also discuss different models for communicating results of the assessment of progress towards the objective -Zero eutrophication-. In this discussion, dialogical and participatory aspects of communication are emphasised.
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| 32. |
- Wibeck, Victoria, 1974-
(författare)
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Communicating uncertainty : Models of communication and the role of science in assessing progress towards environmental objectives
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning. - : Routledge. - 1523-908X .- 1522-7200. ; 11:2, s. 87-102
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper is an exploratory study analysing the communication models underlying Swedish civil servants' and scientists' views of how to communicate uncertainty related to progress towards public environmental quality objectives. Their lines of reasoning are illustrated by quotations from in-depth and focus group interviews. Two communication models are discussed: the separation model, in which experts discuss uncertainties among themselves and subsequently present a clear-cut message to practitioners and politicians, and the integration model, in which policy makers and civil servants take part in discussions about how to interpret and handle the uncertainties involved. The paper identifies the importance of acknowledging the existence of uncertainty and of consciously reflecting on what communication model to use in communicating goal achievement. It also emphasizes the need for further discussion of the consequences of each communication model. Moreover, the paper highlights a need for further research into the sense-making processes occurring as actors in the policy and practitioner arenas interpret expert messages. Finally, it is argued that the integration model for communicating uncertainties could be used to encourage reflection and learning within and across societal sectors.
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| 33. |
- Wibeck, Victoria, 1974-
(författare)
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Communication of scientific information in the assessment of environmental goal achievement
- 2006
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Ingår i: Public Communication of Science and Technology - PCST9,2006.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the last few decades, the discourse of sustainable development has motivated new global, national and regional political strategies for action, not least in the environmental arena.. One such strategy, used in several countries, is management-by-objectives, which implies that objectives are formulated, their attainment is directed and the results are measured. In Sweden, which is frequently cited as a world-leading country as regards environmental policy, efforts to achieve sustainability have been canalised through sixteen national environmental quality objectives. In the process of monitoring and assessing progress towards the environmental objectives, communication of scientific information is a crucial component. Thus, there is a need to identify obstacles in the communication process, focusing on the information flow between the scientific community and the environmental bureaucracy. In this paper, I present results from a Swedish case study, where key actors within the environmental bureaucracy were interviewed about their experiences of using statistical tools and methods in the assessment of environmental goal achievement. The analyses focus on the management and communication of uncertainty and the role of science in the assessment of environmental objectives.
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| 34. |
- Wibeck, Victoria, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Communicative aspects of environmental management by objectives : Examples from the Swedish context
- 2006
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Ingår i: Environmental Management. - New York, USA : Springer. - 0364-152X .- 1432-1009. ; 37:4, s. 461-469
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Management by objectives (MBO) is a technique for integrating ecological concerns into national political and administrative structures. Politicians determine environmental objectives and interim targets to be implemented and assessed by civil servants in national, regional, and local contexts. Well-developed organizational communication is a prerequisite for MBO. However, communication-related obstacles can arise when using MBO in public environmental management. We examine communicative aspects of environmental MBO, looking specifically at the implementation, administration, and assessment of Swedish environmental quality objectives. Our argument is illustrated by quotations from individual and focus group interviews. We conclude that communicative problems may arise, because different actors interpret messages from different perspectives, depending on their agendas, prior knowledge and experience, and positions in the administrative system. It is crucial to recognize the dialogical aspects of communication, by involving the receiver of a message in a process of response. In addition, the different timeframes underlying different arguments could contribute to misunderstandings between actors involved in handling environmental issues. In assessing the achievement of environmental objectives, indicators are used as communicative tools. It is important to investigate whether and how these indicators contribute to the de- and recontextualization of environmental objectives. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
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| 35. |
- Wibeck, Victoria, 1974-
(författare)
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Communicative challenges in assessing progress towards environmental quality objectives
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Science Communication. - 1824-2049. ; 8:2, s. A(01)-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Assessment of trends in the state of the environment constitutes one important aspect of efforts to achieve environmental sustainability. Assessments are often undertaken via indicators which measure progress towards environmental objectives and interim targets. This paper starts from the assumption that different types of environmental indicators have different implications for the public communication and the societal dialogue about the state of the environment and the measures needed to increase ecological sustainability.The paper concludes that it is important to evaluate environmental indicators on the basis of their communicative potential. It is demonstrated how science-based assessment of progress towards environmental objectives may fulfil different aims. Each of these aims may be linked to particular types of indicators, as well as to particular ideas of how to communicate uncertainties, and to particular views of the role of the public in the system of environmental objectives.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
- Wibeck, Victoria, 1974-
(författare)
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Enhancing learning, communication and public engagement about climate change – some lessons from recent literature
- 2014
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Ingår i: Environmental Education Research. - : Routledge. - 1350-4622 .- 1469-5871. ; 20:3, s. 387-411
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper sets out to develop key messages for the theory and practice of environmental education from a review of recent research literature on climate change communication (CCC) and education. It focuses on how learners of climate science understand messages on climate change, the communicative contexts for education on climate change, the barriers that can be found to public engagement with climate change issues, and how these barriers can be addressed. 92 peer-reviewed studies were examined. The analysis focuses on the goals and strategies of CCC, and how barriers can be addressed given the research findings on: (a) the content of CCC, (b) visualizations, (c) framing, (d) audience segmentation. The paper concludes that CCC and education need to address barriers to public engagement on several levels simultaneously. It recommends that scholars of environmental education focus critical attention on how practice addresses senses and spheres of agency; sociocultural factors; and the complexities of developing scientific literacy given the interpretative frames and prior understandings that are brought to bear by the public in non-formal education settings.
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Wibeck, Victoria, 1974-
(författare)
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Fokusgrupper
- 2014. - 1
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Ingår i: Videnskabelig teori og metode. - Copenhagen : Munksgaard Forlag. - 9788762812413 ; , s. 189-212
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)
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