Social learning as a link between the individual and the collective: evaluating deliberation on social values

• Published in: Sustainability science Vol. 14; no. 5; pp. 1323 - 1332
• Main Authors: Eriksson, Max, van Riper, Carena J., Leitschuh, Ben, Bentley Brymer, Amanda, Rawluk, Andrea, Raymond, Christopher M., Kenter, Jasper O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 02.09.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Climate Change Management and Policy; Earth and Environmental Science; Empowerment; Environment; Environmental Economics; Environmental Management; Landscape Ecology; Learning; Longitude; Management decisions; Mixed methods research; Natural resource management; Natural resources; Public Health; Resource management; Science; Social capital; Social discrimination learning; Social factors; Social networks; Social organization; Social values; Special Feature: Original Article; Special Feature: Theoretical traditions in social values for sustainability; Sustainability; Sustainability science; Sustainable Development; Social values; Social learning; Mixed methods; Sustainability; Social capital
• ISSN: 1862-4065; 1862-4057
• DOI: 10.1007/s11625-019-00725-5

The role of social learning in deliberative processes is an emerging area of research in sustainability science. Functioning as a link between the individual and the collective, social learning has been envisioned as a process that can empower and give voice to a diverse set of stakeholder viewpoints, contribute to more adaptive and resilient management decisions and foster broader societal transformations. However, despite its widespread use in the context of participatory management of natural resources, the empirical properties of social learning remain understudied. This paper evaluates the role of social interaction and social capital in achieving transformative learning in discussions about social values. We employ a longitudinal design involving three consecutive surveys of 25 participants of an expert workshop focused on social values, as well as approximately 12 hours of transcribed audio and video recordings of participant interactions. Our mixed methods approach demonstrates the potential of using changes in social networks and definitions of social values that emerge from qualitative coding as indicators of social learning. We find that individuals with a weaker conceptual understanding of social values are more likely to change their definitions of the concept after deliberation. Though slight, these changes display a shift towards definitions more firmly held by other group members.