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Given the complex, dynamic, and urgent problems that sustainability science addresses, research approaches are required that not only improve the understanding of sustainability challenges, but also to support action for sustainable development. In this context, transdisciplinary research has established as an approach that aims not only to generate new knowledge, but also to promote the societal relevance and application of research findings through direct collaboration of scientists and societal stakeholders from different fields in integrative research processes. Despite its increasing prevalence in the field, there remains a gap between theoretical ideal-typical models of transdisciplinary research and its actual application within sustainability science. While scholars generally agree that transdisciplinary research is societally effective, there is scattered and partly conflicting evidence on which aspects of transdisciplinary research foster societal impact. Moreover, the extent to which transdisciplinary research contributes to scientific progress is largely unexplored. This thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the actual implementation of transdisciplinary research in sustainability science. Following three aims, this work likes to (1.) contribute to the measurability of transdisciplinary research processes as well as their societal and academic outputs and impacts, to (2.) demarcate transdisciplinary research from other modes of research in sustainability science and to (3.) identify and examine the determinants that shape the contribution of transdisciplinary research to societal action for sustainable development and to scientific knowledge production. To serve these aims a mixed methods approach is applied that combines strong quantitative elements with in-depth qualitative analyses that integrate the perspectives of practitioners. This thesis provides a broad set of indicators to describe and assess transdisciplinary research that translate theoretical concepts form transdisciplinarity theory into observable variables. The indicators offer a holistic perspective on transdisciplinary research by representing research mode characteristics, societal as well as scientific outcomes of research projects and their specific context. To theoretically demarcate transdisciplinary research from other forms of research, a narrative literature review first elaborates the differences between ‘normal science’, political use of scientific knowledge and transdisciplinarity in their underlying logics of problem definition, knowledge production and research utilization. Subsequently, these concepts were compared with perspectives and expectations of practitioners in the forest sector on integrative research settings, showing that practitioner perspectives align the most with conceptualizations of political use of scientific knowledge. Moreover, a cluster analysis of data from 59 research projects identified five research modes that empirically demarcate ideal-typical transdisciplinary research from other research modes within sustainability science: (1) purely academic research, (2.) practice consultation, (3.) selective practitioner involvement, (4.) ideal-typical transdisciplinary research and (5.) practice-oriented research. Based on this finding, transdisciplinary research can be characterized as an intensive, but balanced involvement of practitioners. It incorporates not only the needs and goals of the practitioners but also their norms and values. Ideal-typical transdisciplinary research goes beyond mere consultatory research approaches and must be distinguished from what is conceptualized as applied research. Regression analysis of 81 research projects and statistical group comparisons of the five research mode clusters show that societal and academic outputs and impacts vary with specific project characteristics and combinations of project characteristics defined as research modes. The findings indicate that more interactive research modes reach more societal impacts. In particular, the involvement of practitioners in early project phases and the targeted dissemination of the research results positively affect societal impacts. This finding also aligns with practitioner expectations on integrative research and research utilization, provided by qualitative analysis. Moreover, the quantitative results show that scientific outputs and impacts decrease with the intensity of interactions, indicating a trade-off between societal and scientific outcomes and impacts. Overall, the empirical results of this thesis support the claimed effectiveness of transdisciplinary research in providing societally relevant, applicable knowledge and encourage further funding of transdisciplinary research by funding agencies. The relationships discovered in this study between research mode characteristics and societal as well as academic outputs and impacts can help researchers design and reflect on their research and can inform funding agencies in the design of project calls and research programs. However, the observed lower academic outputs and impacts of more integrative research modes raise the question of how to further strengthen the systematic documentation and accessibility of the results of transdisciplinary sustainability research. Additionally, the observed trade-off between societal and academic impacts of transdisciplinary research highlights the need for strategies to mediate between the dual aim of transdisciplinary research to contribute to societal problem solving and scientific knowledge production. Keywords: transdisciplinarity, sustainability science, transdisciplinary research, societal impact, scientific impact, research mode, research evaluation

In this chapter, we aim to present how shame, vulnerability, self-care and community care interrelate to one another and how they help build the necessary foundation for mutual care in interdependent communities, and thus for community-supported projects (CSX). Furthermore, we argue that by looking at the role of shame and vulnerability within our personal life, as we simultaneously learn to take care of ourselves, we then lay a solid foundation for learning how to support others. We then suggest that at the birthplace between healthy sustainable self-care and community care, people and communities are able to shift from a hyper-individualized lifestyle (isolation, disconnection) to a more collective community-centered approach (belonging and connection) that finally creates the perfect recipe for the creation of CSX Projects and a more inclusive and kinder economy for all.

How can CSX be applied to different industries in the cultural field? The following three subchapters discuss general problems of the cultural sector (the past), current practice examples of CSX (the present) and visions about new possibilities in this sector (the future), envisioning the progress of the sector through the implementation of CSX as an alternative economic model. This chapter explores this by using creative writing styles. While all the characters are fictional, the characterizations and the outline of the story draw from our scientific research. Our main protagonist is Quinn who studies Cultural Studies, is a volunteer in several cultural initiatives and works at a podcast studio. Planning to be done with the Master's program in about a year, questions about possibilities of a future employment in the cultural sector are becoming more present for Quinn and their fellow students.

This chapter is structured into two sub chapters, studied and written by two research-groups, titled: (1) Tales of Challenge (2) Tales of Success. The chapter concludes with a common summary of all findings. In both sub chapters the same approach was applied. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed according to Mayring (2000) to collect perspectives from practice and research. Some interviews were conducted by each research group separately and some together. Also, a method inspired by Photovoice was used to gain a deeper understanding of specific challenges and drivers in the respective projects. Inspired by the Photovoice method (Wang and Burris, 1997), interviewees were asked to share a picture and short description answering a question posed by the researchers to gain a deeper understanding of specific challenges and drivers in the respective projects. Our shared main character, Joice, will keep popping up during this chapter to share her experience.

Climate change presents a major sustainability challenge to coastal social-ecological systems (SES). The integration of climate change adaptation into processes or structures for coastal governance, however, has been described as challenging. Resilience presents a suitable concept to approach this problem, as it facilitates bridging between the natural and social sciences, as well as between science and policy in an inter- and trans-disciplinary approach. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also makes use of the concept of resilience and confirms that recent literature increasingly suggests that transformative changes in SES are required to enhance their resilience to climate change. Yet, knowledge gaps still exist on how to enable effective coastal governance to enhance the climate resilience of coastal SES. To address this problem, the importance of actionable knowledge is growing in climate change adaptation, environmental governance, and broader sustainability research. Actionable knowledge refers to knowledge that contributes to solving societal problems and points to actions and processes of change. One way of generating actionable knowledge is the co-production of knowledge with societal stakeholders. Yet, knowledge gaps exist in what methods and approaches may contribute to generating actionable knowledge and what obstacles to knowledge co-production exist especially for early-career researchers (ECRs). This dissertation contributes to research on generating actionable knowledge for coastal governance to enhance the resilience of coastal SES to climate change. It does this by providing theoretical, methodological and empirical insights on three research questions (RQs), laid out in Chapter I. These are: 1) what is a more actionable concept for applying the concept of resilience in coastal governance?; 2) what methods and approaches are suitable to generate actionable knowledge for coastal governance?; and 3) what obstacles to knowledge co-production exist for ECRs and how can they be overcome? The RQs are addressed in five publications, each presenting one chapter of this dissertation. For answering RQ1, Chapter II applies a research synthesis to bring together common themes and challenges documented in resilience, climate change and environmental governance literature. For answering RQ2, in Chapter III-V different methods and approaches for generating actionable knowledge are proposed and tested using a case-study in the SES of Algoa Bay, South Africa. These include i) the analysis of stakeholder agency as an indicator of the ability of stakeholders to act in governance processes; ii) the application of a stakeholder analysis to gain an improved understanding of the current degree of knowledge exchange for climate change adaptation; and iii) the combination of a capital approach framework, and fuzzy cognitive mapping, which shed light on the governance performance for climate change adaptation and on leverage points that can enhance climate resilience. Finally, for answering RQ3, Chapter VI provides a perspective on the obstacles that especially ECRs face, and actions that are needed to create the conditions under which knowledge co-production processes can be successful. This is done by applying a multi-method approach combining an online survey and workshop targeted at ECRs in the marine sciences. Key findings suggest that system and transformative knowledge are particularly important when applying the concept of resilience in coastal governance to generate actionable knowledge. The different methods and approaches that are proposed and tested contribute to generating both system and transformative knowledge. Firstly, they provide an overview of the capacities of different stakeholders to act, shed light on current collaboration and knowledge exchange, and enable the identification of different governance processes for coastal governance and climate change adaptation (system knowledge). Secondly, results have implications for how to improve knowledge exchange and identify leverage points that can enhance overall governance performance, thus providing recommendations on actions and processes that can enhance climate resilience in the case-study area (transformative knowledge). It is also highlighted how knowledge co-production can contribute to generating system and transformative knowledge together with stakeholders, and what actions are needed to build the capacities to translate knowledge into action. Additionally, the findings of this dissertation put forward actions that are needed at different organisational levels of the academic system to facilitate knowledge co-production processes with stakeholders involved in coastal governance. The results of this dissertation have implications for stakeholders and decision-making in the case-study area, as well as for environmental governance, climate change adaptation and broader sustainability research. Implications for stakeholders include recommendations for implementing formal commitments to share climate information across levels and sectors, establishing the role of information providers in the municipality, and reinforcing human capital within the local municipality in Algoa Bay. It also requires more support from the provincial government, such as addressing funding issues, offering training focusing on stakeholders with lower agency and capacities, and improving the overall availability and accessibility of climate information, as well as the priority given to climate change in the Integrated Development Plan. Findings also suggest the need for a more integrated approach to climate change adaptation in coastal planning and management frameworks. It also suggests that the conservation of environmental assets presents an important bottleneck for resilience management and needs to be further prioritised within decision-making. Implications for research include the applicability of methods beyond the context of this dissertation; a more actionable concept for approaching resilience in (coastal) governance systems that can be applied for achieving broader sustainability goals; and a more critical reflection on how transformative research is conducted, and what academic foundation is needed so that it can fulfil its societal goal. Future research may include a combination of the methods applied in this dissertation; qualitative applications of the stakeholder network analysis; and an application of the proposed approach to other case-studies using real-world laboratories. Overall, this dissertation provides theoretical, methodological, and empirical implications and insights into pressing SES problems. It also contributes to advancing the field of transformative research for more societally relevant outcomes in face of climate change and broader sustainability challenges