GoGreen: Co-creation of Green Transitions

The GOGREEN research project is a global initiative led by Roskilde University and funded by the Danish independent Research Council from 2022 to 2026. The project’s objective is to identify the constellation of governance factors driving the successful co-creation of green transitions. To achieve this goal, GOGREEN employs an innovative research strategy that invites teams from all over the world to contribute case studies of local co-creation of green transitions. These case studies are then used to build a global database on collaborative governance of green transitions. As of 2024, research partners from 28 countries around the world have been enlisted to execute 37 case studies. The database will provide a solid foundation for improving the governance of green transitions, complementing technical knowledge about how to build a sustainable future.

The research partnership represents a collective effort to study co-creation projects from a global comparative perspective, examining governance factors such as legal responsibilities, strategies for inclusive and empowered participation, mechanisms for conflict mediation, and access to blended financing. Following in the footsteps of Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom, the project challenges the presumption that governments are better suited than users, citizens, private firms, and civil society organizations to generate green solutions that protect our climate, natural resources, and biodiversity. Therefore, the focus is on the strength of local partnerships, and the project posits that local arenas for co-creation are important levers for change. GOGREEN will evaluate the outcomes of local co-creation projects and study the institutional and organizational designs, forms of governance, and leadership that condition the co-creation of innovative green solutions.

CDG Director, Chris Koliba, has recently conducted field work in Sri Lanka to capture the co-creation activities of the Healthy Landscapes Project (HLP) as part of the international GoGreen project. HLP is an effort to restore ancient tank cascade systems by relying on public-private partnerships and grassroots engagement. A series of comparative case study analysis book chapters and journal articles are planned.

One book chapter has already been produced:

Koliba, C., Herath, K., Esham, M., Kuruppu, V., and Kumara, D. 2024. Governance of Village Tank Cascade System Restoration: Role of Watershed Scale Coordinating Mechanisms for Aligning Interests and Services.  In Geekiyanage, N., Gunarathna, M.H.J.P., Ranagalage, M., Jayasinghe, G.Y., Perera, M.P., and Vithanage, M. (editors). Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka: A Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Routledge Press.