Meaningful engagement in transitions research: Care and value in research partnerships

In recent years, there has been a growing consensus that energy transitions research should incorporate considerations of equity and justice and that energy systems directly and indirectly impact food and water systems (FEWs). Additionally, there is a shared understanding that meaningful engagement with community partners involves ensuring equity and justice considerations are included in both research processes and outcomes. While there has been an increasing number of studies on the best practices in community and stakeholder engagement, there have been limited studies evaluating projects that are implementing engagement in their research processes. In this study, we apply the EngageINFEWS conceptual framework, which outlines best practices for engagement in FEWs research, to eleven ongoing projects within the same Environmental Protection Agency funding program investigating the drivers and impacts of energy transitions in underserved communities. We analyzed semi-structured interview data (n = 12) and publicly available project abstracts (n = 11) based on the 10 elements of the EngageINFEWS framework, and despite the diversity of project contexts, aims, and deliverables, four common themes emerged: (i) emphasis on production of meaningful research outputs; (ii) importance of navigating power dynamics; (iii) the role of effective communication systems in project success; and (iv) the need for increased funding and resources. The insights gained from empirically evaluating the goals and activities involving engagement from these particular projects based on the EngageINFEWS conceptual framework can be applied to better understand stakeholder and community engaged research across diverse contexts and offer valuable lessons on how scholars can effectively collaborate with underserved communities while providing policy-relevant recommendations to facilitate community engagement processes that enhance justice and equity through processes and outcomes.