(…) Well, it [sustainability] is of course, implicitly it is of course taken into account as well. (…) But, there is not a real sustainability discussion in our Selleckchem YH25448 project, I don’t believe that, in the sense, or regarding what needs to be done so that everything is more sustainable; we rather show the instruments that could lead to a sustainable development. And that evaluate single aspects of it” (translated from MOUNT 1, p. 19). Projects on the other extreme of the spectrum featured sustainability conceptions that had been

well reflected upon. Explicitness Explicitness distinguishes whether, and to what extent, the researchers explicitly stated the sustainability conception underlying a project. The sample featured a spectrum ranging from rather implicit to entirely explicit statements (cf. Table 3). Explicitly stated sustainability understandings sometimes corresponded to the researcher’s personal view: “Well I conceive sustainability always in a very comprehensive [sense], well it encompasses everything. It should Eltanexor in vitro encompass on the

one hand like I said that one can stop this forest clearance, and that at the same PD0332991 solubility dmso time all the other aspects of sustainability are kept preserved as well” (translated from LIV, p. 8). Comparison of the Oxymatrine projects further revealed that explicitly stated sustainability conceptions did not necessarily imply a higher degree of deliberation. Contextualization Contextualization describes

how strongly the sustainability conception of a project was concretized in the context of the sustainability question at issue. The identified sustainability conceptions ranged from quite distinct visions to featuring more general understandings. Indicating clear priorities for soil quality, crop yields, fertilizer use and livestock production, for instance, featured a quite specific conception (LEG). In contrast, another project quite generally referred to forest preservation, a decent standard of living of smallholders and self-determination, but barely specifyied these goals further in the context of the investigated region (PALM, cf. Table 3). Relevance The relevance of sustainability conceptions stands for the status the researchers attributed to sustainability-related normative aspects in their projects. The interviewed researchers that represented one end of the spectrum regarded sustainability visions to be something that would be rather insignificant for the actual research work. In contrast, those on the other end integrated questions about what could be sustainable into their projects.