Collaborative research space
Arantzazulab has set up an innovative space with the three main universities in our region to carry out research in a collaborative way. More than simply the sum of individual research from each of the partner universities, the added value of Arantzazulab lies in collaborative reflection and research to provide a collective response. First and foremost, we design, activate and manage this space for collaborative research and reflection alongside a number of universities; and we also promote basic and advanced research in our field, and carry out collective research projects, working in collaboration at all times with the universities.
Building on the essence of Ikerketa Elkargunea, this space seeks to reflect and generate new ideas that do not emerge in other forums.
The goal is to build a space that will serve as a meeting point for researchers working across a range of knowledge areas. The main universities operating in this space are: University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), University of Deusto and Mondragon Unibertsitatea. Priority Research Areas: Democracy and Collaborative Governance (Basic Research and Applied Research).
Collaborative governance: basic research
This research project seeks to generate and reflect on the conceptual and theoretical framework of collaborative governance. The researchers have reviewed and have contrasted the literature that has been developed on collaborative governance in recent years in Gipuzkoa. They have created a document that captures key shared concepts through deliberation. A documentation effort has been carried out (analysis of what has been produced in Gipuzkoa, review of academic literature), and research seminars have also been organised.
The aim is to develop a solid framework of collaborative governance, which in addition to conceptualizing it, will facilitateunderstanding of the key characteristics, factors, and criteria. This framework will assist other actors and institutions in the region to understand, assimilate, and apply this collaborative governance approach to their own contexts.
Democracy research
Today, there is a great concern about democracy in the world. In 2022 Ikerketa Elkargunea activated three lines of research in this area. The first line of research has focused on the main debates about democracy in order to understand its state of health, quality and level of social protection. Understanding the weaknesses and possibilities for improvement in the way democracy functions and performs has enabled us to shed light on the legitimation debate and to be aware of the new questions that are emerging. The other two lines of research were connected to our region.
The general objective of the second line of research has been to identify, understand and interpret the perspectives on democracy in the Basque Country.
To this end we gave priority to an exploratory compilation of the various perspectives in the territory. This is the line of research which gave us an insight into the perceptions that exist on democracy and detect the similarities, divergences and major gaps between them. The third line of research has consisted of a general questionnaire on democracy: we have designed a questionnaire to capture citizens’ perceptions and judgements on democracy; the questionnaire has been partially standard, and so the results enabled us to conduct comparative research and therefore, to compare our territory to other Western countries and regions.
Research Residencies and the Fellowship programme
We want to attract international researchers and professionals who are experts in the field of Arantzazulab to generate new knowledge. To this end, we offer two specific programmes: Research Residencies and Fellowship Programme, designed for Basque and international researchers to stay and research here, share their knowledge and connect the laboratory to the global network of professionals.
Projects/initiatives:
Arantzazu also offers a space for reflection in a vast natural environment full of energy and peace. All this makes it an ideal place for fruitful research and reflection. If you would like more information, please contact us!
