Conference Agenda

This presentation uses network approaches to analyse how oil and gas companies and host governments construct community engagement processes, with implications for political corporate social responsibility (CSR) and meaningful community engagement in environmental governance. Drawing on comparative analysis of oil exploration and extraction in Atlantic Canada and Norway, the research investigates how global frameworks—including sustainability goals (e.g., the Paris Agreement, UN SDGs,), Human Rights-Based Approaches (HRBA), Indigenous rights frameworks (e.g., UNDRIP) — are translated into regionally specific engagement networks around offshore oil development. Data sources include corporate reports, government documents, and web content. Using Discourse Network Analysis (DNA), a method integrating social network analysis and textual analysis, we examine the networks that connect engagement frameworks with corporate actors, governmental institutions, and a range of rightsholders and stakeholders including social movement organizations, labour associations, Indigenous communities, and municipalities. The findings reveal regional contrasts: the Norwegian cases emphasize environmental frameworks — with greater attention to the Paris Agreement — and corporatist networks of inclusion in engagement processes, while the Canadian case foregrounds Indigenous rights-based approaches. Across both regions, gender-based approaches remain peripheral, reflecting gaps in inclusive engagement. These distinctions illustrate how despite the aura of universalism of global engagement frameworks, these are translated into regionally-distinct networks of engagement that structure environmental governance by framing which stakeholders/rightsholders are included, as well as shaping the boundaries of climate and environmental debates. By highlighting the intersection of public engagement frameworks and rightsholder/stakeholder networks, we offer insights into equitable engagement strategies for extractive development and social-environmental sustainability.

As urban areas continue to expand, the conversion of agricultural land into urban planning zones has become an irreversible trend. However, in light of sustainability considerations, farmers’ rights, and principles of justice, this study conducted an empirical investigation in Huwei, Yunlin, Taiwan, to examine the social conflicts and contradictions arising during the transformation process and to propose rational urban design recommendations. Rice farming in Huwei began in the early 20th century, and large-scale rice paddies emerged as a definitive landscape feature after World War II. However, the recent establishment of a high-speed rail station in Huwei has influenced local land development patterns, significantly affecting urban planning and agricultural land use.

Incorporating a sustainable environmental governance framework while aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on justice and equality, this study examined the effects of government policies and rice farming on various social groups and environmental sustainability through a social network analysis. Additionally, geographic information system overlay analysis was performed to investigate the historical context of agricultural development, the contemporary distribution of farmland, and the relationship between urban planning and land use in Huwei. Furthermore, qualitative interviews were conducted to capture the perspectives and power dynamics among different social groups. By integrating these approaches, this study aimed to propose strategies for preserving rice farming culture within urban planning zones, contributing to the planning for and development of a resilient and sustainable environment.

This study examines the impact of a major earthquake on sustainable cocoa production in rural Indonesian communities, specifically focusing on how social networks influenced farmers' adoption of agricultural practices – recommended seedling sources and fertilizers and female empowerment – and their ability to secure favorable cacao bean prices. Targeting 3,727 registered cacao farmers in Central Sulawesi, we collected socioeconomic network, agricultural, psychological, and disaster-related data. These data were combined with pre-disaster agricultural survey data from the same farmers. Results from social network analysis revealed that the earthquake significantly altered information dissemination and social influence patterns regarding agricultural practices. For instance, post-earthquake fertilizer choices in some neighboring subnetworks reversed, deviating from network clusters detected by modularity clustering algorithm. In contrast, farmers achieving higher cacao bean prices were concentrated within established social networks, indicating that access to beneficial price information relied on long-standing connections rather than newly formed ones. Differences in the damage level by the earthquake and village affiliation did not strongly predict the above changes. Further analysis using edge and node attributes explores the specific conditions that drove these changes, aiming to elucidate the factors influencing resilience and vulnerability in post-disaster agricultural communities. This study highlights the fragility of sustainable agriculture programs in the face of natural disasters and suggests the need to understand how actors on social networks adapt under extreme stress.

Understanding the dynamic interplay between human societies and ecosystems is central to achieving sustainability. Social-ecological network approaches provide a powerful framework for disentangling the complex and evolving relationships between people and ecosystems. While existing research has shown that specific social-ecological network structures can support environmental sustainability, their temporal dynamics and connections to social sustainability outcomes remain poorly understood. Using longitudinal panel data from 629 resource-dependent fishers in Kenyan coastal communities, we examined how social-ecological networks evolve and relate to material and subjective wellbeing – measuring access to resources and livelihood satisfaction, respectively. Both wellbeing measures exhibited dynamic changes but increased overall, coinciding with a growing tendency for fishers to form social relationships with others who rely on the same species, creating ‘closed social-ecological triangles’. Existing research, including in these same communities, has linked this network configuration to ecological benefits such as higher fish biomass and functional richness. However, our results from multilevel, temporal autologistic actor attribute models revealed that fishers embedded in these configurations were more likely to experience declines in subjective wellbeing over time. These findings uncover a hidden trade-off between environmental benefits and individual social outcomes, underscoring the need for governance strategies that account for the evolving and multifaceted nature of human-environment interactions to effectively navigate multiple sustainability objectives.

Keywords: sustainable food choices, food waste, responsible consumption, social influence

Food choices and sustainability awareness among university students can be analyzed by social interactions.

This study applies network analysis to explore how students’ social connections influence their knowledge and adoption of sustainable food practices within a university collective catering system.

Data have been obtained from an online survey conducted at the University of Trieste (Italy) to examine students’ eating habits, food waste behaviors, and sustainability awareness, while also mapping peer behavior on food choice and food waste.

The study aims to investigate whether social influence plays a significant role in shaping food choices and if such influence occurs mainly through horizontal (peer-to-peer) or vertical (opinion leaders/university environment/professors) networks. By applying network analysis, the aim is to explore how social connections influence the adoption of sustainable food behaviors.

This research aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially with Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) offering insights into how social networks can be leveraged to promote sustainability and good practices in higher education. Moreover, findings could also support the development of targeted actions, such as educational campaigns, and to encourage responsible food consumption and reduce food waste among students and in the university canteen.