Alberta's Priority Rural Policy Research Questions

Abstract

In 2012, the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) adapted the collaborative approach taken by Sutherland, Fleishman, Mascia, Pretty, and Rudd (Sutherland et al., 2011) to create a list of Alberta's Priority Rural Policy Research Questions. This approach has primarily been used in the field of environmental conservation, however, it was noted early on that it could be "transferable to a wide range of policy or research areas" (Sutherland et al., 2011, pp. 238). Here, it was adapted to identify what research questions, if answered, could advance the knowledge base for policies and/or management strategies targeting or supporting the sustainability and development of rural Albertan communities. This project and process were designed to aid rural communities in identifying their research needs and priorities, while creating a list of policy-oriented research questions that could be taken on by researchers. In addition to providing a typological analysis of the questions, we argue that such questions, and indeed this form of exercise, provide a contribution in the form of an agenda for rurally-based knowledge synthesis, translation, and exchange. Keywords: policy, scanning, priorities, sustainability, decision-making