Dr. Larissa Koch

I'm a social scientist who bridges multiple disciplines, focusing on collaborative environmental governance and policy within the intersection of political science, communication studies, and human geography. I seek to contribute to the grand challenges of biodiversity loss, water scarcity and land use conflicts. I apply diverse research methods, integrating them into a mixed-methods approach to study human behavior and interactions.

Research Topics

• Social dynamics in collaborative approaches to environmental governance and resource management
• Narratives and their meaning- and identity-making effects
• Social structures and actor constellations in communities
• Social networks in resource management
• Co-production of knowledge and learning
• Co-design for sustainability transitions

Methods

• Qualitative research methods including qualitative content analyses of interviews
• Narrative analysis and narrative research approaches
• Social network analysis
• Mixed-methods research designs
• Participatory research and transdisciplinary research modes

Short profile

My work draws on theories and methods from human geography, communication and political sciences to contribute to a better understanding of interpersonal relationships and the linkages between people and nature in rural landscapes.
My research centers on examining narratives as sources for human reasoning and sense-making, particularly in the context of adaptive or transformative behaviour to environmental change. Moreover, I am deeply engaged in exploring collaborative dynamics and conflicts, acknowledging these as intricate phenomena underlying human interactions as well as the life-contexts in which these individuals are situated. I place particular emphasis on the construction of social identities and the establishment of trust, posing critical inquiries such as: How do narratives influence our reactions to environmental fluctuations and our interaction with both human and non-human actors? What functions do conflicts serve within processes of transformation? How do individual agency and power dynamics shape our responses to environmental shifts? What are the determinants that enhance the transformative capacity of rural regions?
I delve into these pressing questions to advance our understanding of complex environmental challenges by collaborating closely in interdisciplinary research teams and in transdisciplinary, place-based research modes with practitioners.

Projects

MOOSland