Research Interests
I am an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist working to understand policy implementation and formulation in the field of sustainability. My research examines governance networks, including the ideas and actions of policy actors or stakeholders, and the structures and relationships that shape them. I am interested in the multi-level, interdisciplinary nature of governance networks, and in connecting on-the-ground activities into policy processes. In this way, issues of scale (spatial and temporal) often feature in my work.
My research methods include stakeholder and network analysis, participatory methods and transdisciplinary research forums, and elite interviews. I am particularly interested in mixed-methods research approaches in sustainability science.
I am particularly interested in how governance processes are shaped by both the political context and the material/physical context. I have therefore conducted in-depth case study research into a range of environmental challenges in a number of political systems. These include the management of groundwater in Eastern Europe; climate governance in sub-Saharan Africa; and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in Western Europe.
For more information and updates on my research:
- Follow me on Twitter: @jleventon
- Follow my on ResearchGate
- See my official Leuphana University page.
- Read my blog posts on ideas4sustainability.
Current Research Projects
Leverage Points for Sustainability Transformations (www.leveragepoints.org). Co-Principal Investigator, and project manager. Funded by the VW Foundation.
MULTAGRI: Rural Development through Governance of Multifunctional Agricultural Land Use (www.cec.lu.se/research/multagri). Senior Research Associate. Funded by ERA-Net RURAGRI.
RECARE: Preventing and Remediating degradation of soils in Europe through Land Care (www.recare-project.eu). Co-Investigator. Funded by the EU’s 7th Framework Programme. Through this project, I retain links to the Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds, UK.
Professional Activities
I am a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Development Studies Association.
I am an associate editor of the peer reviewed journal Environmental Policy and Governance.
Highlighted Publications
For a full list of publications, please see the publications page.
2016
2015
2014
2012
Leventon, J., & Hug, S. (2012). Consumer concerns about drinking water in an area with high levels of naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater, and the implications for managing health risks. In P. Bhattacharya, I. Rosborg, A. Sandhi, C. Hayes, & M. J. Benoliel (Eds.), COST Action 637. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference Metals and Related Substances in Drinking Water, METEAU, Kristianstad, Sweden, October 13-15, 2010 (pp. 34-40). London: IWA Publishing.