About
PhD project: Communication for the Commons - A Comparative Study on Socio-Economic Innovation in Portugal and Catalonia Reference: SFRH/BD/136809/2018 Supervisor: Mayo Fuster Morel; Co-supervisor: Cristina Parente (IS-UP); Supervisor committee member: Alice Mattoni Proposing institution: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Partner institution: Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto (FLUP) Host institutions: Internet Interdisciplinary Institute of the Open University of Catalonia (IN3/UOC) and Institute of Sociology of the University of Porto (IS-UP) Timeline: 2018-2021 Link: https://comcom.saritamoreira.com/ Abstract: The present research project is concerned with the role of communication in advancing socio-economic innovation and aims at providing knowledge on strategies to build resilient infrastructure for the commons – hereby broadly understood as the community’s governance of shared resources. Starting from the hypothesis that the contemporary commons have not yet reached significant resonance in Portugal when compared to similar geopolitical contexts, the research will analyze how co-ops, associations, networks and informal collectives are using communication to promote and support the emerging models of work and consumption. Anchored in a comparative analysis between Portugal and Catalonia (a prolific region in terms of alternative economic practices), the research follows a multiphase mixed methods design combining literature review, a questionnaire survey, ethnographic fieldwork and a final participatory action-research phase in Porto, to develop a communication platform and strategy for a commons-oriented network, which can serve as a model for other urban contexts.
