Merritt Polk
About Merritt Polk
Merritt Polk received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1984. She received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Human Ecology from the University of Gothenburg in 1998. From 2000 to 2002 she attended the Inter University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), Summer Program in Quantitative Methods at the University of Michigan where she studied quantitative methods including regression and structural equation modeling (LISREL). She became a tenured University Lecturer in Human Ecology at the School of Global Studies in 2002, and was promoted to Associate Professor in Human Ecology at the School of Global Studies in 2010.
Areas of interestSince the 1990’s, Merritt has worked extensively with practitioners in the field of gender mainstreaming and transport with a focus on travel patterns, attitudes and policy and applied this work to the interactions between gender equality, sustainable transportation and climate change. She has taught diverse courses such as sustainable cities, sustainable development and conflicts, as well as interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods in Human Ecology. More recently she has done research on urban planning with a focus on multi-level stakeholder processes and the framing and implementation of sustainable development. For the last six years, she has worked on developing transdisciplinarity methods for sustainable urban development, with a focus on combining interdisciplinary and cross sector approaches in urban planning.
Current researchMerritt is currently working at the Mistra-Urban Futures (M-UF), a transdisciplinary Center for sustainable urban development along with her responsibilities at the School of Global Studies where she currently has responsibility for the doctoral program in Human Ecology. At the Center, Merritt heads the development of a transdisciplinary methodology for joint knowledge production and capacity building between universities, private, semi-private and public organizations. She is currently working on evaluating a set of guidelines and qualities for joint knowledge production which will be applied to futures projects at the Center. She is also responsible for developing strategies and projects for ensuring that the knowledge produced at the Center is accessible and usable for the targeted stakeholder groups, as well as shares responsibility for the developing and supporting international projects. Some of her current research projects include: the conditions for transdisciplinary learning, methodological challenges of transdisciplinary knowledge production in urban areas, and evaluating transdisciplinarity by combining practical relevance and scientific excellence.
Teaching and tutoringMerritt Polk has extensive teaching experience at Human Ecology since 1992. She has taught courses on the undergraduate and graduate level, as well as advised students on the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels. She has taught the following introductory and advanced courses in Human Ecology and Human Technology at the Institution for Interdisciplinary Studies, now the School of Global Studies, Göteborg University. Guest lecturer at Lund’s Technical University SIDA course on Traffic safety and Urban Planning Course; at Chalmers Technical University’s Masters course on sustainable planning, and at Cultural Geography.
-
Understanding mechanisms of conflict resolution beyond collaboration: an interdisciplinary typology of knowledge types and their integration in
practice
Olga Stepanova, Merritt Polk, Hannah Saldert
Sustainability Science - 2020 -
Expertise in research integration and implementation for tackling complex problems: when is it needed, where can it be found and how can it be
strengthened?
G. Bammer, M. O'Rourke, D. O'Connell, L. Neuhauser, G. Midgley, J. T. Klein, N. J. Grigg, H. Gadlin, I. R. Elsum, M. Bursztyn, E. A. Fulton, C. Pohl, M. Smithson, U. Vilsmaier, M. Bergmann, J. Jaeger, F. Merkx, B. V. Baptista, M. A. Burgman, D. H. Walker, J. Young, H. Bradbury, L. Crawford, B. Haryanto, C. A. Pachanee, Merritt Polk, G. P. Richardson
Palgrave Communications - 2020 -
Overall assessment of the drivers for behavioural
change
Érika Martins Silva Ramos, Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad, Merritt Polk, Andrea Chicco, Marco Diana, Gunnar Nehrke
2019 -
Comments to Belcher et al. 2018's critique of Hansson and Polk
2018
Stina Hansson, Merritt Polk
Research Evaluation - 2019 -
Mobility cultures and mobility
styles
Gunnar Nehrke, Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad, Érika Martins Silva Ramos, Merritt Polk, Johannes Rodenbach, Jeffrey Matthijs, Stefano Beccaria, Massimiliano Melis, Marko Horvat
2018 -
Assessing the impact of transdisciplinary research: The usefulness of relevance, credibility, and legitimacy for understanding the link between process and
impact
Stina Hansson, Merritt Polk
Research Evaluation - 2018 -
Organising for Co-Production: Local Interaction Platforms for Urban
Sustainability
B Perry, Z Patel, Ylva Norén Bretzer, Merritt Polk
Politics and Governance - 2018 -
The role of learning in transdisciplinary research: moving from a normative concept to an analytical tool through a practice-based
approach
Lars Westberg, Merritt Polk
Sustainability Science - 2016 -
Co-producing knowledge for sustainable urban
futures
Merritt Polk, Jaan-Henrik Kain
Co-producing knowledge for sustainable cities: Joining forces for change. - 2015 -
Transdisciplinary co-production: Designing and testing a transdisciplinary research framework for societal problem
solving
Merritt Polk
Futures - 2015 -
Achieving the promise of transdisciplinarity: A critical exploration of the relationship between transdisciplinary research and societal problem
solving
Merritt Polk
Sustainability Science - 2014 -
Mistra Urban Futures: a living laboratory for urban
transformations
Merritt Polk, Jaan-Henrik Kain, John Holmberg
Regenerative Sustainable Development of Universities and Cities: The Role of Living Laboratories - 2013 -
Integration and Implementation in action at Mistra Urban Futures: A transdisciplinary center for sustainable urban
development
Merritt Polk
Disciplining Interdisciplinarity: Integration and Implementation sciences for Researching Complex Real World Problems. - 2013 -
Influences of affect associated with routine out-of-home activities on subjective
well-being
Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad, Amelie Gamble, Olle Hagman, Merritt Polk, Tommy Gärling, Dick Ettema, Margareta Friman, Lars E. Olsson
Applied Research in Quality of Life - 2012 -
Mistra Urban Futures: Strategic Plan
2012-2015
Jaan-Henrik Kain, Henrik Nolmark, Merritt Polk, Lars Reuterswärd
2011 -
Institutional capacity building in urban planning and policy making for sustainable development: success or
failure?
Merritt Polk
Planning Practice & Research - 2011 -
Physical and economic bias in climate change research: A scientometric study of IPCC Third Assessment
Report
Andreas Bjurström, Merritt Polk
Climatic Change - 2011 -
Climate Change and Interdisciplinarity: A Co-citation Analysis of IPCC Third Assessment
Report
Andreas Bjurström, Merritt Polk
Scientometrics - 2011 -
Affective-symbolic and instrumental-independence psychological motives mediating effects of socio-demographic variables on daily car
use
Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad, Amelie Gamble, Olle Hagman, Merritt Polk, Tommy Gärling, Lars Olsson
JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY - 2011 -
Subjective well-being related to satisfaction with daily
travel
Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad, Amelie Gamble, Tommy Gärling, Olle Hagman, Merritt Polk, Dick Ettema, Margareta Friman, Lars E. Olsson
TRANSPORTATION - 2011 -
Sustainability in Practice: The Interpretation of Sustainable Development in a Regional Planning Arena for Dialogue and Learning in Western
Sweden
Merritt Polk
Planning Theory & Practice - 2010 -
Bilens roll för människors subjektiva
välbefinnande
Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad, Amelie Gamble, Olle Hagman, Lars E. Olsson, Merritt Polk, Tommy Gärling
2009 -
Mistra urban futures : the Göteborg center of excellence for sustainable urban
futures
Merritt Polk, Björn Malbert, Jaan-Henrik Kain
2009 -
Gendering climate change through the transport
sector
Merritt Polk
Kvinder, køn og forskning / Women, Gender and Research - 2009 -
Gender mainstreaming in Swedish transport
policy
Merritt Polk
Tanu Priya Uteng and Tim Cresswell (eds.), Gendered Mobilities, Chapter 19 - 2008 -
Human Ecology at the University of
Gothenburg
Karl Bruckmeier, Merritt Polk
German Society for Human Ecology Conference Proceedings for 2007 - 2008 -
Hegemonic and alternative frameings of sustainable transport in multi-stakeholder planning
processes
Merritt Polk
Conference paper, TransportMistra workshop - 2008 -
Participation, value rationality and mutual learning in transdisciplinary knowledge production for sustainable
development
Merritt Polk, Per Knutsson
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH - 2008 -
Transdisciplinary research for promoting social change towards sustainable
development
Merritt Polk, Per Knutsson
Environmental Education Research - 2008 -
Gender mainstreaming and social learning for
sustainability
Merritt Polk
UNESCO Workshop on Public Learning for Sustainable Development - 2007 -
The sustinability of the road transport research agenda in the European
Union
Merritt Polk
Paper submitted to the Transportation Research Board - 2006 -
En hållbar transportpolitik måste rätta sig efter
miljön
Merritt Polk, Olle Hagman, Marie Thynell
DN, insändare, 21 mars 2006 - 2006 -
Redefining Human Ecology in the wake of university reforms: The case of Göteborg
University
Merritt Polk, Per Knutsson
Working paper presented at the Society for Human Ecology (SHE) conference in Bar Harbor, Maine - 2006 -
Envisioning sustainable solutions by multi-stakeholder
processes
Merritt Polk
TransportMistra Annual Report - 2006 -
Evaluating the institutional capacity building of multi-stakeholder processes for sustainable transport planning i Western
Sweden
Merritt Polk
World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR) conference paper - 2006 -
Kvinnors och mäns inställning till utformning av vägsystemet i
Sverige
Merritt Polk
2006 -
Integrating theoretical and practical approaches in research for sustainable transport planning in
Sweden
Merritt Polk
Paper presented at the Society for Human Ecology (SHE) conference in Bar Harbor, Maine - 2006 -
The efficacy of multi-stakeholder processes for fostering regional planning for sustainable transportation: A case study of HUR
2050
Merritt Polk
Full conference paper presented at the Transport Research Arena (TRA) conference in Göteborg - 2006 -
Sustainable
Mobility
Merritt Polk, Thomas Hellström
Full program application to the MISTRA call for sustainable transport - 2005 -
Women's and men's valuations of road system infrastructure in
Sweden
Merritt Polk
2005 -
The integration of gender equality in transport policy and practice in
Sweden
Merritt Polk
Research on Women's issues in Transportation: Volume 2: Technical Papers. Transportation Research Board, Conference Proceedings 35 - 2005 -
Hinder mot jämställdhetsintegrering inom den svenska
transportsektorn
Merritt Polk
2005 -
The future of human ecology at the Gothenburg
School
Merritt Polk, Karl Bruckmeier
Working paper presented at the Society for Human Ecology (SHE) conference in Salt Lake City - 2005 -
Gender mainstreaming in transport policy in
Sweden
Merritt Polk
Kvinder, køn & forskning - 2004 -
The influence of gender on daily car use and willingness to reduce car use in
Sweden
Merritt Polk
Journal of Transport Geography - 2004 -
Gender equality and transport policy in
Sweden
Merritt Polk
World Transport Policy and Practice - 2004 -
Are women potentially more accommodating than men to a sustainable transportation system in
Sweden?
Merritt Polk
Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment - 2003 -
Gender equality and sustainable development: The need for debate in transportation policy in
Sweden
Merritt Polk
2001 -
Gendered mobility: A study of women's and men's relations to automobility in
Sweden
Merritt Polk
1998