Start thesis circle PVE

Coming Monday, February 17, the first thesis circle of Participatory Value Evaluation (PVE) will start. Within this thesis circle, master students of the faculties Technology, Policy & Management and Civil Engineering will discuss their thesis work. Even though the topics of their theses differ, they have one thing in common: they are all conducting research about the PVE as an evaluation tool. Two of these students are Sem Nouws and Tom Heijnen. They will tell in short what their researches are about.  

PVE within complex subjects
Sem Nouws is performing a research on the way that cities need to adapt to the impacts of climate change, the so-called Urban Climate Adaption (UCA). Within UCA, public participation is an important part. PVE can therefore contribute to the participatory processes in UCA. However, a tension exists between meaningful inclusion of citizens with no prior knowledge of a subject and the complexity of subjects as UCA. In his master thesis, Sem will research how PVE can be improved in such a way that all citizens have a meaningful contribution in participation, without compromising to the practice of decision-making and the complexity of subjects as UCA.

PVE as evaluation tool within a company
Tom Heijnen also started his thesis this month. Until now, PVE has been used by governments to measure citizens’ preferences. Tom is interested in whether PVE can also be used within a company, and which advantages and disadvantages emerge when PVE is applied in such a context. In collaboration with Liander, he is going to set up a PVE in which participants can make choices about the course of the physical assets of Liander, such as a transformer house. During his research, Tom will look at the perspective of the different departments and whether PVE can improve the efficiency of this process. According to Tom, PVE is a good candidate because many parties can be involved in the decision-making process in a very accessible way. Hopefully, the PVE provides more insight and ensures a more efficient way of working.

More information and newsletter subscription
Are you interested in conducting a research about PVE for your thesis? Or are you just curious about the possibilities? Send an email to: N.Mouter@tudelft.nl

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