Charting knowledge co-production pathways in climate and development

Climate change poses significant global challenges. Solutions require new ways of working, thinking, and acting. Knowledge co-production is often cited as one of the innovations needed for navigating the complexity of climate change challenges, yet how to best approach co-production processes remains unclear. In this article, we explore the ways in which climate and development researchers are approaching the co-production of knowledge and grapple with the extent to which the modalities used are reaching their stated potential. Using a multiple case analysis of six examples of successful co-production, we outline a spectrum of co-production approaches and outcomes and examine the drivers and challenges to co-production in practice. Drawing on the case evidence and literature, we propose a heuristic that maps out this spectrum of aims and approaches to co-production and that could inform reflections on how those planning co-production processes envision them in practice.