The “payback“ of citizen science: A participatory evaluation and impact assessment model for social innovation projects

Abstract

Citizen science projects for social innovation present solutions to society’s complex challenges (da Silva et al. 2019). However, evaluating their impact is challenging (Bornmann 2012); an integrative impact-assessment framework considering all innovation process steps and impact dimensions while accounting for all participants’ perspectives does not yet exist (Smit and Hessels 2021). One frequently used framework to evaluate impact beyond the academic sector is the Payback Framework proposed by Buxton and Hanney (1996). In its current specification, this framework does not apply to participatory projects due to its unilateral scientific perspective. This study applied the theory adaptation approach (Jaakkola 2020) to extend the Payback Framework’s scope by informing it with the lens of another conceptual approach, namely the Service-Dominant logic. The study aimed to adapt the Payback Framework for citizen science projects, creating a Citizen Science Payback Framework. The new framework was created by adding the degree of external participation as a third component. The new component captures citizen participation and thus indicates the involvement of citizens in the evaluation process.