The Usability of Scenario Studies: the Case of the EUruralis from the Users’ Perspective

Scenario studies are seen as useful tools to support planning and decision making processes because they provide integrated projections of future trends and developments and their impacts on land use. They play an important role in facilitating cooperation and interaction at the science policy interface. This article contributes to new understandings of the role of science-based tools and instruments such as scenario studies at the science-policy interface. It uses a theoretical framework that connects the criteria of credibility, salience and legitimacy to the concepts of coproduction and boundary object to analyze the EUruralis project; a scenario study that addresses the future of agriculture and rural development in Europe. The findings demonstrate that aspects related to legitimacy contributed to the capacity of the EUruralis to function as a boundary object between the scientists and policymakers involved. They also show how cooperation in the EUruralis project resulted in joint learning and reflection. The article concludes by discussing the role of the EUruralis as a boundary object and connecting the findings to the concept of coproduction.