Dr Katrin Prager

Katrin is an interdisciplinary social scientist with a background in landscape planning and environmental management, agri-environmental policy making and farmer adoption of sustainable farming practices. She works in the Socio-Economics Research Group within the theme of society, institutions and governance.

Current Project:

LandscapePartners - The contribution of multi-stakeholder partnerships to sustainable landscape management, funded by EU FP7 (Marie Curie - IEF)

Past projects included:

• Sustainable Land Use in North-East Germany (GRANO), BMBF-funded
• Structural Change and Transition in Agriculture (SUTRA), DFG-funded
• Comparing approaches to Landcare and natural resource management in Germany and Australia, DAAD-funded
• Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation (SOCO), EU-funded

Katrin collaborated with ZALF and Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany), the University of Tasmania (Australia), and various research organisations across Europe.

Research Interests

Katrin's research interests relate to the interaction between social and ecological systems, and to institutions and governance in landscape and environmental management. Work focuses on:

• Community engagement in natural resource management and rural development
• Communication and cooperation between civil society and governmental organisations
• Participatory processes in agri-environmental policy making and implementation
• Adoption of soil and water conservation practices

Journal, Refereed paper | Refereed Journals prior to appointment | Reviewed paper | Reviewed papers prior to appointment | Conference paper | Conference papers prior to appointment | Conference poster/ abstract | Technical/ contract reports prior to appointment | Books/ chapters/ theses prior to appointment |

Katrin’s highlighted publications

• Socio-economic factors influencing farmers' adoption of soil conservation practices in Europe., Prager, K.; Posthumus, H., (In press) In: Human Dimensions of Soil and Water Conservation: A Global Perspective, (ed. Ted Napier). Nova Science Publishers, USA.

• Applying the institutions of sustainability framework to the case of agricultural soil conservation., Prager, K., (2010) Environmental Policy and Governance, 20, 223-238.

• Soil conservation in transition countries - the role of institutions., Prager, K.; Prazan, J.; Penov, I., (2010) International Society of Ecological Economics, Bremen/Oldenburg, Germany, 22-25 August 2010. Abstract.

• Stakeholder involvement in agri-environmental policy making - Learning from a local- and a state-level approach in Germany., Prager, K.; Freese, J., (2009) Journal of Environmental Management, 90, 1154-1167.

Journal, Refereed paper

• Incentives and enforcement: the institutional design and policy mix for soil conservation in Brandenburg (Germany)., Prager, K.; Hagemann, N.; Schuler, J.; Heyn, N., (In press) Land Degradation and Development, Special Issue, "The Challenge of Effective Soil Conservation Policies".

• The challenge of effective soil conservation policies (editorial)., Prager, K.; Helming, K.; Hagedorn, K., (In press) Land Degradation and Development, Editorial for special issue "The challenge of effective soil conservation policies".

• Soil degradation, farming practices, institutions and policy responses: An analytical framework., Prager, K.; Schuler, J.; Helming, K.; Zander, P.; Ratinger, T.; Hagedorn, K., (In press) Land Degradation and Development, Special Issue, The Challenge of Effective Soil Conservation Policies.

• Applying the institutions of sustainability framework to the case of agricultural soil conservation., Prager, K., (2010) Environmental Policy and Governance, 20, 223-238.

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Journal, Refereed paper prior to appointment.

• Landschaftspflege durch verbaende in Australien und Deutschland - Landcare in Australia and Germany - Comparison of the landcare groups and Landschaftspflegeverbande., Prager, K., (2009) Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung, 41, 89-96.

• Stakeholder involvement in agri-environmental policy making - Learning from a local- and a state-level approach in Germany., Prager, K.; Freese, J., (2009) Journal of Environmental Management, 90, 1154-1167.

• Participatory decision-making on agri-environmental programmes - A case study from Sachsen-Anhalt (Germany)., Prager, K.; Nagel, U.J., (2008) Land Use Policy 25, 106-115.

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Reviewed paper

• Implementing policies for soil and water conservation in European Union agriculture., Louwagie, G.; Kutter, T.; Schuler, J.; Helming, K.; Gay, S.H.; Prager, K., (In press) In: Human Dimensions of Soil and Water Conservation: A Global Perspective, (ed. Ted Napier). Nova Science Publishers, USA.

• Socio-economic factors influencing farmers' adoption of soil conservation practices in Europe., Prager, K.; Posthumus, H., (In press) In: Human Dimensions of Soil and Water Conservation: A Global Perspective, (ed. Ted Napier). Nova Science Publishers, USA.

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Reviewed paper prior to appointment.

• Interessenvertretung im Agrarumweltbereich - Fallstudie Brandenburg., Hauesler, S.; Prager, K.; Nagel, U.J., (2007) SUTRA-Working Paper 12, Humboldt University, Berlin, (DFG-Forschergruppe 497).

• Mitwirkung von Umweltverbaenden an der Gestaltung von Agrarumweltprogrammen auf Ebene der Bundeslaender., Thiessen, S.; Prager, K.; Nagel, U.J., (2006) SUTRA-Working Paper 11. Humboldt University, Berlin, (DFG-Forschergruppe 497).

• Kommunikationsbeziehungen der Amter fur Landwirtschaft und Flurneuordnung im Bereich der Agrarumweltprogramme. Fallstudie Sachsen-Anhalt., Prager, K.; Nagel, U.J., (2005) SUTRA-Working Paper 7, Humboldt University, Berlin, (DFG-Forschergruppe 497).

• Communication processes in agro-environmental policy development and decision-making. Case study Sachsen-Anhalt., Prager, K.; Nagel, U.J., (2004) SUTRA-Working Paper 2, Humboldt University, Berlin, (DFG-Forschergruppe 497).

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Conference papers

• Collective efforts to manage cultural landscapes., Prager, K., (2010) International Workshop "Social-Ecological Resilience of Cultural Landscapes", Berlin, Germany, 15-16 June 2010.

• Adopting sustainable soil management - the role of socio-economic factors., Prager, K.; Posthumus, H., (2010) Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference, 16th, "Sustainable Agriculture", Hong Kong, 30 May - 1 June, 2010.

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Conference papers prior to appointment.

• Multi-stakeholder partnerships in Landcare and regional natural resource management - conflicts and synergies., Prager, K., (2009) Paper presented at the 15th Conference of the International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS), 5-8 July 2009, Utrecht, Netherlands, 5-8 July 2009. Received 2nd Best Paper Award.

• Applying the Institutions of Sustainability Framework to the case of agricultural soil conservation., Prager, K., (2009) Paper presented at the 8th International Conference of the European Society for Ecological Economics (ESEE), University of Ljubljana, Slovenia., 29 June-2 July 2009.

• Adapting policy measures to encourage the adoption of soil conservation practices., Hagemann, N.; Prager, K.; Hagedorn, K., (2008) In: Book of Abstracts, (eds. Blum, W.; Gerzabek, M.H.; Vodrazka, M.). EUROSOIL 2008, p.125. Presentation at the ECSSS EUROSOIL Conference, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria, 25-29 August 2008.

• Soil conservation and policy measures - Findings from eight case studies across Europe., Prager, K., (2008) Presentation at the 5th International Scientific Conference on Sustainable Farming Systems ECOMIT, Piestany, Slovakia, 5-7 November 2008.

• Balancing bottom-up and top-down: Landcare and natural resource management in Germany and Australia., Prager, K., (2007) Paper presented at the XXII Congress European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS), Wageningen, The Netherlands, 20-24 August 2007.

• Stakeholder Involvement in Agri-Environmental Policy Making - Case Studies from Germany., Prager, K., (2006) Paper presented at the International Landcare Conference in Melbourne, Australia, 8-11 October 2006.

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Conference poster/abstract

• Soil conservation in transition countries - the role of institutions., Prager, K.; Prazan, J.; Penov, I., (2010) International Society of Ecological Economics, Bremen/Oldenburg, Germany, 22-25 August 2010. Abstract.

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Technical/contract reports prior to appointment

• Final report on the project - Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation (SoCo)., Gay, S.H.; Louwagie, G.; Sammeth, F.; Ratinger, T.; Marechal, B.; Prosperi, P.; Rusco, E.; Terres, J.; van der Velde, M.; Baldock, D.; Bowyer, C.; Cooper, T.; Fenn, I.; Hagemann, N.; Prager, K.; Heyn, N.; Schuler, J., (2009) European Commission, Luxembourg.

• Case Study Report Uckermark, Germany. WP2 - Case studies on soil/ land management and policy measures., Prager, K.; Hagemann, N.; Helming, K.; Heyn, N.; Sattler, C.; Schuler, J.; Zander, P., (2008) WP2 - Case Studies on Soil/ Land Management and Policy Measures. SoCo Project.

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Books/chapters/theses prior to appointment.

• Landcare bowling alone: Finding a future in the "fourth" phase., Compton, E.; Prager, K.; Beeton, R.J.S., (2009) In: Contested Country: Local and Regional Environmental Management in Australia (eds. M.B. Lane, C. Robinson and B. Taylor). CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp147-160.

• Communication processes in agri-environmental policy development and decision making., Prager, K., (2007) Series Kommunikation und Beratung 75. Weikersheim, Margraf.

• Zur wirkungsanalyse transdisziplinarer forschung., Nagel, U.J.; Aenis, T.; Dosch, A.; Prager, K.; Toussaint, V., (2004) Ein Untersuchungskonzept der Nachhaltigkeit des Landnutzungsprojektes GRANO. Weikersheim, Margraf.

• Akzeptanz von Mabnahmen zur Umsetzung einer umweltschonenden Landbewirtschaftung bei Landwirten und Beratern in Brandenburg., Prager, K., (2002) Series Kommunikation und Beratung 48. Weikersheim, Margraf.