Responsible Person: Manfred Max Bergman

Our mixed methods research agenda focuses on expanding the conceptual and theoretical foundations of mixed methods research. By integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches, mixed methods designs bridge epistemological and ontological divides, and enable researchers to examine complex social, health, and environmental challenges systematically.

This research approach has become central across the social sciences and is increasingly relevant in applied fields such as public health, sustainability, and urban studies. Building on innovations such as Hermeneutic Content Analysis (HCA) and Content Configuration Analysis (CCA), our work contributes to theoretical and applied mixed methods research designs and applications. We are currently focusing on developing and applying mixed methods research designs within transdisciplinary research and implementation science frameworks in diverse cultural and institutional settings to address real-world impact.

Publications:

Forthcoming: Discovering India Through Research: A Guide to Qualitative, Quantitative, Mixed, and Digital Methods in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Ong, R.H.S., Sim, H.S., Bergman, M.M., How, C.H., Png, C.A.L.P., Lim, C.H., Peh, L.H., Oh, H.C. (2024). Prevalence and associations of problematic smartphone use with smartphone activities, psychological well-being, and sleep quality in a household survey of Singapore adults. PLoS ONE 19(12): e0315364. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315364

Arnaiz, P., Adams, L., Müller, I., Gerber, M., Walter, C., Randt, R., Steinmann, P., Bergman, M.M., Seelig, H., Greunen, D., van Utzinger, J., Pühse, U. (2021). Sustainability of a school-based health intervention for prevention of non-communicable diseases in marginalised communities: Protocol for a mixed-methods cohort study. BMJ Open 11(10), 1-9. e047296. DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047296

Bergman, M.M. (2020). Mixed method and multimethod research and design (437-446). The SAGE Handbook of Political Science. D. Berg-Schlosser, B. Badie, L. Morlino (Eds.). London: Sage. ISBN: 978-15-264-5955-8

Responsible Persons: Manfred Max Bergman, Zinette Bergman

We work on methodological expansions of case studies with the aim to explore their analytical capacity and practical relevance. A key interest lies in studying their limits and underappreciated potentials, specifically how academic rigor can be maintained while addressing complex, real-world phenomena in depth. Case studies offer a remarkable versatility in their application, design, data collection, analysis, and potential contribution. They can be adapted across diverse contexts and cultures, are useful to uncover problems, can identify and systematize innovations, and enhance our understanding of underlying structures and dynamics of social phenomena. They also serve as a vital bridge between academia and society, accommodating the research needs and perspectives of multiple stakeholders. In our case study research, we explore intersections with transdisciplinary [@Marc please insert hyperlink] and mixed method research [@Marc please insert hyperlink], as well as real-world application, through the study of successful sustainability transitions using our Proof of Transition Concept (proTract) [@Marc please insert hyperlink] framework.

Recent publications:

Bergman, M.M. Bergman, Z. (submitted). Frontiers in Sustainability: Using Case Studies as Proof of Transition Concepts (proTract). Sustainability.

Bergman, Z., & Bergman, M.M. (submitted). Case Study Research. Social Science Research.

Bergman, Z., Pine, J., Lee, T., Bornemann, B., Allenspach, N., & Bergman, M.M. (submitted). Governance-Driven Sustainability Transitions: A Case Study of Mobility, Public Space, and Adaptive Urbanism in South Bend, Indiana. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy.

Malin, J.D., Bergman, M.M. & Bergman, M.M. (submitted). Turning Jefferson Upside Down: How Bethlehem Farm Makes the SCAI Glue. Rural Sociology.

Bergman, Z., Chen, Z., Bound, H., & Bergman, M.M. (2025). The Future is Now: An Analysis of Three Innovative Adult Education Approaches in Singapore. International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 15(1). DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2024.10065388

Bergman, Z., Allenspach, N., & Bergman, M.M. (2024). A tale of two Divvy’s: A case study of Chicago’s Bike Sharing System. Sustainability,16(5), 2146. DOI: 10.3390/su16052146

Bergman M.M, Bergman Z. (2023). INSIST – Toward sustainable communities: A case study of the Eastern Market in Detroit. Bern: Swiss Academy of Sciences, 2023. https://naturalsciences.ch/sustainability/transformation/examples/sustainable_communities

Bergman, Z. & Bergman, M.M. (2022). Toward Sustainable Communities: A Case Study of the Eastern Market in Detroit. Sustainability, 14(7): 4187. DOI: 10.3390/su14074187

Responsible Persons: Manfred Max Bergman, Zinette Bergman, Olivier Ejderyan

Transdisciplinarity is a methodological paradigm and approach that moves beyond traditional academic boundaries by engaging academic and non-academic actors in the co-design of research and co-production of actionable knowledge. It is particularly well suited to addressing complex societal challenges, such as food security, health equity, and sustainable agriculture, where conventional scientific or siloed approaches may have had limited impact.

As part of our transdisciplinary research agenda, we foster collaborations in order to explore and strengthen the role of transdisciplinarity in addressing socio-environmental and socio-technological issues. Together with Indian and Swiss scholars, we are developing a series of workshops that serve as shared spaces for experimentation, learning, and the joint development of transformative practices.

Recent and upcoming events:

2^nd Indo-Swiss Research and Methods Festival, Delhi, India. 2-7 February 2026.

Transdisciplinary Approaches in India: Knowledge, Policies, and Interventions through Collaboration and Co-Production, Assam, India. 20-23 January 2026. 

Researching Marginals in India: Lens, Perspective and Fieldwork. Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. 8-12 September 2025.

Advancing Science to Impact Research: Case Studies and Transdisciplinary Research and Implementation Science. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and The Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad, India. 22-23rd July 2025. 

Advancing Qualitative and Transdisciplinary Research: Knowledge Systems, Methods, and Societal Impact. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and the Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute (GBPSSI), Allahabad, India. 9-12 June 2025.

Responsible Persons: Manfred Max Bergman, Zinette Bergman

What if, despite advances in science and innovation, the way we traditionally do research is simply not fast or flexible enough for the urgency of today’s challenges? What if the solutions we need are not waiting to be invented, but already exist, scattered across small projects, community efforts, and everyday practices that rarely enter mainstream debates or applications? Across the world, residents, local organisations, businesses, and informal networks may be doing things that improve social, economic, and ecological outcomes, often without calling it “sustainability”. Almost like the opposite of greenwashing.

Could systematically studying these real-world examples reveal solutions that are fundable because they are already funded, acceptable because they have already been accepted, and effective because they are already working?

Within the framework of the Proof of Transition Concepts (proTract) research program, we investigate real-world and often unexpected examples of successful sustainability transitions. These positive cases show how public, private, and civil society actors, despite divergent interests, collaborate in ways that yield socially, economically, and ecologically positive outcomes. Over time, and through the study of many positive cases, our aim is not only to understand how transitions occur but to provide actionable and replicable insights across different contexts, and revisit sustainability theories that may be compelling in principle but difficult to put into practice.

Recent publications:

Bergman, Z., Pine, J., Lee, T., Bornemann, B., Allenspach, N., & Bergman, M.M. (submitted). Governance-Driven Sustainability Transitions: A Case Study of Mobility, Public Space, and Adaptive Urbanism in South Bend, Indiana. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy.

Bergman, Z., Chen, Z., Bound, H., & Bergman, M.M. (2025). The Future is Now: An Analysis of Three Innovative Adult Education Approaches in Singapore. International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 15(1). DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2024.10065388

Bergman, Z., Allenspach, N., & Bergman, M.M. (2024). A tale of two Divvy’s: A case study of Chicago’s Bike Sharing System. Sustainability,16(5), 2146. DOI: 10.3390/su16052146

Bergman, Z. & Bergman, M.M. (2022). Toward Sustainable Communities: A Case Study of the Eastern Market in Detroit. Sustainability, 14(7): 4187. DOI: 10.3390/su14074187

Films: 

• Indo-Swiss Sustainability Short Film Festival (with ICSSR)
• proTract Pittsburgh