TY - JOUR
T1 - From complex systems analysis to transformational change
T2 - A comparative appraisal of sustainability science projects
AU - Wiek, Arnim
AU - Ness, Barry
AU - Schweizer-Ries, Petra
AU - Brand, Fridolin S.
AU - Farioli, Francesca
N1 - Funding Information:
funded through the EU’s 6th Framework Programme and ran for 3 years (2007–2009). It involved 44 partners, including scientists, practitioners, companies, and policy makers from Europe, Africa, Brazil, India, and Mexico.
Funding Information:
The objective of the project was to develop and implement a socio-technical strategy to establish solar energy systems in a rural village in the province of San Juan in western Argentina (Parodi et al. 2000).4 The project was situated as part of a larger program on ‘‘Autonomous Power Supplies and Mini-Grids—Rural Electrification and Water Supply’’ with projects in different rural areas worldwide, carried out by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Germany.5 The project was initialized in 1992 by members of the University of San Juan and later joined by the Instituto National de Agropecuaria and the Direction de Recursos Energeticos of San Juan’s provincial government. Research took place in 1993–1995, as well as in 1998 and 2005 (evaluations). The project was, in part, funded through the ELDORADO program by the German Ministry of Research (1993–1994), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) (1993–1995), and several in-kind services provided by the collaborating organizations.
Funding Information:
The five case studies reviewed in this paper cover a broad array of topics: water, bioenergy, land use, solar energy, urban development; regions: from coastal to mountainous, from rural to urban; countries: within Africa, Europe, South and North America; spatial levels: from village to country; and research approaches: methodologies, collaborating partners, funding arrangements. The selection shows a bias towards developed countries as either the projects were carried out in Europe and the US, or were led and funded by organizations from Europe and US. This bias is partly due to the lack of sustainability research and funding organizations in developing countries (Clark and Dickson 2003); yet, we also acknowledge a lack of effort to establish collaborative partnerships with sustainability researchers from developing countries.
PY - 2012/2
Y1 - 2012/2
N2 - Sustainability science is being developed in constructive tension between a descriptive-analytical and a transformational mode. The first is concerned with analyzing problems in coupled human-environment systems, whereas the second conducts research on practical solutions to those problems. Transformational sustainability research is confronted with the challenges of generating actionable knowledge, incorporating knowledge from outside academia, and dealing with different values and political interests. This study approaches the theory and promise of sustainability science through a comparative appraisal of five empirical sustainability science projects. We exemplarily appraise in how far sustainability science succeeds and fails in yielding solution options for sustainability problems based on an evaluative framework (that accounts for the particularities of sustainability science). The selected sustainability projects cover a range of topics (water, bioenergy, land use, solar energy, urban development), regions (from coastal to mountainous, from rural to urban areas, in several countries in Africa, Europe, and South and North America), spatial levels (from village to country levels), and research approaches. The comparative results indicate accomplishments regarding problem focus and basic transformational research methodology, but also highlight deficits regarding stakeholder participation, actionable results, and larger impacts. We conclude with suggestions on how to fully realize the potential of sustainability science as a solution-oriented endeavor, including advanced collaborative research settings, advances in transformational research methodologies, cross-case generalization, as well as reducing institutional barriers.
AB - Sustainability science is being developed in constructive tension between a descriptive-analytical and a transformational mode. The first is concerned with analyzing problems in coupled human-environment systems, whereas the second conducts research on practical solutions to those problems. Transformational sustainability research is confronted with the challenges of generating actionable knowledge, incorporating knowledge from outside academia, and dealing with different values and political interests. This study approaches the theory and promise of sustainability science through a comparative appraisal of five empirical sustainability science projects. We exemplarily appraise in how far sustainability science succeeds and fails in yielding solution options for sustainability problems based on an evaluative framework (that accounts for the particularities of sustainability science). The selected sustainability projects cover a range of topics (water, bioenergy, land use, solar energy, urban development), regions (from coastal to mountainous, from rural to urban areas, in several countries in Africa, Europe, and South and North America), spatial levels (from village to country levels), and research approaches. The comparative results indicate accomplishments regarding problem focus and basic transformational research methodology, but also highlight deficits regarding stakeholder participation, actionable results, and larger impacts. We conclude with suggestions on how to fully realize the potential of sustainability science as a solution-oriented endeavor, including advanced collaborative research settings, advances in transformational research methodologies, cross-case generalization, as well as reducing institutional barriers.
KW - Actionable knowledge
KW - Evaluation
KW - Impact
KW - Solution options
KW - Sustainability problems
KW - Transformational sustainability research
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U2 - 10.1007/s11625-011-0148-y
DO - 10.1007/s11625-011-0148-y
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84857046733
SN - 1862-4065
VL - 7
SP - 5
EP - 24
JO - Sustainability Science
JF - Sustainability Science
IS - SUPPL. 1
ER -