Transformational Sustainability Research Methodology

Publikation: Beiträge in SammelwerkenAufsätze in SammelwerkenLehre

Authors

Sustainability science can roughly be differentiated into two distinct research streams – a “descriptive-analytical” and a “transformational” one. While the former is primarily concerned with describing and analyzing sustainability problems, the latter aims at developing evidence-supported solution options to solve these problems. This chapter presents relevant methodological guidelines and requirements as well as five exemplary research frameworks for transformational sustainability research. The frameworks are for (1) complex problem-handling, (2) transition management and governance, (3) backcasting, (4) integrated planning research, and (5) the transformational sustainability research (TRANSFORM framework). The TRANSFORM framework aims at synthesizing key components of the other frameworks. The frameworks provide guidelines for transformational sustainability research; yet, willingness and capacity of academic, governmental, private, and nonprofit organizations to use them for knowledge-generating operations are still fairly low. To truly support sustainability transformations, much more of this solution-oriented sustainability research is needed.
OriginalspracheEnglisch
TitelSustainability Science : An Introduction
HerausgeberHarald Heinrichs, Pim Martens, Gerd Michelsen, Arnim Wiek
Anzahl der Seiten11
ErscheinungsortDordrecht
VerlagSpringer Science+Business Media
Erscheinungsdatum2016
Seiten31-41
Aufsatznummer3
ISBN (Print)978-94-017-7241-9
ISBN (elektronisch)978-94-017-7242-6
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 2016

DOI