Transformational Sustainability Research Methodology

Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesEducation

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.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSustainability Science : An Introduction
EditorsHarald Heinrichs, Pim Martens, Gerd Michelsen, Arnim Wiek
Number of pages11
Place of PublicationDordrecht
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media
Publication date2016
Pages31-41
Article number3
ISBN (print)978-94-017-7241-9
ISBN (electronic)978-94-017-7242-6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

    Research areas

  • Sustainability Science - Descriptive-analytical sustainability research, Transformational sustainability research, Knowledge types, Methodological frameworks, Evidence-supported solution options