Ökologie und Technik: Modernisierungstheorie zwischen Normalisierung und realistischer Utopie

"Das Thema der ökologischen Frage hat sich mittlerweile einen festen Platz in den Sozialwissenschaften erobert. Prominent dabei sind Versuche, die ökologische Frage durch Anwendung von Modernisierungstheorien zu konzeptualisieren (ökologische Modernisierung, reflexive Modernisierung). Der Vortrag versucht mittels einer diskursanalytischen Betrachtung die 'modernistischen' Konzeptualisierungen der ökologischen Frage unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Rolle der Technik bzw. Technikpolitik zu deuten. Die modernisierungstheoretischen Ansätze teilen hier wenigstens zwei wesentliche Merkmale: (1) Die Definition der ökologischen Frage als institutionelle Krise, wobei die Erfahrung dieser Krise als Anlaß eines umfassenden Prozesses von sozialem Wandel interpretiert wird. (2) Die Lösungsstrategien orientieren sich allerdings vor allem an technologischen oder institutionellen Innovationen. Der Vortrag soll zeigen, daß (1) man anhand der Theorie der reflexiven Modernisierung zwar viele konzeptuelle Lücken in der Theorie der ökologischen Modernisierung aufdecken kann; daß aber (2) im Hinblick auf die Rolle der Technik weder die Theorie der ökologischen Modernisierung, noch die Theorie der reflexiven Modernisierung sich aus dem 'modernistischen' Diskurs zu befreien vermag. Es wird versucht, durch diskurs-theoretische Verfahren, die Black Box der Technik weiter zu öffnen. Ziel ist es dabei, den Beck'schen Gedanken einer realistischen Utopie gegen eine techno-institutionelle Normalisierung zu verteidigen." (Autorenreferat

The 2020 Evaluation of the Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE

The report presents a summary of the international evaluation of the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE and its results. The report was drawn up by the independent evaluation group appointed by the Ministry of the Environment in May 2020. Its task was to evaluate the relevance and quality of the activities of SYKE especially from the following perspectives: 1) quality and impact of the expert services, 2) societal impact and sustainability leadership, 3) cooperation and role in networks and 4) foresight and innovation. The findings and recommendations of the evaluation group are based on the quantitative and qualitative background materials provided to the group and interviews with leaders and key researchers of SYKE, representatives of the Ministry of the Environment selected by the Ministry, and stakeholder representatives. The evaluation group considers that SYKE is a progressive research institute that is widely appreciated in society. It produces research and expertise of a high standard and its societal impact is significant. The evaluators identified possibilities for development in making an impact in both national and international contexts, where SYKE could show even stronger societal leadership as a promoter of sustainable development. The group proposes numerous recommendations relating to this. The evaluation was conducted during June-September 2020

Pluralizing urban futures : A multicriteria mapping analysis of online taxis in Indonesia

The exploration of urban future storylines of transformative change is subject to socio-political processes rather than a mere, objective envisioning of the desirable city. Approaches in urban imagination and planning processes should thus consider plural perspectives across a range of actors and stakeholders beyond the usual suspects of experts and professionals.This paper mobilizes the case of the emergence of online taxis in Indonesia to embrace a more inclusive approach to the assessment of urban mobility futures by employing multi-criteria mapping (MCM) analysis and combining it with an open dialog on future storylines. We answer the question of what insights can be derived from diversifying future storylines in the online taxi industry in Indonesia? From applying a more inclusive approach in constructing future imaginaries we derive four insights: 1) criteria to appraise the future are never purely technological; 2) there is a difference in perceptions of time horizons among actors when imagining futures; 3) perceptions of time horizons are shaped by actor backgrounds and social interactions; and 4) the MCM method contributed to helping individuals to focus and explore their future storylines

Transformative pathways : using integrated assessment models more effectively to open up plausible and desirable low-carbon futures

Integrated assessment models (IAM) and resulting scenarios have become increasingly institutionalised and relevant in the science-policy interface of climate policy. Despite their analytical strengths to conceive low-carbon futures, their co-evolution with the transnational science-policy interface of climate politics has also led to a focus on a specific set of techno-economic futures that are typically based on a relatively narrow set of assumptions. This deviates attention from alternatives that are hardly studied by IAMs, but might be more desirable from a societal perspective. We argue that research-based models and scenarios should support rather than narrow down deliberations on possible and desirable futures and provide an impetus to enact socially desirable change. Accordingly, we propose three future directions regarding the development and use of IAMs: 1) incorporate a plurality of perspectives on plausibility and desirability through iterative participatory engagement and worldview-based scenario exploration, 2) seek collaboration with the arts and humanities to expand the range of imagined futures beyond the status quo and 3) make projected futures more tangible and experiential so that diverse societal actor groups can understand and genuinely engage with them. By deploying the indisputable analytical strengths of IAMs optimally within these suggestions, we believe they can facilitate broader societal debates about transformative pathways to low-carbon futures

Power and empowerment of grassroots innovations for sustainability transitions: A review

The sustainability transitions scholarship is increasingly applying power and empowerment frameworks to investigate the role of grassroots innovations in the politics of societal change; however, theoretical fragmentation persists. This paper presents a systematic literature review of 88 studies on grassroots innovations for sustainability transitions that employ the lenses of power and empowerment. We take stock of the conceptual development of power and empowerment in the grassroots innovations literature and propose directions for future research to stimulate further theorisation of these terms. Our study shows that grassroots innovation scholars reproduce an epistemic bias towards power and empowerment as strategic exercises, thereby inhibiting our understanding of the range of forms of power and empowerment manifested in and through grassroots innovations and how these forms shape innovators’ struggles and achievements to leverage societal change. We call for a richer theorisation of power and empowerment of grassroots innovations beyond strategic conceptualisations of these terms

Navigating the political: An analysis of political calibration of integrated assessment modelling in light of the 1.5 °C goal

Some of the most influential explorations of low-carbon transformations are conducted with Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs). The recent attempts by the IPCC to look for pathways compatible with the 1.5 °C and 2 °C temperature goals are a case in point. Earlier scholarship indicates that model-based pathways are persuasive in bringing specific possible future alternatives into view and guiding policymaking. However, the process through which these shared imaginations of possible futures come about is not yet well understood. By closely examining the science-policy dynamics around the IPCC SR1.5, we observe a sequence of mutually legitimising interactions between modelling and policy making through which the 1.5 °C goal gradually gained traction in global climate politics. Our findings reveal a practice of ‘political calibration’, a continuous relational readjustment between modelling and the policy community. This political calibration is indicative of how modellers navigate climate politics to maintain policy relevance. However, this navigation also brings key dilemmas for modellers, between 1) requirements of the policy process and experts’ conviction of realism; 2) perceived political sensitivities and widening the range of mitigation options; and 3) circulating crisp storylines and avoiding policy-prescriptiveness. Overall, these findings call into question the political neutrality of IAMs in its current position in the science-policy interface and suggest a future orientation in which modellers aim to develop additional relations with a broader set of publics resulting in more diverse perspectives on plausible and desirable futures

Solar geoengineering: The case for an international non-use agreement

Solar geoengineering is gaining prominence in climate change debates as an issue worth studying; for some it is even a potential future policy option. We argue here against this increasing normalization of solar geoengineering as a speculative part of the climate policy portfolio. We contend, in particular, that solar geoengineering at planetary scale is not governable in a globally inclusive and just manner within the current international political system. We therefore call upon governments and the United Nations to take immediate and effective political control over the development of solar geoengineering technologies.Specifically, we advocate for an International Non-Use Agreement on Solar Geoengineering and outline the core elements of this proposal

Topic Modeling and Text Analysis for Qualitative Policy Research

This paper contributes to a critical methodological discussion that has direct ramifications for policy studies: how computational methods can be concretely incorporated into existing processes of textual analysis and interpretation without compromising scientific integrity. We focus on the computational method of topic modeling and investigate how it interacts with two larger families of qualitative methods: content and classification methods characterized by interest in words as communication units and discourse and representation methods characterized by interest in the meaning of communicative acts. Based on analysis of recent academic publications that have used topic modeling for textual analysis, our findings show that different mixed‐method research designs are appropriate when combining topic modeling with the two groups of methods. Our main concluding argument is that topic modeling enables scholars to apply policy theories and concepts to much larger sets of data. That said, the use of computational methods requires genuine understanding of these techniques to obtain substantially meaningful results. We encourage policy scholars to reflect carefully on methodological issues, and offer a simple heuristic to help identify and address critical points when designing a study using topic modeling.Peer reviewe