A5026166003- Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
- Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy
- Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development
- Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
- Crafts, Textile, and Design
- Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
- German Literature and Culture Studies
- Innovation, Technology, and Society
- Open Source Software Innovations
- Energy and Environment Impacts
- Smart Grid Energy Management
- Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences
- Public Administration and Political Analysis
- Design Education and Practice
- Fashion and Cultural Textiles
- Complex Systems and Decision Making
- Global Energy and Sustainability Research
- Integrated Energy Systems Optimization
- Digital Economy and Transformation
- Economic and Business Development Strategies
- Architecture, Design, and Social History
- Sustainability in Higher Education
- Evaluation and Performance Assessment
- Business and Economic Development
- Collaborative and Sustainable Housing Initiatives
University of Sussex
2013-2023
Technische Universität Berlin
2017-2023
Institute for Ecological Economy Research
2023
Allensbach Institute
2022
University of Brighton
2018
System-changing innovations for sustainability transitions are proposed to emerge in radical innovative niches. 'Strategic Niche Management' theory predicts that niche-level actors and networks will aggregate learning from local projects, disseminating best practice, encouraging innovation diffusion. Grassroots emerging civil society under-researched, so we investigate the UK community energy sector empirically test this model. Our analysis draws on qualitative case study research with a of...
Grassroots innovations for sustainability are attracting increasing policy attention. Drawing upon a wide range of empirical research into community energy in the UK, and taking recent support from national government as case study, we apply three distinct analytical perspectives: strategic niche management, advocacy, critical niches. Whilst first second perspectives appear to explain influence grassroots innovation adequately, each also shuts out more transformational possibilities. We...
Social innovation is an important dimension of current transformations in energy systems. It can refer to alternative business models, novel policy instruments, financing schemes, participatory governance approaches questions, or new discourses. Its significance for systems often considered narrow instrumentalist terms, reducing it a tool serving particular objectives. Grounding the concept social science and humanities insights, this review essay proposes broadened understanding. We propose...
Academic research and policy have focused on sustainable energy transitions for addressing the societal challenge of climate change a long time, but concept ‘social innovation’ has only been recently taken up. This refers to different social phenomena relating changes in socio-technical systems. Moving beyond narrow perspectives innovation, this article asks how we can capture diversity taking example sector. It proposes comprehensive typology innovation that allows phenomenon its empirical...
Pathways towards low-carbon energy transitions have become a priority in 21st century Europe. The commitment to lowering carbon dioxide emissions triggered changes current fossil fuel-based systems. Over the past decade, fuel pathways been characterized by closures of sites, continued extractions and new explorations, demonstrating processes (dis)continuation. This paper contributes recent line work that draws attention contentious politics sustainability role social movements drawing on...
Around the world, diverse groups of people are making things together in community-based workshops and their networks. Equipped with versatile digital design manufacturing technologies, global networks workshops, like Hackerspaces FabLabs, provide facilities for exploring ‘commons-based, peer-production’ practice; they spreading rapidly. Emphasis rests bringing into collaborative DIY projects where innovate learn - from toys jewellery to solar panels eco-houses use on-line social media...
Digital fabrication laboratories (such as Fab Labs) are a global initiative of workshops that offer open access to technologies produce objects from beginning idea final production. Labs encourage and free knowledge-sharing among 'experts' the general public. Claims being made about community-based digital transforming practices design, innovation, production consumption, while describing positive impacts on environment social goals. Research examines such claims is sparse. This paper...
Abstract How do the social dynamics within interdisciplinary research teams shape sustainability research? This paper presents a case study of projects at University Sussex, as part programme aimed encouraging collaborative work to address intersections between Sustainability Development Goals. Using data gathered during series participatory workshops start and end projects, combined with non-participant observation analysis project discussions lifetime we examine diverse ways in which...
Abstract Accelerating energy transitions that are both sustainable and just remains an important challenge, social innovation can have a key role in this transition. Here, we examine the diversity potential of systems transformation, synthesizing original mixed methods data from expert interviews, document analysis, experiments, representative survey, survey. Based on thematic analysis these data, advance four findings: (1) is best understood when recognizing core practices (thinking, doing,...
Abstract If transdisciplinary sustainability research is to contribute transitions, issues of power dynamics need be understood and accounted for. However, examples concrete methods that put this into practice are sparse. This paper presents a conceptual methodological framework develops better understanding the phenomenon, while providing actionable knowledge. By focussing on context social innovation in energy we demonstrate how different theoretical conceptualisations can translated...
The challenge of facilitating a shift towards sustainable housing, food and mobility has been taken up by diverse community-based initiatives ranging from “top-down” approaches in low-carbon municipalities to “bottom-up” intentional communities. This paper compares intervention measures four case study areas belonging these two types, focusing on their potential re-configuring daily food, practices. Taking critics dominant framings diffusing technical innovations changing individual...
Abstract The local level has gained prominence in climate policy and governance recent years as it is increasingly perceived a privileged arena for experimentation social institutional innovation. However, the success of industrialized countries been limited. One reason may be that communities focus too much on strategies technology‐oriented ecological modernization individual behavior change little target unsustainable practices their embeddedness complex socioeconomic patterns. In this...
This paper explores how power relations are manifested, altered and/or reproduced in processes of social innovations energy transitions (SIE). We explore this research question by developing an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary heuristic building on different dimensions power: to, over with. conceptual framework helps us analyse the dynamics multiple types SIEs that aim to contribute sustainable across three national contexts: Germany, Poland, United Kingdom (UK). Our findings show...
Abstract Achieving climate-neutrality by mid-century and its intermediary reduction targets for 2030, notably the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions of 55% requires an accelerated transformation our systems production consumption. In essence, such transformations are socio-technical change processes that require a combination technological social innovation. While it is widely acknowledged ambitious climate energy policies needed to accelerate transition processes, research practise have largely...