Gertrude Hirsch Hadorn

Bio: Gertrude Hirsch Hadorn is an academic researcher from University of Konstanz. The author has contributed to research in topics: Participatory action research & Ecological economics. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 572 citations.

Transdisziplinäre Forschung weiterentwicklen: Eine Synthese mit 15 Empfehlungen

Abstract: Inter- und Transdisziplinaritat erfahrt in Lehre und Forschung heutzutage eine vielversprechende Entwicklung, nicht nur im Schweizer Hochschulsystem, sondern auch auf europaischer und globaler Ebene. Sollen die Probleme unserer Zeit adaquat verstanden, analysiert und schliesslich gelost werden, ist es unabdingbar, die disziplinaren Kompetenzen in einen konstruktiven Austauschprozess und Dialog zu bringen. Die Behandlung unserer komplexen, menschlichen, sozialen, politischen und die Umwelt betreffenden Probleme drangt zunehmend auf die Durchlassigkeit des disziplinaren Wissens und Wissenssystems. Dieses Buch richtet sich an all jene, die sich in ihrer taglichen Arbeit in Lehre, Forschung oder Studium mit komplexen Fragenstellungen beschaftigen und sich dabei nicht auf die Reduktion auf eine einzelne Disziplin beschranken konnen. Es zeigt den aktuellen Stand der inter- und transdisziplinaren Lehre und Forschung in der Schweiz auf. Schwerpunkt liegt bei der Prasentation von erfolgreichen Projekten, ihren konzeptuellen, theoretischen und methodologischen Grundlagen sowie den daraus gewonnenen Erfahrungen.

Transdisciplinary research in sustainability science: practice, principles, and challenges

Abstract: There is emerging agreement that sustainability challenges require new ways of knowledge production and decision-making. One key aspect of sustainability science, therefore, is the involvement of actors from outside academia into the research process in order to integrate the best available knowledge, reconcile values and preferences, as well as create ownership for problems and solution options. Transdisciplinary, community-based, interactive, or participatory research approaches are often suggested as appropriate means to meet both the requirements posed by real-world problems as well as the goals of sustainability science as a transformational scientific field. Dispersed literature on these approaches and a variety of empirical projects applying them make it difficult for interested researchers and practitioners to review and become familiar with key components and design principles of how to do transdisciplinary sustainability research. Starting from a conceptual model of an ideal–typical transdisciplinary research process, this article synthesizes and structures such a set of principles from various strands of the literature and empirical experiences. We then elaborate on them, looking at challenges and some coping strategies as experienced in transdisciplinary sustainability projects in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. The article concludes with future research needed in order to further enhance the practice of transdisciplinary sustainability research.

Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development

Abstract: The emerging academic field focused on sustainability has been engaged in a rich and converging debate to define what key competencies are considered critical for graduating students to possess. For more than a decade, sustainability courses have been developed and taught in higher education, yet comprehensive academic programs in sustainability, on the undergraduate and graduate level, have emerged only over the last few years. Considering this recent institutional momentum, the time is seemingly right to synthesize the discussion about key competencies in sustainability in order to support these relatively young academic programs in shaping their profiles and achieving their ambitious missions. This article presents the results of a broad literature review. The review identifies the relevant literature on key competencies in sustainability; synthesizes the substantive contributions in a coherent framework of sustainability research and problem-solving competence; and addresses critical gaps in the conceptualization of key competencies in sustainability. Insights from this study lay the groundwork for institutional advancements in designing and revising academic programs; teaching and learning evaluations; as well as hiring and training faculty and staff.

Sustainability Transitions Research: Transforming Science and Practice for Societal Change

Abstract: The article describes the field of sustainability transitions research, which emerged in the past two decades in the context of a growing scientific and public interest in large-scale societal transformation toward sustainability. We describe how different scientific approaches and methodological positions explore diverse types of transitions and provide the basis for multiple theories and models for governance of sustainability transitions. We distinguish three perspectives in studying transitions: socio-technical, socio-institutional, and socio-ecological. Although the field as a whole is very heterogeneous, commonalities can be characterized in notions such as path dependencies, regimes, niches, experiments, and governance. These more generic concepts have been adopted within the analytical perspective of transitions, which has led three different types of approaches to dealing with agency in transitions: analytical, evaluative, and experimental. The field has by now produced a broad theoretical and em...