Journal•ISSN: 2210-4224
Environmental innovation and societal transitions
Elsevier BV
About: Environmental innovation and societal transitions is an academic journal published by Elsevier BV. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Sustainability & Biology. It has an ISSN identifier of 2210-4224. Over the lifetime, 695 publications have been published receiving 31064 citations.
Topics: Sustainability, Biology, Computer science, Politics, Energy transition
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TL;DR: The multi-level perspective (MLP) has emerged as a fruitful middle-range framework for analysing socio-technical transitions to sustainability as discussed by the authors. But the MLP also received constructive criticisms.
Abstract: The multi-level perspective (MLP) has emerged as a fruitful middle-range framework for analysing socio-technical transitions to sustainability. The MLP also received constructive criticisms. This paper summarises seven criticisms, formulates responses to them, and translates these into suggestions for future research. The criticisms relate to: (1) lack of agency, (2) operationalization of regimes, (3) bias towards bottom-up change models, (4) epistemology and explanatory style, (5) methodology, (6) socio-technical landscape as residual category, and (7) flat ontologies versus hierarchical levels.
1,976 citations
Fraunhofer Society1, University of Manchester2, ETH Zurich3, Eindhoven University of Technology4, Erasmus University Rotterdam5, Chalmers University of Technology6, Lund University7, Vanderbilt University8, Aalto University9, University of Brighton10, University of Sussex11, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne12, Stockholm Environment Institute13, Université libre de Bruxelles14, Monash University15, Linköping University16, King's College London17, Cardiff University18
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an extensive review and an updated research agenda for the field, classified into nine main themes: understanding transitions; power, agency and politics; governing transitions; civil society, culture and social movements; businesses and industries; transitions in practice and everyday life; geography of transitions; ethical aspects; and methodologies.
Abstract: Research on sustainability transitions has expanded rapidly in the last ten years, diversified in terms of topics and geographical applications, and deepened with respect to theories and methods. This article provides an extensive review and an updated research agenda for the field, classified into nine main themes: understanding transitions; power, agency and politics; governing transitions; civil society, culture and social movements; businesses and industries; transitions in practice and everyday life; geography of transitions; ethical aspects; and methodologies. The review shows that the scope of sustainability transitions research has broadened and connections to established disciplines have grown stronger. At the same time, we see that the grand challenges related to sustainability remain unsolved, calling for continued efforts and an acceleration of ongoing transitions. Transition studies can play a key role in this regard by creating new perspectives, approaches and understanding and helping to move society in the direction of sustainability.
1,099 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors develop a conceptual framework that allows us to define the sharing economy and its close-cousins and understand its sudden rise from an economic-historic perspective.
Abstract: We develop a conceptual framework that allows us to define the sharing economy and its close cousins and we understand its sudden rise from an economic-historic perspective. We then assess the sharing economy platforms in terms of the economic, social and environmental impacts. We end with reflections on current regulations and future alternatives, and suggest a number of future research questions.
761 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, social science could contribute by drawing lessons from political experience and offering theoretical insights to understand the politics of sustainability transitions, and to understand what works and what does not work is being sorted out in the world of practical politics.
Abstract: Although recent scholarship has contributed to our understanding of sustainability transitions, more needs to be done to grasp the politics of these processes. What works and what does not work is being sorted out in the world of practical politics. But social science could contribute by drawing lessons from political experience and offering theoretical insights.
650 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the recent literature on the geography of sustainability transitions is presented, which takes stock with achieved theoretical and empirical insights and synthesises and reflects upon insights of relevance for sustainability transitions following from analyses of the importance of place specificity.
Abstract: This review covers the recent literature on the geography of sustainability transitions and takes stock with achieved theoretical and empirical insights. The review synthesises and reflects upon insights of relevance for sustainability transitions following from analyses of the importance of place specificity and the geography of inter-organisational relations. It is found that these contributions focus on the geography of niche development rather than regime dynamics, and that there is an emphasis on understanding the importance of place-specificity at the local level. While there is a wide consensus that place-specificity matters there is still little generalisable knowledge about how place-specificity matters for transitions. Most contributions add spatial sensitivity to frameworks from the transitions literature, but few studies suggest alternative frameworks to study sustainability transitions. To address this, the review suggests promising avenues for future research on the geography of sustainability transitions, drawing on recent theoretical advancements in economic geography.
616 citations