Course info

Welcome to Theories of Sustainable Transitons

Description: This PhD course is intended for students conducting research related to analysis, design and innovation processes for the needed transformations to achieve sustainability goals. The teachers of the course will offer advanced discussion in theories of transitions and will illustrate their theoretical work through case studies conducted in various places including Holland, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Argentina. These case studies range from local community based initiatives, to city projects to country and regional programs for sustainability. International collaboration efforts will also be discussed.

Objectives
At the end of this course the students would be able to:
1. Explain how their own project and ideas relate to state of the art discussions in transitions theories (MLP; TIS; AOD; Practice Theory)
2. Explain the principal issues involved in innovations for sustainable transitions.
3. Describe the main challenges and efforts to sustainable transitions in Brazil and Argentina.
4. Describe the main challenges and efforts to sustainable transitions in urban settings analysing examples from Europe and Latin America.
5. Describe the main governance challenges and advancements in relation to governance theories to achieve sustainable transitions.

Lecturers

Adrian Smith, Senior Lecturer SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research, The Sussex Energy Group, United Kingdom

Ulrik Jørgensen, Director, Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transitions DIST, Aalborg University, Copenhagen

Enza Lissandrello, Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University.

Andrés Valderrama, Jens Stissing Jensen and Erik H. Lauridsen, DIST, Aalborg University, Copenhagen.

Credits:  5 ECTS

Activity timeline:

Students should:

1. Enroll in the course by 31 March 2013 at https://phd.moodle.aau.dk/login/
2. Deliver a one-page description of their project by 10 of April 2013. Please be clear about what are the questions of your research project and in what ways you imagine that the transitions theories might be supportive.
3. Deliver by the 15th of May 2013 a three-page analysis of how their project relates to the course. In what ways does the literature help the project? In what ways does the project serves as a basis to criticize the literature?
4. Make a presentation during the course in order to get feedback from the teachers. The aim of the presentation is that students test their ideas of how the theories of transitions might be supportive of their project. (This is optional but strongly recommended)
5. Deliver by the 15th of June 2013 a 10 page paper with the full elaboration of their ideas. Ideally this exercise should support the students’ progress in their PhD either by advancing her state of the art review, a chapter, an article or any kind of structured idea.

In short:
Deadline for enrolment: 31 March 2014
Deadline for project paper: 10 of April 2014
Preparatory reading and writing: 1 April – 15 May 2014
Deadline for preliminary analysis: 15 May 2014
Meetings: 26-28 May (3 full days)
Delivery of a 10 page paper: 15 June 2013

Readings

Objective
At the end of this course the students will be able to:
 Readings
This reading list is recommended. Students are free to replace these readings with others they might consider more pertinent. The objective however is that students should mature their theoretical take on their project through the course.
Explain how their own project and ideas relate to state of the art discussions in transitions theories (MLP; TIS; AOD) Jørgensen, U. (2012). Mapping and navigating transitions—The multi-level perspective compared with arenas of development. Research Policy.
 MARKARD, J. & TRUFFER, B. 2008. Technological innovation systems and the multi-level perspective: Towards an integrated framework. Research Policy, 37, 596-615.
GEELS, F. W., HEKKERT, M. P. & JACOBSSON, S. 2008. The dynamics of sustainable innovation journeys. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 20, 521-536.

Explain the principal issues involved in innovations for sustainable transitions.
 Smith, A. (2007) Translating sustainabilities between green niches and socio-technical regimes, Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 19, 4: 427-450
Marin, A. and M. Vila Seoane (2013). “A path breaking niche: The Cooperative COOPSOL Ltda.”. Report for the IDRC funded project “Opening up Natural Resource-Based Industries for Innovation: Exploring New Pathways for Development in Latin America”.
Smith, A. and R. Raven (2012) What is protective space? Reconsidering niches in transitions to sustainability, Research Policy 41: 1025-1036.
Smith, A., Kern, F, Raven, R. and B. Verhees (2013 – in press) Spaces for sustainable innovation: solar photovoltaic electricity in the UK, Technological Forecasting & Social Change
Describe the main challenges and efforts to sustainable transitions in Brazil and Argentina.
 Smith, A., Fressoli, M. and H. Thomas (2012 – accepted) Grassroots innovation movements: challenges and contributions, Journal of Cleaner Production
Marin, A. (2012): Putting natural resources industries to work for sustainable development in Latin America. Poverty in Focus, Nro 24, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth, p: 35-37.
Marin, A., L. Stubrin and P. Van Zwanenberg (2013). “ Developing capabilities in the seed industry:  which direction to follow? .” Report for the IDRC funded project “Opening up Natural Resource-Based Industries for Innovation: Exploring New Pathways for Development in Latin America”.
Galvão, A., Juruá, M. and L. Esteves (2012). “The Amazons and the Use of its Biodiversity”. Report for the IDRC funded project “Opening up Natural Resource-Based Industries for Innovation: Exploring New Pathways for Development in Latin America”.
Describe the main challenges and efforts to sustainable transitions in urban settings analysing examples from Europe and Latin America.
 Bulkeley, Harriet, and Michele Betsill. "Rethinking sustainable cities: multilevel governance and the 'urban'politics of climate change." Environmental Politics 14.1 (2005): 42-63.

Murphy, J and A Smith (2013 – in press) Understanding transition-periphery dynamics: renewable energy in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Environment and Planning A

Lissandrello, E. and Grin, J. (2011) Reflexive Planning as Design and Work: Lessons from the Port of Amsterdam. Planning Theory and Practice
Describe the main governance challenges and advancements in relation to governance theories to achieve sustainable transitions.
 Voβ, J-P., Smith, A. And J. Grin (2009) Designing long-term policy: re-thinking transition management Policy Sciences 42, 4: 275-302

Smith, A. and A.Stirling (2010) The politics of social-ecological resilience and sustainable socio-technical transitions Ecology & Society 15, 1: online http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss1/art11/

Smith, A. and F. Kern (2009) The transitions storyline in Dutch environmental policy Environmental Politics, 18, 1: 78-98

Lissandrello, E. and Sterrenberg, L. (forthcoming) Transitions in Dutch Politics of Planning

Organizer: Andrés Valderrama and Ulrik Jørgensen

Lecturers:

ECTS: 5

Time: 26-28 May, 2014

Place: Aalborg University, Copenhagen, A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, room ACM15 0.091 
Zip code: 2450

City: Copenhagen

Number of seats: 25

Deadline: 31 March, 2014