Innovation Systems, Policy and Sustainability Transitions

Full course description

The issues, that the political economic systems create while moving forward with a multitude of attempts in structuring our everyday lives and possible futures, continue to systematically socialize negative economic, environmental and social impacts over us and the world society. Much needed global societal transition towards alternative settings calls for a comprehensive understanding and the analysis of the working of the multi-scalar socio-technical systems. Accelerating the evolutionary scientific, technological and social sustainability transitions towards alternative societal futures requires a holistic, interdisciplinary and critical know-how which will be introduced by a set of lectures and enhanced by participatory discussions. Lectures and discussions are supplemented by optional multi-method research, entrepreneurial mentoring, critical advocacy and evidence-based policy writing skills sessions. After completing this course, participants will acquire working knowledge on ideas, interests, institutions of societal relevance and be able to design new actions or policies for change making in varieties of systems, sciences, innovations, transitions, economies, contexts, and, ultimately on the sustainability outcomes.

Course objectives

To gain holistic, interdisciplinary and critical knowledge in the analyses of:

Varieties of systems of innovation and sustainability transitions from political economic and societal perspectives, which integrates economic, social, environmental, as well as policy perspectives.
In particular, varieties of systems (e.g. technological, regional, socio-technical systems), entrepreneurships (e.g. technological, social, environmental), sciences in systems (e.g. natural and social sciences), innovations (e.g. technological, social, environmental eco-innovations), transitions (e.g. technological, regional, societal, sustainability transitions), and alternative economies (e.g. circular economy, social economy, digital economy, bio-economy, sharing economy).
Varieties of systems and transitions from a global perspective (e.g. contexts and cases of high and middle/low income countries, emerging markets and powers, international cooperation in between).
Varieties of systems and transitions from a human perspective (e.g. varieties of entrepreneurships and of outcomes, e.g. agency, quality of life, well-being, happiness, peace).
To acquire an evidence-based approach for different policy analysis and design styles, and formulation techniques on how to write a policy brief in practice.

Prerequisites

SSC1017 Principles of Economics OR SCI1016 Sustainable Development: An Introduction.

Innovation Systems, Policy and Sustainability Transitions