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| 2. |
- Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Ecology and sociotechnical systems research – motivations for theoretical and methodological integration across fields
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Sustainability Transitions conference 2017.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Currently, we are witnessing a number of global trends that do not promise well for the future. Accelerating climate change, loss of biodiversity, chemical pollution, disappearance of natural forest and degradation of fishing grounds and agricultural lands are just a few of the serious environmental problems that threaten the functional and structural integrity of ecosystems, to an extent that also human societies risk collapse. The scale of human impact is now such that scholars suggest that we live in the Anthropocene. The trends are driven by several linked factors, which are not easily disentangled into manageable specific problems to be solved by specific policies. More than ever, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations are needed in order to address these urgent challenges. The objective of this paper is to argue for the importance of research on socio-technical-ecological systems (STES) rather than social-ecological (SES) and sociotechnical systems (STS) separately. Hence, we address researchers in both the social-ecological and sociotechnical fields. We organize the argument around six reasons why “technology” should be integrated into SES studies. We call these reasons: (1) the interface and mediation aspect, (2) ambivalence, (3) the agency aspect, (4) the question of scale, (5) the question of governance and politics, and (6) the question of epistemology and framing. We also highlight potential conceptual conflicts and mistranslations. Our discussion is primarily a theoretical argument, exemplified with empirical examples.Among the conceptual challenges, we note that SES scholars, if they consider technology in their analyses, generally treat it as an exogenous factor or as a passive background element. Similarly, STS scholars tend to neglect ecological dynamics and refer to the ecological domain mainly in terms of inputs and outputs, e.g. natural resources, environmental and health problems caused by human activities. In light of the discussion, we conclude that the importance of collaborating across the two fields goes beyond each field adding pieces together. We argue that integration and translation across these domains will lead to qualitative change in the theoretical and methodological approaches of both fields; and that technology, society and ecology should be given symmetric analytical attention.
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| 3. |
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Anatomy of a 21st-century sustainability project: The untold stories
- 2020
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Samlingsverk (redaktörskap) (refereegranskat)abstract
- What does a sustainability project look like in the 21st century? Not the glossy version, but the naked truth? Tired of manicured, over-theorised accounts of the ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’ of sustainability transitions, we got to the bottom of things; actually, to the very bottom of the project hierarchy: the individual. Our point of departure is that projects are nothing but temporarily interconnected people. This means that if we don’t know what people do and what they think about their work, we will never be able to create a deeper understanding of the project, its rationale and future impact. Making use of the autoethnographic method, this book provides critical insights into what it’s like being part of a 21st-century project. Building on unfiltered first-hand contributions from 73 authors representing the five organs of a project’s anatomy – the brain (theoreticians), the skeleton (leaders), the limbs (strategists), the heart (local stakeholders) and the lungs (researchers) – the book covers all the important aspects of contemporary project-making: (1) projectification as a societal phenomenon; (2) sustainability as the main project buzzword; (3) transdisciplinarity as a hot working method; (4) economy as the invisible project propeller; (5) space as the contextual project qualifier; (6) gender and integration as the obstinate orphans of project-making; (7) trends as the villains of thoughtless project mimicry; (8) politics as the “necessary evil” of projects; and (9) knowledge production as the cornerstone of all project work. The book ends with an extensive critical analysis of what makes a project tick and how to avoid project failure. We infer that talking about project outcomes and impacts is just that… talking. What makes a difference is what can be done to the project in itself. Three important virtues – the ABC of project-making – emanate from this book’s 40 chapters: building good relationships (Affinity), having the guts to make a change (Bravery), and showing willingness to learn (Curiosity). These are the basis for the successful execution of future sustainability projects, where complexity, unpredictability and desperation will become a staple force to recon with. The original contribution of this book is to shed light on the silent triumphs and hidden pathologies of everyday project-making in an effort to elevate individual knowledge to a level of authority for solving the wicked – yet project-infused – problems of our time.
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| 4. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Change Agent Infrastructure (CHAI) – a Stakeholder Analysis Tool for Ergonomics- and Work Environment- Related Change Projects
- 2017
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Ingår i: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 2194-5365 .- 2194-5357. ; 498:2017, s. 715-726
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper is a short communication introducing a novel method forstakeholder analysis, Change Agent Infrastructure (CHAI). The method isspecifically developed in the context of ergonomics/work environment-relatedchange projects and is meant for early stages of change projects. It mapspotential stakeholders against eight distinct “roles” that have been found inprevious research to facilitate or hinder workplace change. Mapping the“decision dilemmas” that stakeholders may face, as well as identifying over- orunderrepresented roles, may benefit the change project in terms of determininginformation needs and how the project team should be staffed. The method hasbeen iteratively developed and tested in educational and research projects. Themethod is visual, participative and helps to clarify the various participants’understanding of the change at hand and what it means for them – thiscontributes positively to information strategies and decisions that facilitates theplanning and execution of a sustainable change.
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| 5. |
- Lazoroska, Daniela, et al.
(författare)
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Perceptions of participation and the role of gender for the engagement in solar energy communities in Sweden
- 2021
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Ingår i: Energy, Sustainability and Society. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2192-0567. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy communities are emphasized by the EU as important for developing sustainable energy systems that include and engage many people. While many renewables are highly compatible with a more decentralized energy system, research indicates that participation in 'desirable' energy activities and energy decision-making is influenced by social and economic factors, including gender, economic status and home ownership. The overall aim of this article is to contribute to this line of inquiry by exploring how and under which conditions energy communities allow for broader participation in the energy system. This article examines how gender, as a more specific condition, influences the extent to which parties can or cannot engage with collective solar ownership models by means of a qualitative study of 11 solar energy communities and one housing association in Sweden.Results: The study revealed that despite the relative potential for inclusion that they hold, energy communities can raise justice concerns in terms of inequities concerning access, capacity, and opportunity to engage in decision-making.Conclusions: While solely focusing on gender offers a limited view of the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in renewable energy projects, it is our position that integrating it into the analysis will provide insights into possible measures to remedy limitations and accelerate the renewable energy transition.
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| 6. |
- von Wieding, Sönke, et al.
(författare)
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Drivers and barriers to business-to-business carsharing for work trips – A case study of Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2022
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Ingår i: Case Studies on Transport Policy. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 2213-624X .- 2213-6258. ; 10:4, s. 2330-2336
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carsharing is an important element in the transition to a more sustainable transport system. In contrast to the widely studied business-to-consumer (B2C) market segment, studies on Business-to-business (B2B) carsharing and its impacts are limited. This paper analyses the factors that drive and hinder organisations from using B2B carsharing for their employees’ work trips. The paper takes a case study approach, analysing B2B carsharing use for local work-trips at seven employers in Gothenburg, Sweden, based on interviews with employers, property owners, and carsharing operators. Our results indicate that carsharing services can contribute to reducing the employers’ costs for work-trips, ensuring the sustainability and safety of the employee's work-trips, as well as increasing the employer's workplace attractivity. However, carsharing services are currently used only to a very limited extent. Obstacles that limit a greater use of carsharing services are employers’ lack of data on the employees’ work travel patterns, little economic incentives for employers, as well as parking management and travel policies that favour the use of the private car.
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| 7. |
- Kamerlin, Shina Caroline Lynn, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Female Faculty: Why So Few and Why Care?
- 2020
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Ingår i: Chemistry - A European Journal. - : Wiley. - 1521-3765 .- 0947-6539. ; 26:38, s. 8319-8323
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Despite slow ongoing progress in increasing the representation of women in academia, women remain significantly under-represented at senior levels, in particular in the natural sciences and engineering. Not infrequently, this is downplayed by bringing forth arguments such as inherent biological differences between genders, that current policies are adequate to address the issue, or by deflecting this as being “not my problem” among other examples. In this piece we present scientific evidence that counters these claims, as well as a best-practice example, Genie, from Chalmers University of Technology, where one of the authors is currently employed. We also highlight particular challenges caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we conclude by proposing some possible solutions to the situation and emphasize that we need to all do our part, to ensure that the next generation of academics experience a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable working environment.
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| 8. |
- Ahlborg, Helene, 1980
(författare)
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Towards a conceptualization of power in energy transitions
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. - : Elsevier BV. - 2210-4224. ; 25, s. 122-141
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The field of sustainability transitions has recently benefitted from efforts by multiple scholars at better conceptualizing power and politics, and integrating insights from other fields. This article argues for an understanding of power as relational, productive, contingent and situated. I conceptualize power to the aim of understanding and explaining how and where power relations become de/stabilized in energy transitions in poor rural communities. An understanding of power as a relational capacity to act is integrated with a sociotechnical and relational understanding of constitutive power, which enables us to explore the co-production of social relations, technology and nature. The resulting conceptualization is applied to a case of mini-hydropower electrification in Tanzania. I find that electrification simultaneously reinforces social inequality and enhances social mobility. I identify material, symbolic and discursive domains that work as sources of de/stabilization of social hierarchies, producing effects on the system configuration and relations of class and gender.
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| 9. |
- Andersson, Claes, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Wickedness and the anatomy of complexity
- 2018
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Ingår i: Futures. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-3287. ; 95, s. 118-138
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Traditional scientific policy approaches and tools are increasingly seen as inadequate, or even counter-productive, for many purposes. In response to these shortcomings, a new wave of approaches has emerged based on the idea that societal systems are irreducibly complex. The new categories that are thereby introduced – like “complex” or “wicked” – suffer, however, by a lack of shared understanding. We here aim to reduce this confusion by developing a meta-ontological map of types of systems that have the potential to “overwhelm us”: characteristic types of problems, attributions of function, manners of design and governance, and generating and maintaining processes and phenomena. This permits us, in a new way, to outline an inner anatomy of the motley collection of system types that we tend to call “complex”. Wicked problems here emerge as the product of an ontologically distinct and describable type of system that blends dynamical and organizational complexity. The framework is intended to provide systematic meta-theoretical support for approaching complexity and wickedness in policy and design. We also points to a potential causal connection between innovation and wickedness as a basis for further theoretical improvement.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Sofie, 1991, et al.
(författare)
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All Doors Lead to the Kitchen – Sustainability and Wellbeing Challenges in a Shared Centrepiece of Living
- 2019
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Ingår i: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 2194-5365 .- 2194-5357. ; 876, s. 111-116
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The kitchen figures a central place in the home where a significant share of a household’s resource consumption takes place. Sharing the kitchen between multiple households has potential to bring positive sustainability effects due to more efficient use of both material resources and energy. The concept of shared kitchens has, however, thus far had a limited diffusion. This paper explores the potential of shared kitchens as a future sustainable living environment by studying user experiences from a Living Lab setting. It builds the base for an overarching larger European collaboration on how future shared kitchens should be designed in order to support everyday practices while optimising the conditions for achieving positive impact on both sustainability and wellbeing. Findings are presented from five focus areas concerning different use contexts: (1) accessing, (2) cooking, (3) living and socialising, (4) storing, and (5) cleaning.
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