Jan. 2006 |
Knowledge network on System Innovations and transitions (KSI) |
No. 2 |
 |
| News |
| Science |
| Practice |
| Column |
| Bottom up |
| Publications |
| Agenda |
|
To subscribe, follow this link.
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, click here to unsubscribe.
Editing & design by Eva Kamphorst
NewsSpeedy Xmas this year!
Against a Bing Crosby setting with glühwein, hot chocolate, and Christmas cookies, each of our guests had a series of 20-minute dialogues with our KSI researchers. Participants represented a variety of societal levels and sectors. The low barrier knowledge exchange concept appeared to inspire both sides deeply. General knowledge, science, gossip (!) and paths for collaboration, were exchanged. Both visitors and KSI researchers work on the follow-up right now. To all participants: thanks for joining, and till next year! Harry te Riele
Can globalisation become a driver of sustainable development?For Wolfgang Sachs this was not an easy question to answer. In his words: how can globalising the robbery economy of the West lead to new forms of development that include justice and care for future generations? The only way he could think of answering this question is by looking at the second-order and unintended consequences of globalisation. These might lead to a counter force that might contain seeds for sustainable development. Sachs’ lecture stirred an intense debate in Felix Meritis chaired by John Grin on January 17, 2006, and in Trouw, a Dutch national newspaper. New KSI projectsIn the second round of KSI-projects, three projects were accepted: 1. The project II.3 “Multi-level governance of transitions”, managed by professor Geert Teisman (Erasmus University Rotterdam), is a joint project of Teisman’s group (CPM) with several researchers from the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (Drift also at the Erasmus university Rotterdam) of Jan Rotmans. 2. Project III.7 of Paul van Seters is called “Organising transitions through intersectoral partnerships for sustainable development”. 3. Project III.8 “New arrangements: challenges and opportunities for system innovations” is led by John Grin. Read more about them on the KSI web site KSI research on health careOn basis of a productive workshop in June, attended by KSI researchers as well as some innovative practitioners from the health care domain, Jan Rotmans & John Grin have drafted a programming note on research on system innovations in health care. In this note, several challenges now facing the health care sector are listed; attempts to deal with them – including the present reforms of the Dutch health care system – often fail because they run into some persistent problems that are tightly institutionally rooted in the current health care system. Against this background, two broad, central questions for KSI research on health are being proposed: 1) In what ways, and to what extent, are existing persistent problems rooted in current institutions (with specific attention to the institutionally rooted factors identified above)?; 2) What solutions to these problems are being explored experimentally, and what do experiences with such attempts teach us on the institutional conditions required for effectively meeting current challenges? Several groups have been invited to submit brief outlines for projects to deal with these questions. Of these, some have been asked to elaborate their outline into a full proposal. Projects may start this Spring. Report IHDP Open Meeting
Issues of governance and institutional change -highly relevant to transition management-were discussed not only at theme 7 but also at other themes, such as theme 8 “Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change” (in the session “Reflexive governance for sustainable development” co-organised by René Kemp with contributions from KSI researchers John Grin, Rob Weterings and René Kemp and in the session “Analysing and Managing Societal Transitions” co-organised by Jan Rotmans, and with contributions from Derk Loorbach) Monitoring reportThe Dutch government checks all projects that are co-financed by the so-called “BSIK” subsidy scheme by means of a yearly monitoring exercise. A monitoring team of several actors (SenterNovem, NWO and the Ministry of VROM) judges the results and reports to a “Committee of Wizards”. This Committee in turn reports directly to the cabinet. The baseline monitoring report of KSI was very well received. Marjan Minnesma
|
 |
"This is REALLY fun". "A great way to sharpen visions both on your and our side". "Intense and stimulating one-to-one communication". These are a few of the reactions we got from our guests during our First KSI Speed Dating Xmas Knowledge Event ever.
Issues of transition and system innovation were discussed at the 6th
ScienceProject III.2. Reflexive designThis project is undertaken at the University of Amsterdam under responsibility of John Grin. It focuses on reflexive design: the definition of what a ‘system innovation’ means in a particular context. This cannot be done on basis of some objective, universal guideline, because sustainable development is an essentially contestable concept. Rather, it involves a process of contextually defining system innovation, in the sense of designing a vision and strategies it that are both legitimate and feasible in the eyes of relevant stakeholders and, often also, formal policymakers. This process involves reflexivity, in the sense that assumptions, rules and roles normally taken for granted may be critically scrutinised. The objective of this project is to understand the problems and possibilities of defining system innovations. |
Practice“Acht voor Ruimte”, a threefold mega-transitionWithin the over 40 projects funded by BSIK (formally ICES/KIS-3), a dozen of knowledge investment programmes joined under the adage “Kennis voor ruimte, ruimte voor kennis” (Knowledge for space, space for knowledge) a couple of years ago. These programmes share a common objective of innovation and transition applied to multiple land use and the building and construction industry. They call themselves “Acht voor Ruimte”. Their focus is threefold:
The collaboration continued after the funding was extended after 2003. The term “Acht” not only refers to the number of initial programmes (eight), but also to the Acht(ing) (respect) for space and everything in it. The programmes are geared at transition and system innovation. KSI contributes to these programmes through the development and application of transition knowledge; thinking, doing, and learning. KSI benefits from the lessons learned to improve its theory. Touching Habiforum2006 will be the take-off year for Habiforum touching KSI and vice versa. Habiforum ('the collective benefit of innovative space use') is the change programme for town and country planning in The Netherlands funded by BSIK. KSI is analysing with Habiforum the extent to which transitions are taking place in the field of spatial planning and development, as well as the actors involved. The outcome will be both a transition analysis and a process framework for further transition management. On top of current bonds between the two network organizations, DRIFT has started to compare the Gouda methods, insights and practices to those of transition management. Habiforum's new managing director Hasselaar, by the way, has been the initiator of bringing transition knowledge into the Dutch air quality serial, which managed to block Dutch construction plans so dearly over the last two years. Habiforum recently published to have made a respectable 151,829 phone calls since their phase II started in January 2004... nice to know and hard to beat them there! Harry te Riele
Innovation NetworkAt the request of diverse societal parties, the central government established the Innovation Network (Innovatienetwerk Groene Ruimte en Agrocluster) in 2000 to promote groundbreaking innovations with respect to green space and agriculture. Radical innovations are required to tackle such complex problems as the growing demand for green space, pressing water issues, agricultural dilemmas, ignorance concerning food production methods, loss of biodiversity and the obliteration of distinctive regional character in the Netherlands. The Innovation Network was one of the founding fathers of the KSI-network. Also, KSI-director John Grin was directly involved in a monitoring- and evaluation project of the Innovation Network in the past 3 years. In 2006 a new period for Innovation Network has started. |
ColumnTransition Management and Globalisation
|
hyperglobalists are right, transition studies and management should focus on transnational processes, and not on national ones. I am a proponent of what Held and others have called in their book Global transformations: politics, economics and culture (Stanford University Press 1999) a transformationalist position.
Bottom upEvaluation of the KSI Winterschool 2005The year 2006 started for all PhD students (more than 30) within KSI with a winterschool. An excellent opportunity to acquire a solid knowledge base about transitions and their governance, while making new acquaintances. The programme was full of presentations and discussions. And there was entertainment too: on the evening the students were asked to prepare a transition performance, they didn’t lack the occasion to caricature the KSI directors. One thing is certain: our PhD students are enthusiastic.  Interview with Johannes Boshuizen
How did you like the winterschool? It was very interesting to meet the other PhDs and discuss the different interests and opinions. Clearly the group is very motivated. It was also very convivial, not in the least the evening out in Maastricht. Besides the venue was nice. Are you originally from Enschede? No I grew up in Zwolle and studied in Groningen. What is your research question? The general topic of our group is spatial transitions, a typical research question is how spatial agglomerations originate and develop. I am currently investigating if network methods are useful to answer this. In the future I plan to compare different regions. Interview with Niels Schoorlemmer
His cradle standing in Haarlem, Niels spent most of his youth in the 'Achterhoek and then moved to the South. "I did science and technology studies at Maastricht University. It taught me two main things: A solid base of theoretical knowledge (e.g. social constructivism, actor-network theory, large technical systems theory) and most importantly, a critical attitude, thanks to courses in rhetoric, images and discourse analysis." |
Johannes Boshuizen (25) has started his PhD in March 2005 at the University of Twente, in Enschede. He is working for the School of Business, Public Administration and Technology.
Niels Schoorlemmer (24) has started his PhD In May 2005 at the Technical University Eindhoven (TU/e). He is working for the section Technology & sustainability studies, within the department History, Philosophy and Technology Studies, part of the Faculty of technology management. Is there a team spirit out there? " Not really, it is found more fruitful to keep one's own identity and then collaborate to obtain cross-fertilisation. Too much integration may inhibit progress."
PublicationsRelated topicsPhD defence - 02/12/2005 PhD defence - 24/11/2005 |
Agenda
|
||||||||||||||