Transition Experiments: Exploring societal changes towards sustainability

This PhD thesis presents the outcome of exploratory research on how transition experiments can be used as instruments to further sustainable development. A transition experiment is a specific type of innovation project that is aimed at exploring radically new ways to meet societal needs, such as the need for energy, mobility and health care. Transition experiments are a key instrument of the governance approach Transition Management (TM), which has recently been developed and applied to influence and direct transitions towards sustainability. This book presents a conceptual framework for analysing and managing transition experiments and their potential contribution to sustainability transitions. Central concepts in this framework are the mechanisms deepening (learning in a specific context), broadening (linking and repeating in different contexts) and scaling-up (embedding in established ways of thinking, doing and organising). The framework was developed in interaction with practitioners in three Dutch sustainability programmes: Learning for Sustainable Development, Transumo (TRANsition to SUstainable MObility) and the Transition Programme in Long-term Care. The practice-oriented concepts and examples that are described in this book could provide researchers, policy makers, programme managers and project leaders with a new way of looking at the role of innovation projects in transitions to sustainable development.

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