Schedule 9th International Degrowth Conference

Confronted with ecological, social and economic crises, the mainstream response is to advocate technological innovation within a ‘green growth’ paradigm. However, evidence suggests that current conventional models for innovation in sustainability are inadequate to fully resolve linked crises of unsustainability. Current environmental issues cannot be solved merely by incremental improvements and technological fixes.
Here, a new space of opportunity is opening for social movements that are exploring alternative development pathways and a radically different approach to economic development. This research aims to contribute to understandings of how innovation is conceived and enacted by social movements concerned with issues around green growth. Most of the literature on sustainability transitions and innovation still focuses on more conventional economic assumptions and understandings of innovation, as well as conventional practices in business and government. There is less research on how movements might prefigure new models, criteria and settings for innovation that require a rethinking of innovation in a postgrowth society, which is the gap in the literature that this research intends to address.
This research integrates a thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis from data collected through in-depth semi structured interviews, participant observation and document analysis of two case studies of movements active in the UK –Transition Towns, a grassroots innovation movement formed by a network of local initiatives; and the degrowth movement, an academic-activist movement. This research will provide timely analysis that is both constructive and critical towards rethinking innovation in society, which will benefit policymakers, businesses and civil society organisations.

Info

Day: 2023-08-30
Start time: 10:45
Duration: 00:15
Room: ZV-KC-2
Type: Paper Presentation
Theme: Technology and science for degrowth

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