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Successful transitions to a sustainable bioeconomy require novel technologies, processes, and practices as well as a general agreement about the overarching normative direction of innovation. Both requirements necessarily involve collective action by those individuals who purchase, use, and co-produce novelties: the consumers. Based on theoretical considerations borrowed from evolutionary innovation economics and consumer social responsibility, we explore to what extent consumers’ scope of action is addressed in the scientific bioeconomy literature. We do so by systematically reviewing bioeconomy-related publications according to (i) the extent to which consumers are regarded as passive vs. active, and (ii) different domains of consumer responsibility (depending on their power to influence economic processes). We find all aspects of active consumption considered to varying degrees but observe little interconnection between domains. In sum, our paper contributes to the bioeconomy literature by developing a novel coding scheme that allows us to pinpoint different aspects of consumer activity, which have been considered in a rather isolated and undifferentiated manner. Combined with our theoretical considerations, the results of our review reveal a central research gap which should be taken up in future empirical and conceptual bioeconomy research. The system-spanning nature of a sustainable bioeconomy demands an equally holistic exploration of the consumers’ prospective and shared responsibility for contributing to its coming of age, ranging from the procurement of information on bio-based products and services to their disposal.
Ulrich Wilke; Michael P. Schlaile; Sophie Urmetzer; Matthias Mueller; Kristina Bogner; Andreas Pyka. Time to Say ‘Good Buy’ to the Passive Consumer? A Conceptual Review of the Consumer in the Bioeconomy. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 2021, 34, 1 -35.
AMA StyleUlrich Wilke, Michael P. Schlaile, Sophie Urmetzer, Matthias Mueller, Kristina Bogner, Andreas Pyka. Time to Say ‘Good Buy’ to the Passive Consumer? A Conceptual Review of the Consumer in the Bioeconomy. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. 2021; 34 (4):1-35.
Chicago/Turabian StyleUlrich Wilke; Michael P. Schlaile; Sophie Urmetzer; Matthias Mueller; Kristina Bogner; Andreas Pyka. 2021. "Time to Say ‘Good Buy’ to the Passive Consumer? A Conceptual Review of the Consumer in the Bioeconomy." Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 34, no. 4: 1-35.
Sophie Urmetzer; Andreas Pyka. Innovation Systems for Sustainability. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2020, 600 -611.
AMA StyleSophie Urmetzer, Andreas Pyka. Innovation Systems for Sustainability. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 2020; ():600-611.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSophie Urmetzer; Andreas Pyka. 2020. "Innovation Systems for Sustainability." Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals , no. : 600-611.
Eine Strategie zur Umsetzung einer nachhaltigen Bioökonomie muss neben disziplinären und technischen Zielvorstellungen auch den gesellschaftlichen Wandel einplanen und vorbereiten. Eine zukunftsfähige politische Strategie muss also neben dem techno-ökonomischen Wissen ebenso solches Wissen fördern, welches es Produzenten und Konsumenten ermöglicht, nicht-nachhaltige Verfahren und Verhaltensweisen nicht nur zu reduzieren, sondern radikal zu verändern. Dazu gehören neben den technologischen Fertigkeiten auch ein interdisziplinäres Verständnis systemischer Zusammenhänge, demokratisch legitimierte Zielvorstellungen sowie die notwendigen Fähigkeiten, um diese Ziele partizipativ umzusetzen. Nur durch die Anerkennung und gezielte Förderung dieses als dediziert bezeichneten Wissens können nachhaltige Veränderungen erwachsen. Der Beitrag ergänzt das evolutionsökonomische Konzept des wissensbasierten Wandels durch Ansätze aus den Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaften. Konkret werden die besonderen Eigenschaften dieses dedizierten Wissens diskutiert, wodurch nicht zuletzt eine Grundlage für neue Ansätze in der Bioökonomiepolitik geschaffen wird.
Sophie Urmetzer; Michael P. Schlaile; Kristina Bogner; Matthias Mueller; Andreas Pyka. Wissen für den Wandel – Wissenstheoretische Grundlagen einer nachhaltigen Bioökonomiepolitik. Bioökonomie nachhaltig gestalten 2020, 73 -105.
AMA StyleSophie Urmetzer, Michael P. Schlaile, Kristina Bogner, Matthias Mueller, Andreas Pyka. Wissen für den Wandel – Wissenstheoretische Grundlagen einer nachhaltigen Bioökonomiepolitik. Bioökonomie nachhaltig gestalten. 2020; ():73-105.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSophie Urmetzer; Michael P. Schlaile; Kristina Bogner; Matthias Mueller; Andreas Pyka. 2020. "Wissen für den Wandel – Wissenstheoretische Grundlagen einer nachhaltigen Bioökonomiepolitik." Bioökonomie nachhaltig gestalten , no. : 73-105.
The transition towards a bioeconomy is considered a powerful approach to combating current trends of unsustainability. To date, the concept has been widely perceived as a predominantly technical endeavor. This is, however, not sufficient and will not really tackle the global sustainability challenges. Therefore, the imparting of technological knowledge must be accompanied by instruction in other types of knowledge, particularly transformative knowledge. The authors explore the various elements of transformative knowledge necessary to equip the protagonists of a bioeconomy transformation. On this basis, four academic bioeconomy programs across Europe are analyzed using a hybrid methodological approach, combining a keyword-based content analysis of the module descriptions with semi-structured interviews of key representatives of the programs. It is shown that the syllabi of all four programs include important elements of transformative knowledge, such as communication, participation, and decision making skills. Skills related to the ability to revise and reflect personal values, in contrast, are mainly only an implicit part of the program. The study applies insights into education for sustainable development to the requirements of a fundamental transformation towards a sustainable bioeconomy. It offers a first appraisal of the consideration transformative knowledge is given in the design of European academic bioeconomy curricula.
Sophie Urmetzer; Jan Lask; Ricardo Vargas-Carpintero; Andreas Pyka. Learning to change: Transformative knowledge for building a sustainable bioeconomy. Ecological Economics 2019, 167, 106435 .
AMA StyleSophie Urmetzer, Jan Lask, Ricardo Vargas-Carpintero, Andreas Pyka. Learning to change: Transformative knowledge for building a sustainable bioeconomy. Ecological Economics. 2019; 167 ():106435.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSophie Urmetzer; Jan Lask; Ricardo Vargas-Carpintero; Andreas Pyka. 2019. "Learning to change: Transformative knowledge for building a sustainable bioeconomy." Ecological Economics 167, no. : 106435.
Western economies nowadays are confronted with a predicted productivity slowdown resulting in diminishing rates of economic growth. While some scholars see these developments as an indication of the approaching end of growth due to fully exploited technological opportunities, this article contends that the possibilities for radical, paradigm changing innovations are far from being exploited. Building on contributions from Schumpeter and Georgescu-Roegen, we argue that the human capacity to expand technological and intellectual frontiers must not be underestimated. In a selective retrospect, our narrative identifies and describes four historical incidents reflecting different perceptions of the power of the human mind. It synthesizes the mentioned economists’ viewpoints with the effects of these incidents to reproduce the intellectual roots of the recently developed concept of Dedicated Innovation Systems (DIS). We conclude that traditional macro-level indicators are not suitable to capture transformation processes, which is why we propose to interpret growth indicators and the alleged productivity slowdown quite differently. We argue that human ingenuity and transformation processes dedicated to sustainability will open up new opportunity spaces, thereby combining an increase in economic welfare and social justice with a reduction of negative environmental impact.
Andreas Pyka; Kristina Bogner; Sophie Urmetzer. Productivity Slowdown, Exhausted Opportunities and the Power of Human Ingenuity—Schumpeter Meets Georgescu-Roegen. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity 2019, 5, 39 .
AMA StyleAndreas Pyka, Kristina Bogner, Sophie Urmetzer. Productivity Slowdown, Exhausted Opportunities and the Power of Human Ingenuity—Schumpeter Meets Georgescu-Roegen. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity. 2019; 5 (3):39.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndreas Pyka; Kristina Bogner; Sophie Urmetzer. 2019. "Productivity Slowdown, Exhausted Opportunities and the Power of Human Ingenuity—Schumpeter Meets Georgescu-Roegen." Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity 5, no. 3: 39.
Sophie Urmetzer; Andreas Pyka. Innovation Systems for Sustainability. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2019, 1 -12.
AMA StyleSophie Urmetzer, Andreas Pyka. Innovation Systems for Sustainability. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 2019; ():1-12.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSophie Urmetzer; Andreas Pyka. 2019. "Innovation Systems for Sustainability." Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals , no. : 1-12.
The transformation towards a knowledge-based bioeconomy has the potential to serve as a contribution to a more sustainable future. Yet, until now, bioeconomy policies have been only insufficiently linked to concepts of sustainability transformations. This article aims to create such link by combining insights from innovation systems (IS) research and transformative sustainability science. For a knowledge-based bioeconomy to successfully contribute to sustainability transformations, the IS’ focus must be broadened beyond techno-economic knowledge. We propose to also include systems knowledge, normative knowledge, and transformative knowledge in research and policy frameworks for a sustainable knowledge-based bioeconomy (SKBBE). An exploration of the characteristics of this extended, “dedicated” knowledge will eventually aid policymakers in formulating more informed transformation strategies.
Sophie Urmetzer; Michael P. Schlaile; Kristina B. Bogner; Matthias Mueller; Andreas Pyka. Exploring the Dedicated Knowledge Base of a Transformation towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1694 .
AMA StyleSophie Urmetzer, Michael P. Schlaile, Kristina B. Bogner, Matthias Mueller, Andreas Pyka. Exploring the Dedicated Knowledge Base of a Transformation towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (6):1694.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSophie Urmetzer; Michael P. Schlaile; Kristina B. Bogner; Matthias Mueller; Andreas Pyka. 2018. "Exploring the Dedicated Knowledge Base of a Transformation towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy." Sustainability 10, no. 6: 1694.
The aim of this article is to complement research on transformations towards sustainability by drawing upon the innovation systems (IS) framework. The IS framework already serves as a suitable and influential basis for research on processes of technological innovation and economic change. We argue that improving the capacity of an IS framework for dealing with wicked problems and the normative complexity of sustainability requires a fundamental paradigm shift because in the current IS paradigm innovations are considered as per se desirable and in mostly technological terms. Therefore, we call for IS dedicated to transformations towards sustainability by opening up for systemic innovations beyond the technological dimension and by acknowledging that stakeholders have conflicting visions, interests, norms, and expectations with regard to sustainability goals. Taking the normative dimension of transformations towards sustainability seriously thus requires more explicit and integrative research on directionality, legitimacy, responsibility, and their interrelation in IS. The article concludes by proposing suggestions for future research based on IS-related approaches that can serve as building blocks for an IS framework capable of incorporating legitimate goal-orientation for transformative innovation by and for society.
Michael P. Schlaile; Sophie Urmetzer; Vincent Blok; Allan Dahl Andersen; Job Timmermans; Matthias Mueller; Jan Fagerberg; Andreas Pyka. Innovation Systems for Transformations towards Sustainability? Taking the Normative Dimension Seriously. Sustainability 2017, 9, 2253 .
AMA StyleMichael P. Schlaile, Sophie Urmetzer, Vincent Blok, Allan Dahl Andersen, Job Timmermans, Matthias Mueller, Jan Fagerberg, Andreas Pyka. Innovation Systems for Transformations towards Sustainability? Taking the Normative Dimension Seriously. Sustainability. 2017; 9 (12):2253.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichael P. Schlaile; Sophie Urmetzer; Vincent Blok; Allan Dahl Andersen; Job Timmermans; Matthias Mueller; Jan Fagerberg; Andreas Pyka. 2017. "Innovation Systems for Transformations towards Sustainability? Taking the Normative Dimension Seriously." Sustainability 9, no. 12: 2253.
Governments around the world seek for strategies to overcome the reliance on fossil resources and provide solutions for the most challenging contemporary global issues: food shortage, depletion of natural resources, environmental degradation and climate change. A very recent and widely diffused proposition is to transform economic systems into bio-based economies, which are based on new ways of intelligent and efficient use of biological resources and processes. If taken seriously, such endeavour calls for the creation and diffusion of new knowledge as basis for innovation and behavioural change on various levels and therefore often is referred to as knowledge-based bioeconomy. In the current debate, the requirement for innovation is mostly seen in the advance of the biotechnology sector. However, in order to fulfil the requirement of sustainability, which implicitly is connected with the bio-based economy, the transformation towards a bioeconomy requires a fundamental socio-economic transition and must comprise changes in technology as well as in markets, user practices, policy, culture and institutions. To illustrate a nation’s capability for this transition, we refer to the concept of national innovation systems in its broad approach. With the help of an indicator-based multivariate analysis we detect similarities and dissimilarities of different national systems within the European Union as basis for a transition towards a knowledge-based bioeconomy. The analysis allows to compare the different strategies and to identify bottlenecks as well as success factors and promising approaches in order to design policy instruments to foster this imperative transformation.
Sophie Urmetzer; Andreas Pyka. Varieties of Knowledge-Based Bioeconomies. Innovation Networks for Regional Development 2017, 57 -82.
AMA StyleSophie Urmetzer, Andreas Pyka. Varieties of Knowledge-Based Bioeconomies. Innovation Networks for Regional Development. 2017; ():57-82.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSophie Urmetzer; Andreas Pyka. 2017. "Varieties of Knowledge-Based Bioeconomies." Innovation Networks for Regional Development , no. : 57-82.