@conference {1999, title = {Governance of sustainability transformation: Transformative environmental policy}, booktitle = {Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity}, year = {2014}, address = {Leipzig}, abstract = {

In this paper we develop a concept of transformative environmental policy as a complementary field of environmental policy, which addresses ongoing processes of societal change and utilizes them for achieving environmental sustainability. In our view, transformative environmental policies are not replacing other environmental policies that protect natural resources or reduce emissions or such policies that aim to integrate environmental concerns in other domains of policy making. Instead, transformative environmental policy is focused on ongoing societal change.

The concept of transformative environmental policy is based on the assumption of limited government{\textquoteright}s capacities to plan and steer societal transformations. Based on this assumption, it suggests three key elements of governing transformative change: 1) a systematic observation and analysis of processes of societal change, 2) identifying issue areas and action fields which are critical for societal change even if they are beyond the traditional responsibility of environmental departments, and 3) the development, support and review of experiments which have the potential of re-directing societal trends towards sustainability.

The concept is based on the notion of transformation as a co-evolution of different societal systems, and in particular technological systems, culture and institutions. There is no single determinant that is causal for transformation, and certainly not a single governmental intervention. Instead, transformations are the result of a dynamic interplay between different systems and innovation.

The concept seeks realistic opportunities of influencing societal transformations towards sustainability. It is a characteristic of transformations that the direction and the pace of change are disputed. This is also the case for transformations towards sustainability: Different actors compete on the framing of visions which may guide such transformation. They range from green economy-visions of industrialized and globalized societies to post growth-visions and regionalized societies.

The paper is organized as follows: Firstly, key findings from the literature on transitions and transformations are summarized. The first section addresses the questions on the characteristics of societal transformations, the drivers and actors of transformation based on a review of literature. The second section summarizes findings from an analysis of visions of transformations towards sustainability. The third and final section develops the concept of a transformative environmental policy and discusses the implications for policy making and opportunities to govern transformative changes.

}, author = {Klaus Jacob and Lisa Graaf and Holger B{\"a}r} } @conference {1980, title = {Societal transformations: Objects, driving forces and potential to govern them}, booktitle = {Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity}, year = {2014}, address = {Leipzig}, abstract = {

Many participants in the German political discourse have emphasized the need for a comprehensive transformation of the political system, the economy and society to meet the challenges of sustainable development. However, the scope, the speed and the means that are necessary to initiate and to advance such processes, is subject to controversial debate. Against this background, this paper will first of all, identify existing definitions of (societal) transformations and their theoretical assumptions in the scientific literature.

Transformation is often understood as a comprehensive process of change that affects many subsystems of society as a whole. The change processes in these subsystems are interdependent, meaning they mutually influence each other {\textendash} changes in one subsystems will affect the other subsystem and vice versa. They can either both strengthen or weaken the others impact depending on their direction. The sum of such change processes will give a direction to societal development. Transformations designate the process of changing from one equilibrium state to another.

There is a multitude of competing visions for the future with different conceptions how this future will look like {\textendash} ranging from the transformation to a sustainable society, to low carbon economies to forms of societal development that are decloupled from the {\textquotedblleft}need{\textquotedblright} for economic growth. In order to classify and order the various contributions to this debate, to structure their assumptions about causalities and the need for governance, this paper uses three guiding questions: What are the objects of transformations? What are their driving forces? Can societal transformations be governed at all {\textendash} and if so, how?

These questions have been answered based on a review of literature on the subject. The analysis was conducted in 2012 so that later publications on the subject have not been considered in this paper.

}, author = {Lisa Graaf and Holger B{\"a}r and Klaus Jacob} }