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Stories that Change Our World? Narratives of the Sustainable Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Anna-Lena Guske

    (Environmental Policy Research Centre, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany)

  • Klaus Jacob

    (Environmental Policy Research Centre, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany)

  • Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers

    (Ecologic Institute, 10717 Berlin, Germany)

  • Jan Peuckert

    (Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), 10785 Berlin, Germany)

  • Stefan Schridde

    (MURKS? NEIN DANKE! e.V., 13088 Berlin, Germany)

  • Sven Stinner

    (ZIRIUS Center for Interdisciplinary Risk and Innovation Studies, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany)

  • Franziska Wolff

    (Oeko-Institut, 10179 Berlin, Germany)

  • Dominik Zahrnt

    ((r)evolutionary Ideas, 10437 Berlin, Germany)

  • Florence Ziesemer

    (Chair for Business Administration/Marketing, University of Potsdam, 14482 Potsdam, Germany)

Abstract

Narratives are shaping our understanding of the world. They convey values and norms and point to desirable future developments. In this way, they justify and legitimize political actions and social practices. Once a narrative has emerged and this world view is supported by broad societal groups, narratives can provide powerful momentum to trigger innovation and changes in the course of action. Narratives, however, are not necessarily based on evidence and precise categories, but can instead be vague and ambiguous in order to be acceptable and attractive to different actors. However, the more open and inclusive a narrative is, the less impact can be expected. We investigate whether there is a shared narrative in research for the sustainable economy and how this can be evaluated in terms of its potential societal impact. The paper carves out the visions for the future that have been underlying the research projects conducted within the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funding programme “The Sustainable Economy”. It then analyzes whether these visions are compatible with narratives dominating societal discourse on the sustainable economy, and concludes how the use of visions and narratives in research can contribute to fostering societal transformations.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna-Lena Guske & Klaus Jacob & Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers & Jan Peuckert & Stefan Schridde & Sven Stinner & Franziska Wolff & Dominik Zahrnt & Florence Ziesemer, 2019. "Stories that Change Our World? Narratives of the Sustainable Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:21:p:6163-:d:283564
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Max-Neef, Manfred, 1995. "Economic growth and quality of life: a threshold hypothesis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 115-118, November.
    2. Martínez-Alier, Joan & Pascual, Unai & Vivien, Franck-Dominique & Zaccai, Edwin, 2010. "Sustainable de-growth: Mapping the context, criticisms and future prospects of an emergent paradigm," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(9), pages 1741-1747, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nestor Shpak & Oleh Kuzmin & Olga Melnyk & Mariana Ruda & Włodzimierz Sroka, 2020. "Implementation of a Circular Economy in Ukraine: The Context of European Integration," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-15, August.
    2. D. D’Amato, 2021. "Sustainability Narratives as Transformative Solution Pathways: Zooming in on the Circular Economy," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    3. Dotti, Nicola Francesco & Walczyk, Julia, 2022. "What is the societal impact of university research? A policy-oriented review to map approaches, identify monitoring methods and success factors," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).

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