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The raise of publications on sustainability—a case study in Germany

Author

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  • Thomas Brenner

    (Philipps-Universität Marburg)

  • Gesa Pflitsch

    (Philipps-Universität Marburg)

Abstract

The number of scientific publications containing the words “sustainability” or “sustainable” has increased tremendously over the last years, but their origins in Germany are not equally distributed in space. The aim of the paper is to find out why sustainability research occurs strongly in some places and not in others. Four potential external influences on the choice of a scientist’s research topic are considered: 1) the interaction with the regional economy, 2) the attitude of the regional population, 3) path dependence in science as well as 4) the organizational circumstances provided by the university. In a mixed-method approach, regression analyses are complemented by qualitative interviews with scientists. The results show that the decision to conduct research on sustainability is in most cases based on a more private level. However, the perceived attitude towards sustainability in the broader public and in the researcher’s local surrounding also seem to be important.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Brenner & Gesa Pflitsch, 2017. "The raise of publications on sustainability—a case study in Germany," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 37(2), pages 189-225, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jahrfr:v:37:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s10037-017-0119-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10037-017-0119-6
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    2. Thomas Brenner & Daniel Schiller, 2019. "Regional Interaction and Effects of Universities: Introduction to the Special Issue," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 39(2), pages 113-117, October.
    3. Szopik-Depczyńska, Katarzyna & Cheba, Katarzyna & Bąk, Iwona & Kędzierska-Szczepaniak, Angelika & Szczepaniak, Krzysztof & Ioppolo, Giuseppe, 2020. "Innovation level and local development of EU regions. A new assessment approach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    4. Wakkee, Ingrid & van der Sijde, Peter & Vaupell, Christiaan & Ghuman, Karminder, 2019. "The university's role in sustainable development: Activating entrepreneurial scholars as agents of change," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 195-205.

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