This article examines how local experiments and negotiation processes contribute to social and field-level learning. The analysis is framed within the niche development literature, which offers a framework for analyzing the relation between projects in local contexts and the transfer of local experiences into generally applicable rules. The authors examine 2 case studies drawn from a meta-analysis of 27 new energy projects. The case studies, both pertaining to biogas projects for local municipalities, illustrate the diversity of applications for a technology through processes of local variation and selection. The authors examine the diversity of expectations and the negotiation and alignment of these expectations underlying the diversity of local solutions. Moreover, the authors address how the transfer of lessons from individual local experiments can follow different pathways and yet always require due attention to the social and cultural limits to the transferability of solutions.

a b s t r a c tExchange of experience between researchers and practitioners is important for arriving at new knowledge that is translatable into practice and at the same time endures in science. This notion has been central in CHANGING BEHAVIOUR, a project aimed at a better understanding of why energy demand-side management (DSM) programmes succeed or fail. Generally, there is a growing tradition of evaluation that encompasses the co-construction of programmes, technology and context. Nevertheless, most current research and evaluation in this particular area focuses solely on the influence of programme characteristics while overlooking contextual factors and transdisciplinary integration. This paper presents the outcomes of theoretical and empirical work involving new insights regarding the crucial conditions for successful energy DSM programmes. In addition, we demonstrate the usefulness of an Action Research methodology that aims to explicitly promote social change though transdisciplinary collaboration between researchers and practitioners. We conclude that a conceptualisation of energy behavioural change as nested within and interacting with broader social processes differs from existing models that place individual change processes at the centre of attention. The toolbox we developed for and with practitioners (involved in designing and implementing energy demand-side programmes) differs accordingly, among others in that it is context-sensitive.

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Since the emergence of transdisciplinary research, context dependencies, innovative formats and methods, societal effects, and scientific effects are key aspects that have been discussed at length. However, what is still missing is an integrative perspective on these four aspects, and the guidance on how to apply such an integrative perspective in order to realize the full transformative potential of transdisciplinary research. We provide an overview of each aspect and highlight relevant research questions that need to be answered to advance transdisciplinary research.

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-Governments are today developing policies to promote sustainable consumption, yet policy makers face many uncertainties about policy impacts. These include uncertainties about how policy instruments influence consumption patterns and about the impact of changes in consumption patterns on ecological, social and economic sustainability. An assessment of such impacts must account for the fact that consumer action is interlinked with the dynamic activities of other market players and the path-creating effects of technologies and systems of consumption and provision. Our paper presents an interdisciplinary conceptual framework for the assessment of policies to promote sustainable consumption. This assessment is conducted within a recently launched EC FP7-funded project called EUPOPP. It aims to use material flow analysis (MFA) to model the prospective impacts of best-practice policies on selected sustainability indicators in Europe.

Abstract. The site selection procedure is participatory and citizens are to be involved as “co-designers of the procedure” (§ 5 (1) 2 StandAG). This is an understanding of participation that goes beyond information and consultation. Although participation is differently defined in participation research, there is agreement that participation – especially in this context – goes beyond formal public participation, as is customary in approval procedures in the context of commenting procedures, and includes forms of informal public participation (cf. Mbah, 2017). Further innovative forms of public participation are needed in which concepts – for participation, for learning, for reversibility, etc. – can be (further) developed. Paragraph 5 (3) stipulates a further development of the participation procedure with the public. On the one hand, this provides framework conditions and, on the other hand, opens up a scope for design, which must be designed together with different groups of actors. This requirement was formulated both before and within the framework of the sub-areas conference (cf. Brohmann et al., 2021; Ewer and Thienel, 2019; Kuhbier, 2020; NBG, 2019, 2021). Therefore, we would like to address the following research questions: What does “learning” mean in the German Site Selection Act (StandAG 2017, § 1 (2)) and how can it be governed and implemented? Who learns and under which conditions? What are the requirements and possibilities of participation and what limitations can be derived in this context? Knowledge and information are the basis of all decision-making processes. Learning is part of a reflexive information exchange and essential for creating, transferring, and readjusting knowledge. In this respect, learning and reflexion means at least a two-way process, often multiple ways and loops. Therefore, we would like to focus on reflexive learning processes, so called double-loop learning processes (Argyris, 1977; Argyris and Schön, 1978) that consider that there should be responsive paths of knowledge transfer to generate learning through reflexion. Such reflexive learning processes may take part at different levels; individual, collective (groups, e.g. departments in an organisation), organisational, and between organisations and indirectly involved or responsible (individual and collective) actors must learn. The reflexive learning processes go beyond strategies and techniques to reach a certain goal but scrutinise certain attitudes and may lead to changes in normative values and belief systems. This is not or if at all, only to a certain extent an automatic process. Rather for systematic learning and reflexion spaces and formats are needed as well as different methods of knowledge and information transfer – mainly if it comes to the requirements of participative formats. These methods and formats as well as spaces need to be adjusted to context and time, which means that e.g. different actors need to be differently addressed and the back-bonding into the organisation and institutional routines must be considered. For this, contextual knowledge and collaboration is crucial. Participatory and transdisciplinary approaches are important key concepts which need to be filled in with actions to initiate and further develop learning processes – as understood and demanded by the StandAG and the selected literature. We give insights into findings based on literature reviews, jurisdictional analysis of the StandAG, several interviews with different actors of the procedure and with experts of different topics (regional planning, place attachment, psychology). In summary, we identified challenges for learning and give insights how to overcome or at least process them.