Local Experiments in Socio-Ecological Change: Signs of Hope or Limited Scope?
This content delves into the exploration of local initiatives in addressing socio-ecological challenges, examining whether they offer hope for transformative change or signal constraints within contemporary societies. Dr. Margaret Haderer from the Institute for Social Change and Sustainability (IGN) at WU Vienna presents insights on the role of cities as incubators for innovative pathways towards sustainability, emphasizing the importance of urban experiments in driving socio-ecological transformations. The discussion also touches on the balance between localism and experimentalism in tackling complex issues, questioning the efficacy of proposed solutions and societal actions.
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LOCAL EXPERIMENTS IN SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL CHANGE: SIGNS OF HOPE OR SYMPTOMS OF A LIMITED SCOPE FOR ACTION? DR. MARGARET HADERER, INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) WU VIENNA
THE CITY AS AN INCUBATOR FOR SOCIO- ECOLOGICAL CHANGE? especially in the Global North, cities seem to be turning into vibrant laboratories for new pathways towards tackling the socio-ecological crisis. Two experiments in socio-ecological change have become especially prominent: the smart city and degrowth spaces. DR. MARGARET HADERER | INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) | MARGARET.HADERER@WU.AC.AT 2
COMMON GROUND OF URBAN INITIATIVES: LOCALISM AND EXPERIMENTALISM there are obvious differences between the smart city and urban degrowth spaces (green growth/incremental change vs. degrowth/structural change), but also similarities: o Responsiveness to the widely perceived urgency to act on the socio-ecological crisis by making the local level, the level of urban everyday life, their main site of intervention; o Emphasis on the importance of real-life, hands-on experiments in socio-ecological change. 3 DR. MARGARET HADERER | INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) | MARGARET.HADERER@WU.AC.AT
RESEARCH QUESTION Are local exerpiments in socio-ecologocical change a sign of hope for transformative change, as is widely suggested? Or could they be interpreted differently, namely as a manifestation of a constrained scope for transformative action in contemporary societies? 4 DR. MARGARET HADERER | INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) | MARGARET.HADERER@WU.AC.AT
MOTIVATION Bracketing solutionism: not because we do not need solutions, but because we have a plethora of proposed solutions and remain stuck in sustained unsustainability (Bl hdorn) nonethless Asking core social science questions: Why may we frame issues the way we frame them? Why may we act the way we act? 5 DR. MARGARET HADERER | INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) | MARGARET.HADERER@WU.AC.AT
FROM A MACRO-POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE, THE DOMINANCE OF LOCALISM AND EXPERIMENTALISM MAY BE A MANIFESTATION OF Uncertain Facts, Disputed Values: (scientific) knowledge is regarded as insufficient and uncertain, normative orientations (ethical, religious, aesthetic) are no longer binding Liquid subjectivities and commitments: neoliberalsubjects their identities and commitments are in flux - arguably more than ever Fragmented governance: (co-)governing and being governed has become indiscernible 6 DR. MARGARET HADERER | INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) | MARGARET.HADERER@WU.AC.AT
POSSIBLY local and experimental interventions may be what we are currently left with, given the absence of widely shared perceptions of problems or solutions (uncertain facts, disputed values) long-term subjective commitments (liquid subjectivity) institutions that steer (fragmented governance) which decisive and effective action on the socio-ecological crisis would, however, hinge on. 7 DR. MARGARET HADERER | INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) | MARGARET.HADERER@WU.AC.AT
SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE ON LOCAL EXPERIMENTS IN SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL CHANGE The point is not: hope busting or abysmal thinking The point is: ifgoing beyond sustained unsustainability (Bl hdorn 2013) is the goal, delivering a better understanding of why we frame and act on isssues the way we do is key Conceptually, this means challenging dominant framings of socio-ecological change underpinning given initiatives as well as pushing existing interpretative lenses on local experiments Empirically, this means(for our, specific project) reconstructing the notions of subjectivities and identities, the (scientific) knowledge and values underpinning local experiments in socio-ecological change as well as their embeddedness in processes of governing. 8 DR. MARGARET HADERER | INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) | MARGARET.HADERER@WU.AC.AT
THANK YOU! DR. MARGARET HADERER | INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (IGN) | MARGARET.HADERER@WU.AC.AT
