Program Sustainability Research (PNF: Programm Nachhaltigkeitsforschung) Est. 2006

Mission statement
To research and teach analyses and explanations of societal issues regarding sustainability and its normative foundations.

It is our understanding that...
Sustainable development is a process of societal transformation in light of globally scarce and fragile ecological resources and that sustainability sciences are to provide sound scientific contributions for the rational appraisal of future options and actions.

Our expertise...

  • Merging competencies within the social sciences and humanities; including philosophy, sociology, human geography, political sciences and law
  • Analyzing and evaluating the status quo, developmental goals and instruments as well as the possible outcomes and impacts of actions
  • Scientific reflection of normative and societal assumptions within sustainable development issues

Our focus...

  • Theoratical level: Contributions to the theory of sustainable development
  • Empirical level: Utilization of criteria and steering instruments for sustainable development and related case studies

Teaching and other activities (see link):

  • Head of social-cultural domain of Masters of Sustainable Development (MSD)
  • Bachelor courses in Gesellschaftswissenschaften & transfacultary program of sustainable development
  • Responsible for former Masters minor People-Environment-Society (MGU)
  • Co-organizers of the biannual EUCOR summer university, the International sustainability Conference
  • Mobility partner with the Joint Master Program in sustainable development

Research:             

- Projects  [PDF/100 KB]               
- Publications             
- Masters Theses  [PDF/85 KB]        

 

Theory:

- Overall theory of sustainable development including value theory (normative) and integration 
  theory (descriptive)
- Theory of sustainability criteria and what to sustain
- Incorporation of the Capability Approach into sustainability theory.
- Theories of societal transformation / governance

 

Empirical studies:

- Projects using metrics of life-quality and action-abilities as criteria for sustainable 
  development
- Analysis of governance and regimes as steering instruments for sustainable development
- Regional development, electricity systems and sustainable technology case studies  
- Scenario building for developmental option evaluation