How do young scholars perceive the Green Economy (GE) concept? What impacts does this have on science-policy interaction and policy implementation for real societal change?
The Green Economy: Pragmatism or Revolution? Perceptions of Young Researchers on Social Ecological Transformation investigates the perceptions of young researchers from various disciplines working on GE-related issues using qualitative content analysis and a participatory approach. The spectrum of disparate perceptions observed among the respondents is represented in a two-dimensional model with the following dimensions: 1) the degree and nature of desired societal change in relation to the current economic model and set of institutions; and 2) the role of research in delivering such change.
The study found a bottom line of values generally shared by respondents, including a common recognition of the need to address interlinked ecological and social problems, and the need for research to be independent and to provide options, guidance and solutions to policy-making. It also found disparate and divergent opinions concerning GE and its potential to genuinely further sustainable development and a broad spectrum of opinions regarding the degree and nature of needed societal change and the role of research in the field of the GE. This spectrum is represented in a four-quadrant model that includes four different ideological positions of researchers: radical evolutionist, pragmatic evolutionist, radical revolutionary and pragmatic revolutionary. The majority of respondents were positioned in the pragmatic revolutionist quadrant; they aspire to a more fundamental systemic change through adopting pragmatic approaches.