Transition versus transformation: What's the difference?

Katharina Hölscher; Julia M. Wittmayer; Derk Loorbach

doi:10.1016/j.eist.2017.10.007

Transition versus transformation: What's the difference?

Katharina Hölscher^*, Julia M. Wittmayer, Derk Loorbach

^*Corresponding author for this work

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

233 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

‘Transition’ and ‘transformation’ have become buzzwords in political and scientific discourses. They signal the need for large-scale changes to achieve a sustainable society. We compare how they are applied and interpreted in scientific literatures to explore whether they are distinct concepts and provide complementary insights. Transition and transformation are not mutually exclusive; they provide nuanced perspectives on how to describe, interpret and support desirable radical and non-linear societal change. Their differences may partially result from their etymological origins, but they largely stem from the different research communities concerned with either transition or transformation. Our review shows how the respective approaches and perspectives on understanding and interpreting system change can enrich each other.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-3
Number of pages	3
Journal	Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
Volume	27
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.10.007
Publication status	Published - Jun 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The research resulting in this paper was financially supported by the German Environmental Agency under the project: Von der Nische in den Mainstream [From niche to mainstream](2015-2017). The authors would like to thank the participants of a project workshop held in June 2016 in Berlin.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Authors

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Cite this

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Transition versus transformation: What's the difference?

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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UN SDGs

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