The week from 18th to 24th of June, Almona Tani, a member of this research group, presented two new papers part of her PhD thesis in two international conferences.
The first paper, presented at the 8th International Sustainability Transitions Conference in Gothenburg from 18 th to 21 st June 2017, is titled “Spatial perspectives on niche empowerment: an agent-based model”. This paper contributes to the theoretical framework on Strategic Niche Management by understanding the influence of the network’s spatial dimension which lead a niche to become mature, establishing itself either as a global niche or as a local niche. The aim is to enrich the socio-technical transition studies with a space and scale concept in order to better explain the dynamics, i.e. timing, velocity, stability, which boost a mature technological niche to engage in breaking through the incumbent socio-technical regime.
The second paper, presented at the 5th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Athens from 21 st to 24 th of June 2017, is titled “The transition towards a bio-based economy: a social network analysis”. This paper focuses on the bio-based plastics industry as a particular sector of clean technologies and bio-based economy. This paper consists of a comparative assessment of the bio-based plastics industry between Germany and Italy because both countries have a relatively high rate of plastic consumption (PlasticsEurope, 2015). Though they are both confined to the European legislation in terms of reduction of single-use carrier bags, they have implemented it differently affecting unevenly the development of a bioplastic market in Europe.
Both papers have been appreciated by a professional audience with expertise in the fields of research.
Both presentations can be downloaded here: