 | IST2020: 11th International Sustainability Transition Conference Vienna University of Economics and Business Vienna, Austria, August 18-21, 2020 |
| Conference website | http://ist2020.at/ |
| Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ist2020 |
| Abstract registration deadline | February 12, 2020 |
| Expected Notification of Acceptance | March 31, 2020 |
| Submission deadline | July 2, 2020 |
The 11th International Sustainability Transitions Conference which will take place in Vienna from 18 - 21 August 2020. It will be co-hosted by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) in association with the Sustainable Transition Research Network (STRN). IST 2020 will be a great opportunity for the international transitions research community to meet familiar and new faces from all continents and from the many local and international research organizations engaged in transition studies or related fields.
Main Conference Theme: “Governance in an Era of Change – Making Sustainability Transitions Happen”
European Parliament has declared a climate emergency, following a number of countries and local communities worldwide. Proposals for a “Green New Deal” have been advanced on both sides of the Atlantic, seeking broad-based support. Calls for “just transitions for all” constitute an integral part of the Paris Agenda and the Green Deal proposed by the President of the European Commission. These and other recent developments create the impression that there is a growing realization of the necessity of immediate and profound systemic change, in order to tackle the manifold global crises of our times. However, business-as-usual and one-size-fits-all approaches won’t be successful in providing the most effective and suitable multi-level and place-based actions, policies and governance approaches that will substantially boost transitions in this respect. Against this background, the call for IST 2020 “Governance in an Era of Change – Making Sustainability Transitions Happen” invites contributions that address structural issues and causes for current challenges together with the design and implementation of transformative governance and policies for systemic change. Contributions may want to shed light on issues such as the role of the state, the role of non-state actors (e.g. intermediaries, social movements) or new forms of governance tackling multiple, interacting, and potentially overlapping transitions. We also welcome contributions that address the challenges and opportunities of “just transitions”, including e.g. tradeoffs between different sustainability objectives. Guiding questions include:
- How to best understand and problematize the nature of the challenges ahead? What lenses do we need, to identify the multi-dimensional causes of the current crisis and the causal interlinkages between various phenomena?
- What are the critical conditions that enable individuals and collective actors to build up and mobilize the capacity for systemic and structural change?
- What kind of multi-level governance configurations foster the capacity to accelerate profound change across various scales? How does the political, legal, institutional context shape and constrain transformative governance strategies?
- What is the future of work in sustainability transitions, and what about the role/representation of the labor force in shaping transitions?
- What are the challenges of “just transitions”, how do we increase participation in governance processes, and how do we deal with conflicting sustainability goals?
Submission Guidelines
IST2020 provides a range of formats to stimulate scholarly debate as well as dialogue with practitioners (see below). Please clearly indicate the type of submission in your abstract. We kindly request extended abstracts (max 600 words) for all session formats, with brief biographies of authors and session organizers for dialogue sessions (max 4 lines per person). Abstracts for full papers, speed talks and posters should clearly identify the most relevant conference track and should describe the key research questions, theory, method, and findings. Abstracts for dialogue sessions should describe the thematic focus, the contributions of speakers, and explain how the session will be organized (e.g., how it will maximize audience participation).
Full paper sessions: 90 minute sessions for presentation and discussion of original research papers (typically 3 per session). Authors are required to submit a draft of their full paper in advance of the conference. Full papers are also eligible for nomination for the best paper award (details to follow).
Speed talk sessions: 60 minute sessions for 3 to 5 speed talks, which briefly introduce new research ideas, data and analytical insights, and early stage work to provide a basis for collective discussion. We encourage contributions from practitioners as well as researchers. Submission of full papers is not required for speed talk sessions.
Posters: Posters will be displayed for the duration of the conference in a designated poster area. Authors will also have an opportunity to present their posters during a dedicated poster session in the conference program. A prize will be offered for the best poster presentation.
Dialogue sessions: 60- or 90-minute sessions, which aim to stimulate discussion and debate around a particular thematic focus. These sessions are proposed by an external session organizer / chair with pre-agreed speakers. Dialogue sessions should be conceived to maximize audience participation. The session organizer should propose the precise format of the session, which could be a panel, a sequence of speakers, a debate or workshop. We specifically invite proposals that feature non-academic participants and innovative formats. Submission of full papers is not required for dialogue sessions.
Conference Tracks
Submissions should explicitly relate to one or more of the following conference tracks:
1) Conference Track: Governance in an Era of Change. Making Sustainability Transitions Happen
2) Understanding Transitions – Theoretical contributions to transition frameworks
3) Power, Agency, and Politics in Transitions
4) Civil Society, Culture, and Social Movements in Transitions
5) Organizations and Industries in Sustainability Transitions
6) Transitions in Practice and Everyday Life
7) Geography of Transitions: Spaces, Scales, Places
8) Ethical Aspects of Transitions: Distribution, Justice, Poverty
9) Methodologies for Transitions Research
Key Dates
31st January 2020 – Abstract submission deadline
31st March 2020 – Expected Notification of Acceptance
1st April 2020 – Early bird registration starts (including child-care registration)
1st May 2020 – Early bird registration deadline, Child-care registration deadline
1st June 2020 – Presenter registration deadline
2nd July 2020 – Full papers submission deadline
5th August 2020 – Regular registration deadline
18th-21st August 2020 – IST 2020 conference (including session for newcomers to sustainability transitions studies on the 18th)
Organizing Committee
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Center for Innovation Systems & Policy
WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Institute for Law and Governance/Research Institute for Urban Management and Governance at the Department of Socio-Economics
Venue
The conference venue will be Campus WU with its internationally renowned architecture. See more here: www.ist2020.at
Contact
All questions about submissions should be emailed to ist2020@ait.ac.at
Sponsors and supporters
WU Vienna | AIT Austrian Institute of Technology | STRN | Wirtschaftsagentur Wien | City of Vienna | AK Wien