A new open access article in the journal Futures by Adrian Smith and Mariano Fressoli contrasts grassroots subversion of some of the technologies of automation with the way automation is […]
Community action for sustainability is a promising site of socio- technical innovation. Here we test the applicability of co- evolutionary niche theories of innovation diffusion (strategic niche management, SNM) to […]
The final, synthesis article from the CISE research project is published in the journal Environment & Planning A. The Open Access article (pdf) argues for a refocusing around the critical edges that […]
“Throughout the history of both modern environmentalism and development there has existed an insistent undercurrent of practical, grassroots initiatives seeking socially just and environmentally sustainable forms of production and consumption”. […]
We have a new working paper from our project Grassroots innovations in historical and comparative perspective. Mariano Fressoli from Fundación Cenit and Rafael Dias from UNICAMP have just published a […]
System-changing innovations for sustainability transitions are pro- posed to emerge in radical innovative niches. ‘Strategic Niche Management’ theory predicts that niche-level actors and networks will aggregate learning from local projects, […]
Last week (20-21 March) Adrian Smith was invited to speak at the OECD Symposium on Innovation and Inclusive Growth. The organiser wanted to learn what lessons our research into grassroots innovation […]
A workshop held in Delhi on 8th February will bring together researchers, activists and policy-makers to learn from one another about grassroots innovation movements. The workshop is organised by Dinesh […]
Constructing grassroots innovations for sustainability: New research in the field Adrian Smith and Gill Seyfang introduce a new collection of academic papers on grassroots innovations, and discuss the origins and […]
The latest issue of the leading research journal Global Environmental Change is dedicated to the topic of grassroots innovation for sustainability. The special issue contains six original research articles Guest […]
The multilevel perspective and social practice theory have emerged as competing approaches for understanding the complexity of sociotechnical change. The relationship between these two different camps has, on occasions, been […]
Seyfang, G. and Smith, A. (2007) ‘Grassroots Innovations for Sustainable Development: Towards a new research and policy agenda’ in Environmental Politics 16(4) pp.584-683 Innovation and community action are two important strands […]
Seyfang, G. (2009) The New Economics of Sustainable Consumption: Seeds of Change (Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke) ISBN 978-0-230-52533-7 [paperback published 2011] Climate change is forcing us to rethink our lifestyles, but green consumerism […]
Smith, A. (2007) ‘Translating Sustainabilities Between Green Niches and Socio-Technical Regimes’ Technology Analysis and Strategic Management 19(4) pp.427-450 A role for green niches has risen to prominence in the environment and innovation literature. […]
Smith, A. (2006) ‘Niche-Based Approaches To Sustainable Development: Radical activists versus strategic managers’ Chapter in the book Sustainability and Reflexive Governance edited by Dierk Bauknecht, René Kemp and Jan-Peter Voss, 2006, (Edward Elgar, […]
Smith, A., Vos, J-P. and Grin, J. (2010) ‘Innovation and Sustainability Transitions: The allure of the multi-level perspective and its challenges’ Research Policy 39 pp.435-448 Sustainable development is prompting a re-assessment of innovation […]
Smith, A. (2005) ‘The Alternative Technology Movement: An analysis of its framing and negotiation of technology development’ Research in Human Ecology 12(2) pp.106-119 Technology mediates our relations with one another andwith nature. […]
Smith, A., Stirling, A. and Berkhout, F. (2005) ‘The Governance Of Sustainable Socio-Technical Transitions’ Research Policy 34 pp.1491-1510 A quasi-evolutionary model of socio-technical transitions is described in which regimes face selection pressures […]
Grassroots Innovations 