Laur Kanger

Interactions between studies on transformative innovation policy and sustainability transitions have lately generated a rich stream of work on steering system innovation. Yet the tools to understand, formulate and evaluate transformative innovation policy have so far mostly focused on single systems. This is problematic as addressing the current sustainability challenges requires transitions in a broad range of interconnected systems, and … from Integrated framework of intervention points and transformative outcomes for single- and multi-system transitions

In Deep Transitions (DT) theory, interventions are defined as “particular areas in the socio-technical system or its environment where the application of appropriate [interventions] would likely facilitate transformative change in the system’s directionality” (Kanger et al., 2020: 4). Interventions are actions taken by actors to influence different parts of a system. We initially developed a … from Taking action that drives systems change: an introduction to Interventions

This tool is all about mapping where new ways of doing things are emerging and how we can practically challenge our unsustainable systems. You’ll be introduced to the DT concept of niches and work in a group to map and grow niches so they are capable of disrupting our current systems. You’ll learn theory and … from Tool: Mapping where change is emerging

With this interactive Miro tool, you will become familiar with segments of the DT theory. You will experiment with the future worlds, niche building and interventions. These are all critical elements to building resilient pathways. You will think about what alternatives there are to our unsustainable practices and what actions you can take to move … from Tool: Moving towards sustainable futures

Discover more about our three visions for the future in this short and easy-to-watch video. This collection of illustrated narratives of the mobility, energy and food systems in three future worlds – and the journey towards those worlds between 2020 and 2050 – was developed for the Deep Transitions Investors Panel in 2021. The stories … from Video: three future worlds

This interactive Miro board tool will help you understand how change happens in a system, help you identify what you want to change and what direction to go in to nourish that change.   … from Tool: how to change a system

Sustainability transitions research recognises that transforming energy, mobility, food, and other systems requires going beyond incremental, surface-level fixes to address the deeper drivers of system change. Yet these deeper drivers have not been systematically identified.In this paper, the authors argue that the Deep Transitions (DT) concept of rules provides a useful starting point. Rules are … from Identifying the deep drivers of system change: A rule-based approach to socio-technical system mapping

Digital technologies are increasingly framed as important tools to address grand challenges such as climate change. While there is an increasing body of research on the role of digitalisation in unfolding sustainability transitions, it has been recognised that there is a lack of longer-term historical analysis of the evolution of digitalisation in the transitions field. … from Deep transitions and the evolution of the digital meta-regime

Seeds of the futures: creating pathways to a better world is a game created from DT theory where teams step into the role of world-builders to create long-term pathways toward sustainable and just futures. The game is designed for policy makers, investors, researchers, system thinkers – anyone working at the frontier of sustainability and transitions … from Game – Seeds of the future: creating pathways to a better world

This guide for the facilitators of the game: Seeds of the future, creating pathways to a better world. Read through this guide first, and then you can either play with the physical board and cards or use the online game which can be found here: https://tipresourcelab.net/resource/game-seeds-of-the-future-creating-pathways-to-a-better-world/   … from Seeds of the future: Facilitator game guide

Baillie Gifford, an independent investment manager, introduced their Positive Change Fund team (aiming to deliver attractive long-term returns and a positive change by contributing towards a more sustainable future) to the Deep Transitions Lab. The group conducted an experiment together, which took place over two segments. The first focused on the PCF portfolio (exploring DT … from Baillie Gifford experiment case study

Systems optimisation can generate short-term positive effects. However, in the long run it may inhibit scaling, by preserving the unsustainable configuration of a dominant regime, and reinforcing the underlying rules. So how do we know if well-intended interventions are optimising or challenging a system? This is a simple tool to help you unpack your own … from Tool: Systems optimisation vs change

In this exercise, you will use a transitions theory called the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) to understand how change happens in a socio-technical system – e.g. an energy, health, food or water system – and identify opportunities to influence these dynamics through your investment strategies. Part 1 helps you to create a theory of change for … from Tool: Multi-level theory of change (Investor version)

The contemporary world is confronted by a double challenge: environmental degradation and social inequality. The authors of this seminal paper, published in 2019, argue these challenges are linked to the dynamics of the First Deep Transition: the creation and expansion of a wide range of socio-technical systems, such as transport, energy and food, in a … from Deep transitions: Theorizing the long-term patterns of socio-technical change

Researchers observe that change happens through surges of development. Resources, technologies, policies, and ideologies form the core of each surge, and the direction each surge takes is altered by our society. The Deep Transitions Lab aims to unmake and remake the rules driving today’s unsustainable systems. These rules have been built up through surges. This … from Tool: Surges of development

Deep Transitions are profound societal transformations, driven by interconnected system changes. These slides take you through the basics of Deep Transitions theory, as an academic framework for understanding and investing in system change. They introduce: characteristics of the First Deep Transition, which started with the Industrial Revolution; the notion of socio-technical systems, which provide for … from Deep Transitions foundational thinking

This tool is designed to help you visualise a system that you are seeking to effect change in through your investment portfolio. As you complete the exercise, you will build a picture of the ingredients in a system that maintain its stability and functionality over time – and consider the niches (alternative practices) that might … from Tool: Pentagonal map for system analysis (Investor version)

If we understand the Deep Transitions concept of rules that underpin our unsustainable systems, we can target these through investments and work towards building a sustainable future. Here, you will learn what a rule is and how the concept is useful to your practice and strategies. Our current socio-technical systems (such as energy, food, and … from Tool: Understanding rules and their application for investors

Published in the journal Research Policy, this paper introduces the concept of Deep Transitions, defined as a series of interconnected and enduring fundamental transformations occurring across numerous socio-technical systems and moving in a similar direction. The authors refer to the build-up of diverse socio-technical systems over the 19th and 20th centuries as the First Deep … from Deep transitions: Emergence, acceleration, stabilization and directionality

This short story, reproduced from the Deep Transitions website, introduces the third of three desirable worlds created for the Investors Panel in 2021. For more on the philosophy and principles of Transformative Investment, visit www.transformativeinvestment.net.    ‘When the moonshot became an earthshot’ images a future Inspired by the spirit of the 20th-century missions that put … from World 3: Earthshot

This short story, reproduced from the Deep Transitions website, introduces the second of three desirable worlds created for the Investors Panel in 2021. For more on the philosophy and principles of Transformative Investment, visit www.transformativeinvestment.net.    ‘Do No Harm’ imagines a world characterised by a very different understanding of the relationship between our natural world … from World 2: Do no harm

This short story, reproduced from the Deep Transitions website, introduces the first of three desirable worlds created for the Investors Panel in 2021. For more on the philosophy and principles of Transformative Investment, visit www.transformativeinvestment.net.  ‘After the frugal turn’ imagines a future in which limitless consumption as a foundational and completely irreversible principle for development … from World 1: After the frugal turn

This short policy brief outlines three distinct innovation policy frames that have shaped how governments and institutions support innovation over time: Frame 1 (dominant from the 1960s to 1980s) focuses on R&D and regulation, assuming innovation follows a linear path from research to economic growth. Frame 2 (from the 1990s to today) shifts to national … from Policy brief: The Three Frames of Innovation

Worldwide, countries have to respond to local and global socio-technological shifts and needs, specifically the transformations wrought by a rapidly shifting understanding of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Science, technology and innovation policy (STI) finds itself at the intersection of these local and global challenges. Innovation Policy at the Intersection: Global Debates and Local Experiences shows that a … from Innovation policy at the intersection: Global debates and local experiences (Chapter 2: Transformative Innovation Policy: Insights from Colombia, Finland, Norway, South Africa and Sweden)

This collection of illustrated narratives of the mobility, energy and food systems in three future worlds – and the journey towards those worlds between 2020 and 2050 – was developed for the Deep Transitions Investors Panel in 2021. The stories provide a valuable example of how anticipation and collective imagination can be used to translate … from Three Desirable Future Worlds

This learning history provides an overview of the emergence and consolidation of a novel approach to transport, called mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), and the policies underlying and influencing this development in Finland. The idea behind MaaS is that travellers have easy access to the services they need, from door to door with a single payment and ticket. … from Transformative Innovation Learning History: Finland

In this early comparative study, TIPC researchers tease out the basic features of the emergent framing we call Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP). The report examines how five countries (Colombia, Finland, Norway, South Africa and Sweden) are developing and implementing TIP to address societal challenges, such as climate change, inequality and sustainable development. It introduces the … from Developing and Enacting Transformative Innovation Policy: A Comparative Study

Blog and video reflecting on how Norway is navigating a transition away from oil dependency through transformative policy approaches to innovation, combining traditional growth and coordination approaches with a stronger frame-three focus on responsible, inclusive and experimental change. As Elisabeth Gulbrandsen, Research Council of Norway (RCN)’s Special Adviser and board member at TIPC, aptly puts … from Towards Transformative Innovation Policy for Norway