Integrated Strategies

What is to be done with problems, which have been well-known for decades but never been solved? Why do we not manage to solve them, although facts and evidence seem obviously clear, and despite the fact that a number of consistent and attractive solutions have already been suggested?

Such PERSISTENT problems, which are often characterized by high complexity, uncertainties and missing structures, cannot be solved by small “improvements” but only by a fundamental re-organisation of the system – a social transition towards sustainability.

We at SERI  actively  support such a transition through our work. The development of integrated strategies helps to discover and understand the different connections, reactions and long-term consequences of the necessary transition processes.

Our understanding of integration brings together insights from different areas of life and research. Our work builds bridges between

• science, society and politics
• social and natural sciences
• research and practical experience

Our main method is the Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA). ISA starts from a strategic level, aims at achieving sustainable development and at enabling a social transition. The process is based on the tradition of “transition management” and presents concrete possibilities for the implementation of this concept.