Publications

This section provides links to many of our reports, papers, presentations, books, and blogs. SERI also publishes an Infomail which offers information on the latest developments and insights from our work and highlights current issues in the field of sustainability research and policies.

Browse publications

Ecosystems at our service – how can we benefit in a sustainable way?

Allgemeines, Highlights, Integrated Strategies, Quality of life | Bohunovsky L., Feiner G., Gruenberger S., Integrated Strategies, Omann I., Quality of life, Wesely J. | anouk on Friday December 2nd, 2011 — Leave a Comment |

SERI´s research group “Quality of Life and Integrated Strategies” investigates how we can achieve a good life for ourselves and future generations. This implies that we have to take care of the ecosystems we depend on and use their resources in a sustainable way.

This highlight aims to show how we – as human beings with individual knowledge, skills, networks and relationships– make decisions on how to benefit from ecosystems.

We will introduce the theoretical concepts Ecosystem Goods and Services and Human Well-Being and explain how we link them in order to provide a framework for their application in our research projects EcoChange, KlimaNetz (CapitalAdapt) and Climsave.

1. Linking Ecosystem Goods and Services to Human Well-Being

We are an integral part of ecosystems, which means that our well-being is highly dependent on our environment and the benefits we gain from it.

By well-being we mean a combination of several objective and subjective factors including resources (income, material, infrastructure) for a good life, health, security, good social relations, happiness and freedom of choice and action.

We define the benefits that we obtain from ecosystems by using the concept of Ecosystem Goods and Services (EGS). EGS include a variety of services and functions of ecosystems, such as the provisioning of goods (e.g. food and freshwater), cultural benefits (e.g. aesthetic landscapes, recreational areas), regulating services (e.g. flood regulation, water purification) or processes, which other services are based upon (e.g. soil formation, nutrient cycling).

The links between the different components of our well-being and the EGS are manifold. Generally speaking, provisioning services are crucial to satisfy our needs for basic material for good life and health, for example by providing us with sufficient nutritious food. Regulating services link strongly to our health and security, e.g. by preventing floods and hereby securing us from disasters. Cultural services affect especially our subjective well-being, e.g. by offering space for recreational activities, which improve our life satisfaction and happiness.

The relationship between humans and ecosystems is – of course – not static. Changing human activities drive, both indirectly and directly, changes in ecosystems, which in turn has an impact on human well-being, because it affects the quantity and quality of the benefits we obtain from EGS. (see figure below).

For example, the way we produce our food has strong effects on the nutrients that get through the soil into our groundwater. Intensive practices with high amounts of fertilizers might lead to contamination, which in turn affects the quality of the water we can extract. Thus, it would need increasing efforts for us to purify the water if we want to prevent negative effects on our health.

2. How is SERI approaching the linkage between EGS and well-being?

The research group „Quality of Life and Integrated Strategies“ is involved in several projects, which address the relationship between EGS and well-being (see EcoChange, KlimaNetz (CapitalAdapt), Climsave). In the following, two possibilities to approach this relationship are described.

a. Human and Social Capital

Conducting research on societies´ impacts on EGS requires taking a closer look at the people that interact in this society and at their relationships with each other. SERI therefore explores the human and social capital which exists in communities.

Human capital describes the education, experience, acquired skills, and health of individuals. Social capital is used to apply human capital in the individuals´ social context. Moreover, it describes relationships, norms and trust that developed in certain networks and between those networks. These relations can be on micro-scale (family and close friends), on meso-scale (friends, organizations) and on macro-scale (broader governance structure).

The projects Climsave and KlimaNetz (CapitalAdapt) focus on the importance of human and social capital when dealing with natural impacts. Climate change, for example, challenges human societies and their dependence on ecosystem services. Due to increasing drought periods, farmers might have to adapt their managements (e.g. by changing crops or irrigation strategies). This requires different knowledge, which needs to be spread among farming communities, and which will ultimately affect the quantity and quality of food that can be provided.

b. Decision-making of relevant actors

What affects the way we make use of our capitals? The EcoChange project takes a closer look at the land use decisions farmers make in response to factors such as market (crop prices), policies (subsidies), climate change (vegetation cover) and new technologies. In case study regions in Belgium and Switzerland, socio-economic scenarios were developed, which either followed a business-as-might-be-usual scenario, a neoliberal growth approach or a sustainable pathway. Scenarios develop differently according to the above mentioned factors and the types of agents (e.g. conservative or innovative farmers) that exist on this land. This in turn has an impact on the ability of ecosystems to provide certain EGS for our well-being. For example, farmers in the neoliberal scenario might prefer to grow crops in monoculture due to higher yields, whereas farmers in the sustainability scenario might grow different organic cultures in crop rotation. The first approach results in high provision of limited kinds of food, whereas the latter might have lower yields, but higher diversity and more positive side-effects like cultural qualities (e.g. high aesthetics). Hence, different elements of our well-being are satisfied to different degrees by different farming strategies.

3. How does SERI communicate the linkage between EGS and well-being to stakeholders?

SERI applies the above mentioned approaches in several stakeholder processes using a variety of participatory methods. We aim at making stakeholders aware of the linkages between their individual behaviour and the provision of EGS in order to create strategies for them to foster their well-being.

Hereby, the underlying hypothesis of our work is that a high level of human well-being for us and future generations has to be achieved in relation with a sustainable use of natures´ resources.
Therefore, we emphasise the necessity to develop sustainable strategies to deal with the challenges arising in the respective case study areas.

EcoChange – challenges for farmers on regional scale
In the EcoChange project an Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA) is conducted to analyse the impacts of social, economic and environmental changes on EGS. An ISA is an iterative process, which includes several workshops with stakeholders in the case study regions. These workshops aim at identifying the strengths, weaknesses and challenges in the region, at exploring possible pathways for future developments, and at analysing the underlying mechanisms and drivers for these developments. The discussions and analysis of our project should help the region to develop policies which steer the areas´ development towards the desired directions.

KlimaNetz (CapitalAdapt) – adaptation to climate change in Austrian communities
Recent small-scale climate scenarios have shown the impacts of climate change on Austrian communities (see reclip :century project), which reveals the necessity to adapt to changing conditions.

An important first step towards adaptation is to communicate scenarios in an easy-to-understand way (well chosen language and visualisation) for the affected people. Rather than communicating an increase in temperature, it has to be explained what such developments mean for especially vulnerable people, e.g. elderly inhabitants who have to cope with heat. Then, it becomes crucial to look both at the ecosystems´ possibilities to provide beneficial services (e.g. increase green spaces and the amount of trees to cool the micro-climate) as well as on human and social capital that is needed for adaptation measures (e.g. knowledge of spatial planners to create green spaces or increase in voluntary and professional care personnel for elderly people). The adaptation measures will be developed within a participatory process, which takes place in two communities in Austria, Klosterneuburg and Virgen. We conducted interviews with members of the communities to scope the main challenges they perceive as well as the existing human and social capital in the region. In two workshops following the interviews, the most vulnerable areas in the communities are identified and opportunities for action are discussed.

Climsave – online learning tools for adaptation measures in European regions
The linkages between ecological and social conditions are highly complex. In combination with the high uncertainty about future developments, it becomes increasingly hard for decision makers to judge which measures are sensible and useful and which might lead to (unexpected) negative outcomes. Climsave aims at providing a learning tool that allows decision makers to explore the possibilities and effects of adaptation measures. Factors influencing the decisions are the pressures that are exerted on the respective region (e.g. certain climatic pressures) and the resources (e.g. human and social capital) that are available to implement certain adaptation measures to deal with those particular pressures. The online tool should help decision makers to learn about complex interactions and the impacts their decisions might have on ecosystems and human well-being.

4. SERI publications

Journals

Omann, I., Stocker, A., Jaeger, J. (2009). Climate change as a threat to biodiversity: An application of the DPSIR approach. In: Ecological Economics. 69(1), pp: 24-31.

Briefing Sheets and Newsletters

KlimaNetz Framework (in german)

KlimaNetz Projekt (in german)

Integrated Sustainability Assessment

Climsave Newsletter No. 2

EcoChange Newsletters

5. Further links and publications

Beckley, T., D. Martz, S. Nadeau, E. Wall, and B. Reimer. 2002. Multiple capacities, multiple outcomes: Delving deeper into the meaning of community capacity. Journal of Rural and Community Development 3:56-75.

McLeman, R. 2010. Impacts of population change on vulnerability and the capacity to adapt to climate change and variability: a typology based on lessons from “a hard country”. Population & Environment 31:286-316.

Porritt, J. 2007. Capitalism as if the World Matters. Earthscan/James & James.

www.maweb.org „The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment assessed the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being. From 2001 to 2005, the MA involved the work of more than 1,360 experts worldwide. Their findings provide a state-of-the-art scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide, as well as the scientific basis for action to conserve and use them sustainably.“

www.teebweb.org „The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study is a major international initiative to draw attention to the global economic benefits of biodiversity, to highlight the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and to draw together expertise from the fields of science, economics and policy to enable practical actions moving forward.“

www.ecochange-project.eu

www.climsave.eu

www.klimanetz.at

How can Europe move towards a One Planet Economy? Scenarios report published

Economy, News, Project reports and studies, Quality of life, Resource Use | anouk on Thursday November 24th, 2011 — Leave a Comment |

The new report “Scenarios towards a One Planet Economy in Europe” is a major outcome of the OPEN:EU project in which SERI was involved. The scenarios describe alternative, albeit not necessarily ideal visions of the transition toward a One Planet Economy in Europe by 2050. They present both an illustration of life in Europe in 2050 and the policy settings that are necessary to support the transition to this common end point under different assumptions about the future.

The scenarios were developed by SERI and the Ecologic Institute on the basis of stakeholder input provided during a two-day workshop in September 2010. The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) was responsible for quantifying and modeling the scenarios.

The four scenarios created were:
Scenario 1 – Clever and caring – a future with a quality-driven mindset towards development with dynamic technological innovation.
Scenario 2 – Fast forward – a future with a quantity-driven mindset towards development with dynamic technological innovation.
Scenario 3 – Breaking point – a future with a quantity-driven mindset towards development with technological stagnation.
Scenario 4 – Slow motion – a future with a quality-driven mindset towards development with technological stagnation.

The results of the scenario modelling exercise suggest that the transformation of Europe into a One Planet Economy by 2050 would require very aggressive policy action even under the most beneficial circumstances.

The report can be downloaded here.

Under Pressure. How our material consumption threatens the planet’s water resources

Reports, Resource Use | Giljum S., Lutter S., Patz T., Polzin C. | anouk on Monday November 7th, 2011 — 1 Comment |

Lutter S., Polzin, C., Giljum, S., Pálfy, T., Patz, T., Dittrich, M., Kernegger, L., Rodrigo, A. (2011)

This report looks at material consumption and water use and how they are interrelated. An increasing number of studies look at the levels of material extraction, trade and consumption. Yet, so far, the connection between materials and other resources, such as water, tends to be less well understood. This report, the second in the natural resource consumption series (following the 2009 report “Overconsumption? Our use of the world‘s natural resources.”), aims to raise awareness of these connections, and to contribute to the debate on resource use through various examples illustrating how water is consumed.

Water is required for almost every step of material flow. Around half of all renewable and accessible freshwater is used for growing food, providing drinking water and producing energy and other products. In Europe, almost half of all water abstracted is used for cooling processes by the energy sector. The rest is used for agriculture, public water supply and industry.

There are vast regional differences in material and water consumption. For example, the average North American citizen consumes the largest amount of water (7700l per day) and materials (100 kg per day) in the world. In comparison, the average African citizen is consuming least – 3400l of water and 11 kg of materials per day. The water footprint from our consumption habits is significantly greater than that from our direct water use. Significant amounts of goods consumed in Europe, such as food and other agricultural products, are grown and produced elsewhere. Paradoxically, many countries with low levels of fresh water use a large part of their water supply on the production of exports to water rich countries. Rising material extraction and water abstraction is linked to growing international trade in recent decades. As worldwide trade steadily increases, so does the amount of embedded or virtual water used, as many goods require water for their production processes. Industrialised countries and, more recently, emerging economies have increased their net imports of resources, which tend to come from the developing world.

In most cases, the most material-efficient countries also have the highest consumption levels. Resource efficiency improvements alone have so far been insufficient in achieving absolute reductions in resource use. As water resources are becoming increasingly scarce in many regions of the world, it is critical that we use them more efficiently and economically at every level – in industry and agriculture, at home and also in water supply systems.

In a world of finite resources, we must address the link between resource use, economic growth and prosperity in our societies. Our model of growth depends on high levels of continuous consumption. However, this system is characterised by growing inequalities acrossthe world and by alarming levels of resource use by a smallminority of the global population. Urgent and fundamental changes are required to the way our economies manage natural resources and the services these provide. It is therefore essential that decision-makers create a policy framework that penalises unsustainable practices and rewards resource-efficient behaviour, making a decrease in resource use both economically and politically more attractive.

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Stakeholder Feedback on MATISSE Sustainable Hydrogen Visions and Pathways: Findings from the June 2007 Hydrogen Stakeholder Workshop

Other Working Papers | Bohunovsky L., Jaeger J. | anouk on Monday October 31st, 2011 — Leave a Comment |

Whitmarsh, L., L. Bohunovsky, J. Jäger and B. Nykvist (2007)
MATISSE Working Paper 18

Abstract
The stakeholder workshop discussed here is part of an iterative process of consultation and social learning with stakeholder groups in conducting Integrated Sustainability Assessments (ISAs) of sustainable hydrogen and mobility within the MATISSE project. Break-out discussion groups and self-completion questionnaires were used to elicit stakeholders’ feedback on, and further input to, the hydrogen and mobility transition modelling work conducted within MATISSE, to identify whether sustainability visions should be modified and which policies should be assessed, and to foster social learning amongst stakeholders. In respect of the vision of sustainable hydrogen-based transport developed in MATISSE, stakeholders agreed that different countries should use different feedstocks and production technologies, and most agreed that it will be necessary to use conventional hydrogen production methods in the initial phase of a hydrogen transition, before (rapidly) moving towards a renewable-based transport system. Overall, the questionnaire results show stakeholders are ambivalent about the social and economic impacts of hydrogen-based transport, but are optimistic about its environmental impact. Furthermore, the group discussions revealed concerns that a hydrogen transition may imply a move towards more unsustainable transport in some respects, namely increasing social inequality and problematic technologies (i.e. carbon capture and sequestration [CCS] and nuclear) involved in hydrogen production, and contributing to unsustainable economic, energy and transport growth. These concerns about the possible unsustainability of hydrogen suggest these issues would be usefully addressed in policy assessments of hydrogen. Indeed, most participants advocated an alternative sustainable transport vision – most commonly, a ‘modal shift’ vision – to be considered in addition to a hydrogen-based transport vision. Alternative transport technologies (biofuels, hybrid-electrics) and reduced mobility demand were also discussed, though there was less agreement about the merits of these alternatives. Overall, stakeholders at this workshop were very optimistic about the role of transport technologies – particularly hydrogen – in tackling problems of unsustainability. In respect of particular policies that should be assessed, stakeholders particularly favoured economic measures, such as carbon/emissions taxes, and research, development and demonstration (RD&D) to promote novel technologies. Investment in public transport infrastructure, public education, and institutional changes (e.g., to avoid global inequalities, to develop locally relevant solutions) were also suggested for promoting sustainable transport. Around a third of stakeholders said they had changed their views as a result of participation in the break-out groups; and most said they had learnt something.

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Find all MATISSE Working Papers here.

Koshi Yomuti – Banking under the Tree. Client Stories about the social and economic impact of microfinance in the rural areas of Northern Namibia

Economy, Project reports and studies | Economy, Polzin C. | anouk on — Leave a Comment |

Polzin, C. (2006)

Summary
This book presents the stories of 11 micro-entrepreneurs in Northern Namibia, the majority of them being women. Their stories witness the everyday struggle of poor people having an enormous sense of responsibility and courage, coping with a wide range of forms of vulnerability in a not always conducive environment.

These examples – ranging from a lady hairdresser working in her village to the initiator of a car-repair shop that started under a tree, but is now a formalized business and rapidly expanding -, clearly break with the common conviction that poor people are passive, waiting for assistance and unable to change their situation. They want to be considered as serious entrepreneurs, understanding market opportunities, combining resources and developing medium-term strategies. Their strategies are at least as sophisticated as those of SMEs in fi rst world countries, even if their economic level is lower and their exposure to risks higher.

These cases are representative of a large number of people in Namibia. They show, in an impressive way that poverty does not mean inability but lack of choice. The poorer people are, the less they have access to opportunities for income generation. Studies fi nanced by GTZ show that the lack of access to fi nancial services is a key constraint for self-reliance of low income groups in Northern Namibia.

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SUFO:TROP Sustainable Food Consumption: Trends and Opportunities

Economy, Project reports and studies | Economy, Jaeger J., Lorek S., Omann I. | anouk on — Leave a Comment |

Friedl, B., Hammer, M., Jäger, J., Lorek, S., Omann, I., Pack, A. (2007)

Abstract
This report presents results from the second year of the Global Change project “Sustainable Food Consumption: Trends and Opportunities”. The objectives of the project are to contribute to a transition to more sustainable food consumption in Austria through an improved understanding of food consumption patterns and trends and their direct environmental impacts, to identify and discuss key policy options forenhancing sustainable food.

In Chapter 2, we identify relevant socio-economic driving forces for food consumption and analyse these drivers for different household and different food categories. After analysing the household food consumption of an average household, we compare different socio-economic groups by the factors of age, income, education, employment status and family type. Older people consume more vegetables and fruits than meat in comparison to younger age groups. In particular, younger people have a higher (relative) preference for dried, smoked and salted meat, minced meat, rice, pasta products, bread and fruiting and flowering vegetables, which could reflect the time convenience dependency in the diets of young people. Lower income households respond mainly to price and look for filling foods. They have a higher relative consumption of potatoes (instead of root, fruiting and flowering vegetables), apples and pears (instead of exotic fruits) and lower absolute figures in bottled beverages. Income has no influence on total consumed quantities of meat, but only on the consumption of beef. High income households consume a higher share of beef, whereas low income households substitute beef with higher amounts of pork. Diets of higher income households respond to time scarcity with higher consumption figures for foods that can be quickly prepared (dried, salted and smoked meat, cheese, curd and yogurt). People with higher education consume more vegetables, fruits, bread, rice, flour and pasta in contrast to meat. The dietary choices of higher educated households are generally dependent on three factors: taste, time scarcity and health and/or environmental awareness.

Diets of rural households are largely made up of traditional foods like bread, flour, apples, pears and pork. Dietary choices of employees, irrespective of their position, and the self-employed are driven mostly by time constraints. This argument is based on a higher preference for food products that need less time for preparation (e.g. dried, salted and smoked meat instead of pork, fruiting and flowering vegetables instead of potatoes) by both labour force status groups. The income factor may be the reason why employees in top positions have the highest share of beef and veal consumption. Household food consumption reflects structures within families, due to different tastes but also because of nutritional aspects (e.g. higher recommended calcium intake for children). Accordingly, households without children (couple households, adult households) have highest consumption figures of vegetable, fruits and meat, whereas single parents, family households and single households consume markedly less. By focusing the analysis within the categories of vegetables, meat and fruits, it can be stated that the family type has only a weak influence on food preferences. The only relevant trend is that households without children have a stronger preference for beef, at the expense of pork and poultry, which are very popular among family households.

In Chapter 3, environmental impacts of food consumption are calculated according to two indicators: CO2 equivalents emissions for the issue of climate change and material input for the issue of resource use. The effect on both was calculated separately and then compared. We have built on the preferences of household categories for different forms of meat, vegetables and fruits and then compared the impacts of those preferences to those of an average household. In general one can say that the preference effects of meat are much larger than the effects of fruits and vegetables, which means that being sustainable in the preferences for vegetables and fruits can not compensate being unsustainable in the category of meat. The highest impacts for both indicators are given for top employee households and for high income households, followed by highly educated households and singles. Young households also have negative impacts compared to the average household; however they are much stronger in the case of material inputs. Farm households and households of low and middle position people contribute less to emissions and material use, because of traditional eating habits.

These results do not, however, give any indications about the environmental impacts due to quantities consumed; to get a first impression we have calculated the relative shares of different food categories by socio-economic groups. We have to modify the conclusion for those households who have a strongly positive preference effect (except for young households). While they consume less sustainable types of particularly meat, they have higher shares of vegetables and fruits relative to meat. In other words, their overall combination of meat, fruit and vegetables is more sustainable than on average, making their classification as unsustainable consumer groups more ambiguous.

Based on the results and on a stakeholder workshop, recommendations for (policy) measures are developed in Chapter 4. Thus policies, in particular aiming at influencing the behaviour of younger, wealthy people and those in high positions are seen to be a very efficient way of changing the trend. But as this group represents only a small share of all Austrian households, the big group of low and middle position households should be addressed as well and encouraged (via information campaigns, subsidies, CO2 taxes etc.) to keep their traditional eating habits AND to consume more organic food and less meat. Besides giving recommendations for the most relevant socio-economic group we also focus on measures that lead to reduced consumption of the most unsustainable food category, which is meat, and here especially beef and dried, salted, smoked meat. Measures that raise awareness and change behaviour, that are given in an appealing way via the media that appeal to the different groups are recommended.

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The use of differential VAT rates to promote changes in consumption and innovation – Final report

Economy, Project reports and studies | Economy, Stocker A. | anouk on — Leave a Comment |

Oosterhuis, F., Dodoková, A., Gerdes, H., Greño, P., Jantzen, J, Mudgal, S., Neubauer, A., Rayment, M., Stocker, A., Tinetti, B., van der Woerd,Varma, A. , (2008).

Summary
This study deals with the likely impacts of differential VAT rates for specific products with recognised environmental benefits. Applying a reduced VAT rate to environmentally preferable products while taxing the less preferable ones at the standard rate could lead to a relative price reduction for the ‘greener’ product and thus stimulate the demand for this product. Likewise, increasing the VAT rate on environmentally harmful products that are currently taxed at a reduced rate might also steer demand and supply in a more sustainable direction.

The main research question was how producers, retailers and consumers would change their behaviour in response to the introduction of reduced VAT rates for ‘greener’ products and to the increase of reduced rates on ‘non-green’ products to the standard rate. This question has been addressed in various ways: through a literature survey, by reviewing experiences with previous and existing (environmentally motivated) VAT reduction and other subsidy schemes, and by directly contacting stakeholders. Five case studies have been carried out as illustrations and in-depth explorations of the posssible impacts. Interim results of ongoing parallel studies on related subjects have been taken into account.

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Methods and Tools for Integrated Sustainability Assessment – Project Summary

Allgemeines, Integrated Strategies, Project reports and studies | Bohunovsky L., Integrated Strategies, Jaeger J. | anouk on — Leave a Comment |

Jäger, J., Bohunovsky, L. and Binder, J. (2008)

In response to the challenge of unsustainability, the MATISSE project was designed to propose procedures, methods and tools for better integrating sustainability into policy development processes and institutions. It did so by developing, testing and refining a conceptual framework for Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA).

ISA is a pro-active, strategic and potentially transformative process, defined as: a cyclical, participatory process of scoping, envisioning, experimenting, and learning through which a shared interpretation of sustainability for a specific context is developed and applied in an integrated manner in order to explore solutions to persistent problems of unsustainable development.

The project proceeded by: exploring the potential role of ISA as a complement to existing policy assessment processes in the EU; testing ISA in a number of case studies of unsustainability; extending and linking existing modelling tools in support of ISA, and developing new ones.

The models and scenarios developed within the project were used in a series of case studies which:

examined sustainability issues within the agriculture, forestry and land use sector;
explored options to decouple overall levels of resource use from economic growth;
scrutinised the role that ISA could play in triggering transitions in the water domain using the example of the Ebro River Basin;
examined the role that environmental technology could play in sustainability transitions in Europe using the examples of transportation and the Czech Republic.

This work was accompanied by extensive capacity building, outreach and stakeholder engagement activities.

MATISSE’s analysis of how policy assessments are currently being used in the EU showed that they are often limited in scope, focusing mainly on the economic impacts of new policy proposals. Furthermore, there are significant political and institutional barriers which prevent assessments from directly influencing new policies. Given the systemic nature of unsustainable development, sustainable development is likely to require broad structural changes (transitions), which depend on revising the institutional setting in which assessments take place, as well as the forms of assessment used.

The MATISSE project showed that while it is important to use conventional policy assessment processes to ensure that sectoral objectives are consistent with one another and with sustainable development, it is also necessary to use ISA to develop more comprehensive policy strategies that embed sustainable development. ISA (operating at the strategic level of policy making) and the more formal processes of policy assessment (covering the more routine levels) are therefore complementary.

The MATISSE case studies provided a real-world context for testing and further developing the ISA methodology and tools. They have shown that using ISA can change how persistent problems are perceived and open up new opportunities for finding and implementing possible solutions. Given that the European Union is increasingly embracing the goal of sustainable development, MATISSE provides a valuable contribution to the evolution of decision making and institutional design in the Union.

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Do modern technologies work for the rural? ICT and Rural Credit Institutions in India

Project reports and studies | Polzin C. | anouk on Tuesday October 25th, 2011 — Leave a Comment |

Fu, X. and Polzin, C. (2008)
SLPTMD Working Paper Series No. 014. University of Oxford, Department of International Development, Oxford.

This paper explores the impact of various forms and levels of ICT on the performance of rural cooperative banks using recent survey data from India. Findings from the research suggest that modern information technology serves to enhance both the efficiency and profitability of the rural credit institutions. Efficiency was significantly enhanced by the usage of moderate technology at the lower organisational level, e.g. stand-alone computers at the branch level, mobile phone usage at PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Society) and field level. However, profitability appears to be associated with more advanced and sophisticated usage of information technology at branch or lower organisational level. Complementarities in human capital, training in IT skills of the bank staff, absorptive capacity of the customers and community, are of crucial importance for the efficiency of rural cooperative banks. Evidence from this study also suggests that using investment in ICT as a measure of the usage and advancement level of information technology may not reveal the full story of the impact of ICT on the efficiency of organizations.

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New Publication in Energy Policy from SERI researcher Andrea Stocker and colleagues:

Journal articles (reviewed), News | Stocker A. | anouk on Thursday October 20th, 2011 — Leave a Comment |

A new article from SERI researcher Andrea Stocker was published in Energy Policy.

Stocker, A., Großmann, A., Madlener, R. & Wolter, M. I. (2011). Sustainable energy development in Austria until 2020: Insights from applying the integrated model “e3.at”, Energy Policy 39 (2011) pp. 6082-6099.

Abstract:
This paper reports on the Austrian research project ‘‘Renewable energy in Austria: Modeling possible development trends until 2020’’. The project investigated possible economic and ecological effects of a substantially increased use of renewable energy sources in Austria. Together with stakeholders and experts, three different scenarios were defined, specifying possible development trends for renewable energy in Austria. The scenarios were simulated for the period 2006–2020, using the integrated environment–energy–economy model ‘‘e3.at’’. The modeling results indicate that increasing the share of renewable energy sources in total energy use is an important but insufficient step towards achieving a sustainable energy system in Austria. A substantial increase in energy efficiency and a reduction of residential energy consumption also form important cornerstones of a sustainable energy policy.

Find the publication here.

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