Establishing the Regional Sustainable Developmental Role of Universities—From the Multilevel-Perspective (MLP) and Beyond

Verena Radinger-Peer, Gesa Pflitsch, Helga Kanning and Daniel Schiller
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Verena Radinger-Peer: Department of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Gesa Pflitsch: Department of Geography, Philipps-University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
Helga Kanning: Sustainify GmbH, Hanover and Institute of Environmental Planning, Leibniz University Hannover, 30419 Hanover, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: This article establishes the multilevel perspective (MLP) as one of the main research approaches in transition research to study complex systemic change processes in socio-technical systems at different structural levels. The application of the MLP to the higher education system, especially to conceptualize the transition of universities towards a sustainable (regional) developmental role, is still in its infancy. Through using a descriptive narrative analysis of seminal articles, the results of the four-years cooperation within an expert working group, and own empirical findings, the present paper investigates the suitability of the MLP to study the transition of universities and university systems towards a sustainable developmental role in the regional context. Based on these investigations, three further perspectives (which must be considered for establishing a more comprehensive understanding of the universities’ sustainable developmental role) are identified and conceptualized: (a) The target dimension of sustainable regional development, (b) the role of agency, and (c) the introduction of space and place to multiscalar regional transitions. Based on these perspectives, a future research agenda beyond the MLP is developed.

Keywords: sustainable developmental role; regional sustainable development; higher education; multilevel perspective; agency; place and space; universities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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