The raise of publications on sustainability—a case study in Germany

Thomas Brenner () and Gesa Pflitsch
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Gesa Pflitsch: Philipps-Universität Marburg

Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, 2017, vol. 37, issue 2, No 5, 189-225

Abstract: Abstract The number of scientific publications containing the words “sustainability” or “sustainable” has increased tremendously over the last years, but their origins in Germany are not equally distributed in space. The aim of the paper is to find out why sustainability research occurs strongly in some places and not in others. Four potential external influences on the choice of a scientist’s research topic are considered: 1) the interaction with the regional economy, 2) the attitude of the regional population, 3) path dependence in science as well as 4) the organizational circumstances provided by the university. In a mixed-method approach, regression analyses are complemented by qualitative interviews with scientists. The results show that the decision to conduct research on sustainability is in most cases based on a more private level. However, the perceived attitude towards sustainability in the broader public and in the researcher’s local surrounding also seem to be important.

Keywords: Sustainability research; University; Scientist’s motives; Regional circumstances (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1007/s10037-017-0119-6

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