ABSTRACT
In this part of the book we investigate social transitions from a systemic viewpoint, or, more specifi cally, from a systems-based and process-oriented perspective. Our basic premise is that transitions involve structural changes in sub-systems of our society. This is why we study a particular kind of change, transformative change, at the systems level. Furthermore, we explicitly take the normative orientation of sustainable development into account, studying social transitions towards sustainability. The primary research angle is that of Integrated Assessment (Rotmans, 1998; Weaver and Rotmans, 2006): an integrated systems analysis embedded in a participatory process context. Over the last decade the fi eld of Integrated Assessment has evolved into two directions: the emergence of complex systems science and the normative orientation towards sustainability. While the latter resulted in a particular form of Integrated Assessment, known as Integrated Sustainability Assessment (Weaver and Rotmans, 2006), the fi rst led to a new form of systems analysis: complex integrated systems analysis. For studying the explicit normative sustainability orientation we also rely on insights from new modes of governance.
