ABSTRACT
Sustainable development has become a central guiding concept in scientific debates and policies characterized by complex and persistent problems (Scott and Gough, 2004). It aims to ensure economic welfare, social equality, and ecologic quality across society and generations. As society has changed into a network society, its fabric has frayed; modern problems have emerged that are so complex that top-down and expert approaches can no longer solve them. The embedded challenges defy solutions rendered from our current conceptions of knowledge, and the role of scientists in these processes is being challenged (Bolin et al., 2000; Flyvbjerg, 2001; Gladwin et al., 1995). A growing number of societal problems appear impossible to solve through existing institutions (Rotmans et al., 2001). However, the network society, with its high degree of interconnectedness and availability of knowledge, simultaneously offers new ways of conceptualizing societal change, the role of knowledge, and influencing change. Society, comprised of individuals and organizations, is composed by complex, adaptive, self-organizing systems. The interplay between dynamic societal structures, individual actions, and technological innovations leads to changes in our societal systems, and periodically to profound transitions (Rotmans et al., 2001).
