ABSTRACT
In current political debates about the necessity for change in industrial and post-industrial societies in Europe and elsewhere, the need for societal transformations, social innovations and sustainable consumption to counteract the risks of the present multiple crises is often stressed. However, in political as well as in scientific discourse these terms are oftentimes used as catchwords and are not precisely defined. Moreover, in many cases, the relationships between them are unclear, if not contradictory. Should they, for instance, be used as central concepts in a general theory of change? If so, should they be treated as being on a par, or would it be more plausible to favour one of them? How do they relate to the conceptualisation of change processes in world society? What are the important and pressing problems and change processes for societies?
