Lock-Ins and Opportunities for Sustainability Transition: A Multi-Level Analysis of the Flemish Higher Education System

Autor/inn/en	Deleye, Maarten; Van Poeck, Katrien; Block, Thomas
Titel	Lock-Ins and Opportunities for Sustainability Transition: A Multi-Level Analysis of the Flemish Higher Education System
Quelle	In: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 20 (2019) 7, S.1109-1124 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1467-6370
DOI	10.1108/IJSHE-09-2018-0160
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Sustainability; Higher Education; Educational Practices; Educational Policy; Educational Change; Belgium + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Nachhaltigkeit; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Bildungspraxis; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Bildungsreform; Belgien
Abstract	Purpose: This study aims to provide an overview of sustainability in Flemish higher education (HE) by using the multi-level perspective (MLP) on sustainability transitions for a comprehensive empirical analysis of how sustainability is embedded in Flemish HE. Design/methodology/approach: MLP was used as analytical framework to study the case and allow a focus on the interplay between innovative experiments in niche-practices, the characteristics of the prevailing regime (dominant structures, cultures and practices) and macro-trends at the landscape level. The data were collected through document analyses, surveys, in-depth interviews and a focus group. The empirical analysis was complemented with an extensive literature study. Findings: In all, 9 landscape trends, 21 regime characteristics and 5 types of niches are identified. Furthermore, the multi-level analysis revealed 5 important lock-ins in the dominant regime that impede the upscaling of sustainable niches, 5 internal contradictions that destabilise the regime and can thus create windows of opportunity for niches to become viable alternatives and 16 opportunities for further embedding sustainability in HE. Originality/value: The paper gives an original insight into the complexities of integrating sustainability in HE, highlights the important role of policy entrepreneurs to grasp emerging opportunities and offers them insight into how to create momentum and identify and fruitfully address windows of opportunity for a sustainability transition. It shows the potential and limits of the MLP for research on HE and outlines prospects for future research. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01