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Utopia competition: a new approach to the micro-foundations of sustainability transitions

Author

Listed:
  • Isabel Almudi

    (University of Zaragoza
    RMIT University)

  • Francisco Fatas-Villafranca

    (University of Zaragoza)

  • Jason Potts

    (RMIT University)

Abstract

We present a new evolutionary political economy approach to the study of transition dynamics based on a co-evolutionary model of differential citizen contributions to competing ‘utopias’—market fundamentalism, socialism, and environmentalism. We model sustainability transitions as an outcome of ‘utopia competition’ in which environmentalism manages to coexist with the market, while socialism vanishes. Our simulation-based framework suggests that the individual economic contributions of citizens to the battle of ideas—both the distribution within a utopia, and the interaction between different utopias—are crucial but much overlooked micro-factors in explaining the dynamics of sustainability transitions.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabel Almudi & Francisco Fatas-Villafranca & Jason Potts, 2017. "Utopia competition: a new approach to the micro-foundations of sustainability transitions," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 165-185, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbioec:v:19:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s10818-016-9239-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10818-016-9239-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Isabel Almudi & Francisco Fatas-Villafranca & Luis R. Izquierdo & Jason Potts, 2017. "The economics of utopia: a co-evolutionary model of ideas, citizenship and socio-political change," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 629-662, September.
    2. Sophie Urmetzer & Michael P. Schlaile & Kristina B. Bogner & Matthias Mueller & Andreas Pyka, 2018. "Exploring the Dedicated Knowledge Base of a Transformation towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-22, May.
    3. Michael P. Schlaile & Sophie Urmetzer & Vincent Blok & Allan Dahl Andersen & Job Timmermans & Matthias Mueller & Jan Fagerberg & Andreas Pyka, 2017. "Innovation Systems for Transformations towards Sustainability? Taking the Normative Dimension Seriously," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-20, December.
    4. Abatecola, Gianpaolo & Breslin, Dermot & Kask, Johan, 2020. "Do organizations really co-evolve? Problematizing co-evolutionary change in management and organization studies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    5. Brendan Markey-Towler, 2021. "Psychology of evolutionary economic behaviour," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 361-383, September.
    6. Andreas Chai, 2017. "Interdisciplinary and evolutionary perspectives on managing the transition to a sustainable economy," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-5, April.
    7. Brendan Markey-Towler, 2018. "A formal psychological theory for evolutionary economics," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 691-725, September.
    8. Wolfgang Onyeali & Michael P. Schlaile & Bastian Winkler, 2023. "Navigating the Biocosmos: Cornerstones of a Bioeconomic Utopia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-32, June.

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