Seminar series on Business Ethics, Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Speaker:  Dr Florian Kern, Senior Lecturer at SPRU-Science Policy Research Unit and Co-Director of the Sussex Energy Group at the University of Sussex.

Florian Kern has more than eleven years of experience in research, consulting and teaching in the area of energy, climate and innovation policy as well as socio-technical transitions.

He holds a DPhil in Science and Technology Policy Studies from SPRU (2010). Prior to coming to SPRU, Florian obtained a Master of Science in Socio-Economic and Technological Planning from Roskilde University (Denmark, 2005). Florian studied political science at the Free University of Berlin.

His research focuses on three themes: The politics of socio-technical transitions towards sustainability; Low carbon innovation processes and innovation policy; and Energy (innovation) policy and policy processes. Florian is an Associate Editor of Research Policy, and has published in among others Research Policy, Energy Policy, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Applied Energy, and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

Abstract:

"For a variety of reasons, current fossil fuel based energy systems are under pressure to change. Historical energy transitions have been slow processes, but in this seminar I will argue that there are reasons to believe that ongoing low carbon transitions can occur more quickly. The argument is that historic energy transitions were not consciously governed, while today a wide variety of actors is actively engaged in attempts to govern the transition towards low carbon energy, international innovation dynamics can work in favour of speeding up the global low-carbon transition and the 2015 Paris agreement demonstrates a global commitment to move towards a low carbon economy for the first time. I argue that supporting innovation as well as destabilising existing high carbon energy systems is required for a quick transition and that policy makers need to develop suitable policy mixes to successfully accelerate low carbon transitions."

Seminar series on Business Ethics, Social Responsibility and Sustainability

In line with the Research with Impact strategic priority under the University’s Goal 3 agenda Social Responsibility and Engagement Committee at AMBS launched the seminar series in 2016-2017. The purpose of the seminar series is to invite researchers from AMBS and other business schools to present their work for discussion and also to explore new avenues in thinking and researching the area.