Stephen McGrail's blog

Investigating knowledge practices and exploring the complex connections between science, practice and society (www.facilitatingsustainability.net)

  • About me
  • Research
  • Media
  • Teaching and training

Month: April 2014

Reconsidering the theoretical foundation of prospective practices (PART 3): the causal logic of interventions and achieving transformative change

April 28, 2014 / Leave a Comment

Prospective practices often try to change the course of change, not just anticipate or predict change. However, the underlying causal logic of such interventions tends to be under theorised and/or remains mostly tacit. In the evaluation literature this causal logic is often termed the “intervention theory”, or the “program theory”, or underlying “theory of change”. … [Read more…]

Posted in: Anticipatory action, Futures practices, PhD research Tagged: PhD, prospective practices, sustainability science

Reconsidering the theoretical foundations of prospective practices (PART 2) – a field theory perspective

April 20, 2014 / Leave a Comment

In this post I consider the theory of “social fields” developed by two influential American sociologists, Neil Fligstein and Doug McAdam, drawing principally on their book A Theory of Fields (Oxford University Press, 2012). A Theory of Fields offers “a general theory of social change and stability rooted in a view of social life as … [Read more…]

Posted in: Futures practices, Innovation models, PhD research Tagged: PhD, prospective practices, sustainability impasses

Reconsidering the theoretical foundation of prospective practices (PART 1)

April 17, 2014 / 6 Comments

Authors of papers on prospective practices often take one of two stances: 1) they argue that these are learned crafts (and certainly not a science), and question the need for greater theorisation or greater use of theory; or 2) they, increasingly, question whether they have an adequate theoretical foundation, point to gaps, and/or try to … [Read more…]

Posted in: Futures practices, PhD research Tagged: PhD, prospective practices

Recent Comments

  • Stephen McGrail on Review of Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature is Thriving in an Age of Extinction by Chris Thomas
  • SB on Review of Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature is Thriving in an Age of Extinction by Chris Thomas
  • Why A Research Program Is Important For Post-Docs – Alex Burns on Reflections on completing my PhD: looking back and looking ahead
  • Completing my PhD: looking back and looking ahead – Stephen McGrail's blog on Dissonance theory and the psychology of anticipation
  • Thoughts on research impact assessment – Stephen McGrail's blog on Dissonance theory and the psychology of anticipation

Tags

anticipatory action anticipatory interventions applied foresight Australia climate change complex systems theory economics emerging technologies energy Evaluation Expectations field theory foresight foresight practitioner futures research futures thinking impact assessment incentives innovation institutional change Knowledge practices markets Moral psychology nanotechnology Personal philosophy PhD PhD research philosophy of science prospective practices psychology renewables scenario planning Scenarios Science and Technology Studies Shell Social psychology sociology Sustainability sustainability impasses sustainability science Thomas Homer-dixon transition management transitions uncertainty worst case scenarios

Archives

  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012

Categories

  • Anticipatory action
  • Climate change
  • Complexity
  • Environmental economics
  • Facilitation
  • Futures practices
  • Innovation models
  • PhD research
  • Sustainability issues
  • Sustainability science
  • Uncategorized
  • Visions

Blogroll

  • Alex Burns
  • Alex Steffen
  • Chris Riedy
  • Daniel Little – Understanding Society
  • Ken Caldeira's blog
  • Les Robinson – Changeology

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2018 Stephen McGrail's blog.

Me WordPress Theme by themehall.com