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Call for Papers: oikos Young Scholars Energy Academy 2014 - Overcoming Path Dependence in Energy Investment, Policy & Decision-Making

  • 1.  Call for Papers: oikos Young Scholars Energy Academy 2014 - Overcoming Path Dependence in Energy Investment, Policy & Decision-Making

    Posted 12-21-2013 02:07
    *** Call for Papers ***

    oikos Young Scholars Energy Academy 2014
    Overcoming Path Dependence in Energy Investment, Policy & Decision-Making
    St. Gallen, Switzerland, 7-10 April 2014

    http://oikos-international.org/programmes/conferences/oikos-young-scholars-energy-academy/

    1. Background & Idea
    The world needs to embark on the road from 20:80 to 80:20. Today's share of more than 80 % of non-renewable energy is not sustainable. Governments in some countries, such as Germany and Switzerland, have fundamentally revised their energy strategy, aiming at increasing energy efficiency and renewables to reduce carbon and nuclear risk and reliance on energy imports. The drivers for those policy changes are economic as much as they are environmental – a majority of lawmakers in both countries appear to subscribe to the idea put forward by academics like former World Bank Chief Economist Sir Nicholas Stern that investment in a low-carbon future will lead to lower cost to society than continuing on the current path. On a global scale, though, this view still faces headwind. Economists, industry associations and politicians voice concerns about the short-term cost of adjusting our energy system and potential challenges for current lifestyles. Some doubt the evidence of climate science altogether. The paradigm change from 150 years of carbon-based growth to a post-non-renewable era leaves ample room for societal contestation.
    If we accept the idea that avoiding climate and nuclear risk is beneficial in the long run, how can societies, firms and consumers change track? How can "investment-grade" policies be designed to efficiently and effectively govern the transition towards renewables? How can policies and investment strategies be adapted as renewables move from niche to mainstream market? How can decision-makers in companies overcome the challenges of path dependence? Is the global financial crisis a curse or a blessing in this endeavour? What distinguishes decision-makers who see opportunities in a clean energy future from those who perceive it as a threat to future wealth, and how do their attitudes and values influence their behaviour? Is the accelerating evidence of the climate crisis going to accentuate polarisation, and if yes, what are the implications for building successful transition strategies? Which end-of life strategies can be identified to smoothen the late non-renewable era, and which counter-dynamics are likely to occur?
    Building on a 10 year tradition of international academies in the field of Sustainability, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, the oikos Young Scholars Energy Academy 2014 provides an intense 4-days academic platform for identifying and advancing relevant and rigorous research. PhD students and young faculty are encouraged to share their thoughts and conceptual ideas from various perspectives covering both theoretical and empirical contributions on the intersection of Decision Sciences, Policy, Finance, Management, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and beyond. To support synergies between academic researchers and practitioners, we include a high level exchange with energy practitioners during the academy.

    2. Objectives & Approach
    The oikos Young Scholars Energy Academy aims to
    *build an entrepreneurially-minded academic network promoting conceptual solutions for the move towards sustainable energy systems;
    * provide a leading global platform to advance relevant research on social science energy research;
    * support ambitious PhDs' and young scholars' research activities by  improving existing research designs;
    * support scholars in their skills to publish in leading international journals;
    * strengthen co-operation between academics, the private sector, NGOs and policy makers;
    * generate unique findings on innovating, financing, managing and scaling entrepreneurial initiatives driving the energy transition.
    The academy will gather 15 carefully selected international PhD students and young faculty focusing on energy investment, policy and decision-making with three senior faculty members. The academy is also designed to strengthen a global network of young researchers who aim at combining academic rigor with practical relevance.

    3. Programme Elements
    The four-day intensive programme will include the following elements:

    Opening and Topic Presentations (Day 1)
    Presentations by senior faculty on research and research designs, finding an audience, getting published and developing teaching skills. These presentations and interactive discussion sessions provide participants with a strong basis and understanding of how to develop solid research projects that have an impact.

    Practitioner Evening Session (Day 1)
    In a panel discussion, forward-thinking practitioners from the energy policy and finance community reflect on their view of current challenges, inspiring young researchers to consider how their work can best be framed to increase their societal impact.

    Paper Sessions (Day 2, 3, 4)
    Paper presentations and feedback sessions allow PhD students and young faculty to present their paper and research proposals and receive feedback from fellow participants and senior faculty. The goal is to raise the academic quality of the research projects and papers and prepare them for publication in leading journals. The papers are distributed to the participants a month prior to the academy.

    Themes included
    PhD students and young faculty in the following areas are invited to submit papers or elaborated research proposals:
    * Business models for clean energy innovation and diffusion
    * The role of regulatory innovation for clean technology diffusion
    * Energy entrepreneurship and venture capital
    * Institutional investment in clean energy assets
    * Renewable energy policy analysis
    * Organizational culture and change in the energy industry
    * Strategies for systemic change
    * Patterns of transformation in carbon intense industries

    4. Faculty
    * Varda Liberman, Arison School of Business, IDC Herzliya, Israel
    * Itai Sened, Washington University in St. Louis, USA
    * Rolf Wüstenhagen, University of St. Gallen, School of Management, Switzerland

    5. Logistics
    Participation Fee
    Participating young researchers pay a registration fee of 500 CHF. This includes tuition, food and accommodation. Participants will have to cover their own travel cost.

    Timeline
    * Dec. 20, 2013: Publication of Call for Papers
    * January 31, 2014: Application deadline
    * February 15, 2014: Notification of acceptance
    * March 15, 2014: Submission deadline for full papers (10-15 pages)
    * April 7-10, 2014: Academy Sessions (arrival on April 6)

    6. Application and Contact
    To allow in-depth discussions the oikos Young Scholars Energy Academy is limited to 15 PhD students and Post-Docs / Young Faculty.
    Your application should contain:
    (1) a proposal abstract of max. 2 pages,
    (2) a short curriculum vitae and
    (3) a letter of interest in the oikos Young Scholars Energy Academy.
    Please send your application by Jan 31, 2014 to: energy@oikos-international.org  





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    Prof. Dr. Rolf Wüstenhagen
    Good Energies Professor for Management of Renewable Energies
    University of St. Gallen
    Director, Institute for Economy and the Environment (IWÖ-HSG)
    Tigerbergstrasse 2
    CH-9000 St. Gallen (Switzerland)

    T +41-71-224 25 87
    F +41-71-224 27 22
    M +41-76-306 43 13

    http://goodenergies.iwoe.unisg.ch
    Twitter: @wuestenhagen
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/REM.HSG
    mailto:rolf.wuestenhagen@unisg.ch
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    Executive education programme in Renewable Energy Management
    http://www.es.unisg.ch/rem

    New Book: Die Finanzierung der Energiewende in der Schweiz (NZZ Verlag)
    http://www.nzz-libro.ch/die-finanzierung-der-energiewende-in-der-schweiz.html

    YouTube video on "The 'Energiewende'"
    http://youtu.be/mq7qmiRBK3A (German)
    http://youtu.be/5lcgGs3UUg4 (English)

    Activity report 2009-2012
    http://www.iwoe.unisg.ch/IWOE+News/2013/20130312_Taetigkeitsbericht.aspx
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