Governance of the Discontinuation of Socio-Technical Systems

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This project aims at a better understanding of the governance of the abandonment of socio-technical systems. So far, the governance of socio-technical systems has preferentially been associated with advancement and innovation. Discontinuation of socio-technical systems is, at most, discussed as regime change, innovation setback or failure-as if advancement and innovation was the only direction in which socio-technical development and governance would go.There are, however (in the past and in the present) relevant cases of purposeful discontinuation ofsocio-technical systems and their surrounding infrastructures. Recent examples of discontinuation indicate the significant pace and political momentum that can be acquired in such phenomena: (1) nuclear energy; (2) automotive combustion engines; (3) incandescent light bulbs; (4) the synthetic pesticide DDT. Governments and companies currently invest enormous resources into quick reversing of these systems. This project will look into the governance of discontinuation by observing and analysing relevant institutions, actor networks, governance strategies, and national pathways. The project will ask which forms and ways of termination are empirically real in the aforementioned sectors and which are thinkable in principle. The basic research undertaken with this project will provide indicators and appraisal practices for assessment of governance interventions dedicated to discontinuation of socio-technical systems. On this basis, a set of "discontinuation governance practices" reflecting the options and limitations of dedicated discontinuation governance will be pioneered for refinement in follow-up projects providing relevant strategic intelligence for all involved actors. The project will help to thoroughly understand, for the first time, how the discontinuation of socio-technical systems works and to define the options and restrictions on such governance activities.