Social processes of regional energy transition – this has been the focus of a new early-career research group led by Oldenburg-based sociologist Jannika Mattes since January. This has been made possible by Mattes’ inclusion in the prestigious Emmy Noether Programme run by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The DFG is funding the project over a five-year period with a total of more than 1.2 million euros.
“The development of early-career researchers is particularly close to our university’s heart. We are delighted that the DFG is making it possible to establish a further Emmy Noether group at the University of Oldenburg and see this as recognition of our ongoing commitment to young researchers,” explains University President Prof. Dr Dr Hans Michael Piper.
Thanks to its inclusion in the Emmy Noether Programme, Mattes at the Institute of Social Sciences can recruit three staff members for the early-career research group. Their topic: ‘Regional energy transition: the social processes of negotiation, norm-setting and learning in the wind energy sector’.
The team is developing a theoretical framework designed to aid a better understanding of the energy transition. In addition, the researchers are analysing six regions in Germany that are expanding their activities in the wind energy sector. This transition – known in technical jargon as ‘transition’ – is not merely a technological shift, but also a social process. The researchers are focusing in particular on the interaction between the stakeholders involved: “We are looking at how the participants negotiate the key processes amongst themselves, what sense of identity they develop in the process, and what learning processes they go through,” explains Mattes. The sociologist takes into account academic, industrial, political and administrative stakeholders, as well as the citizens affected – in short, everyone whose behaviour influences the transition process.
The project relies on qualitative empirical research: the researchers will conduct expert interviews in each region. They hope this will yield both academic and practical benefits. Mattes: “First and foremost, the aim is to provide empirical underpinning for the conceptual debate in transition research. Furthermore, we want to make our findings available to the key architects of the energy transition and thus make a practical contribution to its realisation.” For example, based on their findings, policy instruments could be better adapted to the stakeholders involved and regional specificities.
Jannika Mattes has been a junior lecturer in the sociology of European societies at the University of Oldenburg since 2011. She studied European Economics at the University of Bamberg and joined the University of Oldenburg as a research assistant in 2007. She completed her PhD there in 2010. In October 2017, Jannika Mattes received the ‘Prize for Excellent Research’ from the University Society of Oldenburg (UGO).
About the Emmy Noether Programme:
The DFG’s Emmy Noether Programme aims to open up a path to early academic independence for outstanding early-career researchers. Researchers who have completed their doctorates and possess substantial international experience acquire the qualifications to become university lecturers by leading their own junior research group, typically through a five-year funding period. The programme is named after the German mathematician Emmy Noether, who, at the beginning of the 20th century, made decisive contributions to abstract algebra, amongst other fields.