What does Digitalization have to do with Socio-Ecological Transformation?

Our research group examines the social and environmental impacts of the provision and consumption of digital services. We carry out six qualification works, which take into account both the micro-level of consumers and companies as well as the macro-level of social and economic structures. Four dissertation projects empirically determine which visions of the future are predominant (sociology/social philosophy), how digitalization shifts energy and resource consumption (engineering), transforms consumption patterns (psychology) and changes marketing strategies (sustainability marketing). The two post-docs of the group support and consolidate this work. The habilitation in economics examines whether digitalization leads to a decoupling of ecological throughput and growth, and how this affects market and income levels. The junior professorship in social sciences analyses how digitalization changes our pace of life and consumption patterns, and the impact of these social changes on the transformation towards sustainability.

We develop approaches and steering proposals on how to minimize rebound risks, improve the chances of sufficiency and promote a democratic and fair economy.