The table below summarizes deadlines for the sub-system research.

Outline of the report

The chapters of the report should address the issues and questions listed below. Note that this is not a prescribed outline of the report. Please find a good way to structure the issues in a coherent report. 

1)       Explanation of the sustainability challenge and ambition, problem statement, and research question with regard to the sub-system 

• What are the scale and focus of the unsustainabilities in the sub-system you aim to overcome?
• What are societal needs that the sub-system have to fulfill?
• What sustainability criteria should the future sub-system meet? (e.g. zero carbon, closed loops, equity). Be ambitious!
• Based on the above, sketch the outlines of the future socio-technical sub-system.    

2)    Description and analysis of the current sub-system and relevant trends, initiatives etc.

• What is the current sociotechnical sub-system and its functions?
• • Which technologies are prevailing?
  • Who are actors, their problem definitions, needs, interests etc.?
  • How are the technologies embedded in culture and behaviour?
  • How are the elements (technologies, industries, organizations, people etc) in the system interrelated?
  • By which rules and regulations is the system organized?
• What are major unsustainabilities mechanisms?
• What are major trends, developments and initiatives that are relevant to the transition of the system?

3)    Design of the future sustainable socio-technical sub-system in more detail.

• Which technologies will be prevailing?
• Who are actors, their contribution to the sub-system
• How will the technologies be embedded in culture and behaviour? How do people live and work in the sub-system?
• How will the elements (technologies, industries, organizations, people etc) in the future sub-system be interrelated?
• By which rules and regulations will the future sub-system be organized?

4)     Compare the current sub-system with the future sub-system. 

• How do the future sub-system and the current sub-system contrast in terms of:
  • technologies 
  • actors
  • culture and behaviour
  • relations between different elements (technologies, industries, organizations, people etc) 
  • rules and regulations that organize the system
• What does all the above mean for developments in the desired direction?

5)     Proposals for a pathway to realise the sub-system in 2065, and an action agenda for 2020 to initiate transition towards a sustainable sub-system.

• How to achieve change in:
  • technologies 
  • actors
  • culture and behaviour
  • relations between different elements (technologies, industries, organizations, people etc) 
  • rules and regulations that organize the system
• Which actions are needed and when, by whom?

6)    Expectations and potential tensions with other sub-systems of sustainable Texel.

• Define linkages with all other sub-systems and the overall socio-technical system of Texel as a sustainable island with regard to:
  • technologies 
  • actors 
  • culture and behaviour
  • relations between different elements (technologies, industries, organizations, people etc) 
  • rules and regulations that organize the system

Weekly research activities

For each sub-system a research question has been defined. Each group will articulate the sustainability challenge for that sub-system, design a sustainable future for that sub-system and analyse how this can be achieved.

In order to do this, every week each group has to perform research on the sub-system that the group is responsible for. The data and information that you collect may be useful to some of your fellow researchers, which means you have to present it in such a way that it can be used for collaborative research. The data and information that you collect for your sub-system should be informed by the weekly topics. That means that you have to collect  specific information, literature, data etc relevant to the specific sub-system for the topic of that week.

Furthermore, there will be more general information that you need for your research. For example, data about Texel’s policy on sustainability, demographics, past initiatives and developments, unsustainable and sustainable businesses, best and bad practices, island economy, geography, culture, social life, facts on inhabitants, tourists, energy use, water etc. You need to upload every week new information/data on your subs-system on this site. When doing this, you will certainly find information and data that is relevant to the system-level. Whenever this is the case, make sure to upload in the system-level page of this site. This will prevent that multiple groups are gathering the same information, and facilitates using and building upon each other’s work. 

For this research you are expected to use the same research activities and methods as described for the research on the socio-technical system Texel: literature review, interviewing, reporting about meetings as far as relevant to your sub-system. Since we want all groups to gain experience with interviewing, we want the groups who are NOT scheduled to do interviews for the system-level research to do at least two interviews for their sub-system research. It is your responsibility to schedule these activities. So we will not keep track of which methods you use when, but we do expect you to upload new information about your sub-system each week.

Take into account that most data on Texel will be in Dutch. Divide the gathering of information on Texel and on the sub-systems of the group within your group according to language and equal share.

Starters for further sources of information:

 http://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/cijfers/statline/open-data/default.htm

http://www.texel.nl/portal

Proposal for on-site research

On Tuesday 13 January 2015, 13:30-17:30 hrs, the group has to organise its own additional research on the sub-system. To draw your design in even more detail you may want to visit a company to do some interviews with experts, inhabitants, entrepreneurs, civil servants or politicians. It is recommended to start timely with planning these research activities. Before we depart to Texel, every group needs to hand in a one-page proposal about what you plan to do, including research question(s), data needed to answer that question, methods to gather data (interview, questionnaire, documentation, visit or the like), research activities planned (details required: appointments made).