1b Research Methods and Methodology

Call for papers for the ISDRS 2018 Conference in Messina

1b. Research Methods and Methodologies (including academic, policy engagement and inter/intra, and trans-disciplinary approaches)

Track Chairs:
Dr. Ir. Sjors Witjes.
Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University, The Netherlands.
s.witjes@fm.ru.nl

Shobhana Madhavan.
Emeritus Professor
University of Westminster
Westminster Business School, London
madhavs@wmin.ac.uk

Goals and objectives of the track
For over two decades the International Sustainable Development Research Society has been in the forefront of discourses on sustainable development through the medium of its research agenda and its annual conferences. The scholarly contributions have helped to establish a universe of knowledge combining both the theoretical foundations necessary to build the "science of sustainable development" and the resulting bases for the formulation of public and private policies at national and local levels which enable the achievement of sustainable development of human societies. The concept of sustainable development is multi-faceted. It is normative, in as much as it sets out criteria for the sustainable arrangement of human activities, and also practical: identifying the processes and conditions that help to achieve this. In order to understand both these aspects we need insights from a variety of academic disciplines, professions and practitioners. Track 1 b is dedicated to the application of the scientific methods underpinning disciplinary and other approaches. This track invites scholars from a wide range of academic and professional fields to help explore the challenges of identifying and developing research objectives, methods and methodologies for the scientific study of sustainable development.

Areas in which contributions are sought include (but are not limited to):

  • Evolution of the scientific method - historical and contemporaneous
  • Intra and inter-disciplinary perspectives - unifying themes
  • Transdisciplinary methods enabling contribution to the sustainable development of society
  • Test of robustness of theory developed from cross-disciplinary approaches
  • The role of case studies
  • Mapping of current methodologies in researching sustainability
  • The role of information technology in research methods
  • Critical reviews of publications on methodologies

For more information, and ways to get involved, click here