Information, Medium & Society: Twenty-Fourth International Conference on Publishing Studies

Abstract

Against the backdrop of ecological decline, social inequality, and the constraints of linear economic systems, we are investigating how higher education institutions can contribute to driving regenerative transformations. The aim is to investigate expert opinions on how universities can act in orchestrating and accelerating the implementation of regenerative practices as a consequence of the increasing demand for systemic change and institutional responsibility. The study is policy relevant as it maps specific avenues through which higher education can contribute to socio-ecological transitions, and theoretically significant for further developing discussions concerning regenerative economics, knowledge production, and institutional change. This study is situated within the interdisciplinary areas of sustainability studies, ecological economics, higher education research, and science-society relations. The study employed a non-experimental qualitative research design. Data were generated from a total of 24 semi-structured interviews with experts spanning a range from academia, industry, government, and civil society, backed up by one multi-stakeholder focus group, and analyzed employing thematic and interpretative techniques. Results indicate that universities are required to develop regenerative mindsets, promote multidisciplinary research and innovation, facilitate cross-sector partnerships, and serve as institutional exemplars, despite administrative hurdles by traditional governance arrangements, restrictive funding streams, curricula reform lagging behind contemporary needs, and societal loss of confidence. One limitation is that the study is based on a geographically focused and small convenience expert sample. The study finds that universities have the potential to act as drivers of transformation in regenerative transitions if they reorient their organisation, incentives, and epistemological orientations towards system-level, long-term change.