Theory Building

Global Polycrisis can be Tackled by Institutional Innovation Towards Democratic Efficacy

Hanno Scholtz argues that the world’s polycrisis is caused by an outdated democratic model of “partitioning representation,” where citizens vote periodically and are represented by governments in global affairs. He proposes “Civil Democracy,” a new model that gives citizens and civil society more responsibility in decision-making, offering a path to solving global crises.

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Achieving Inter- and Transdisciplinarity in Ecohealth: Insights from a Rodent-Borne Disease Project in a Polycrisis Era

The authors explore the challenges of addressing “wicked problems,” such as emerging zoonotic diseases, and the potential of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research (ITDR) to tackle them. Using a case study on rodent-borne diseases (RBDs) in Europe, they examine the factors influencing ITDR’s success. The article highlights the limited adoption of ITDR in RBD research and

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Exploring the interdependence of climate, finance, energy, and geopolitics: A conceptual framework for systemic risks amidst multiple crises

This study proposes a framework to analyze the dynamics and risk channels between the climate crisis, financial stability, the geopolitical energy crisis, and the energy transitions. The framework is presented in a step-by-step guide and applied in a study case in Germany.

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“Planetary Phase Shift” as a New Systems Framework to Navigate the Evolutionary Transformation of Human Civilisation

This paper addresses a gap in foresight studies by proposing a new framework, “collective forward intelligence,” to analyze trends across ecological, social, political, and economic systems. It develops planetary phase shift theory, suggesting that humanity is at a critical turning point, with global crises signalling industrial civilization’s potential collapse or transformation.

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Polycrisis Research and Analysis Roadmap

This Roadmap, a collaboration between the Cascade Institute, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, and the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, presents a plan to advance polycrisis analysis as an inclusive, credible, and recognized field of knowledge and practice. It draws on the results of a broad consultation

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