Systems Thinking for Sustainable and Responsible Innovation
A Special Issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954) belonging to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2026) | Viewed by 1449
Editor
2. Käte Hamburger Kolleg, Cultures of Research, RWTH, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Interests: science and technology studies; responsible innovation; systems thinking; system dynamics; science and technology policy
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue invites contributions exploring how systems thinking can be leveraged for sustainable and responsible innovation to address the systemic risks associated with innovations aimed at tackling societal, ethical, and environmental challenges. These risks include unintended consequences, equity concerns, environmental degradation, social exclusion, and ethical dilemmas arising from technological advancements.
This Special Issue also encourages submissions that draw on various systems approaches developed in the systems thinking literature over the past 70 years, offering a structured way to navigate the complex web of interdependencies in innovation ecosystems, particularly in contexts where issues are complex and value-laden, uncertainty is high, and stakeholders hold differing views on problems, goals, impacts, and solutions.
The intersection of systems thinking and ‘responsible innovation’ is a central focus of this Special Issue. Thus, we particularly invite submissions that explore systems thinking theories and approaches for advancing the responsible innovation literature and operationalizing its key principles, such as anticipation, reflexivity, inclusivity, and responsiveness (Stilgoe et al., 2013). Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to contribute insights that deepen our understanding of the following topics:
- Systems thinking approaches for responsible innovation: Demonstrating how systemic approaches, particularly both quantitative and qualitative methods in system dynamics, can be adapted to operationalize responsible innovation principles. Practical examples of how these methods can guide responsible innovation are encouraged.
- Responsible innovation and sustainable innovation: Investigating how research on sustainable innovation can inform or intersect with research on responsible innovation, focusing on systems-based approaches.
- Historical context and theoretical foundations: Investigating the evolution of systems thinking and its application to innovation, tracing its origins and examining its relevance in addressing sustainability and responsibility challenges.
- Governance and regulation: Examining the role of systems thinking in shaping policy and regulatory frameworks that encourage responsible innovation at the organizational level, with an emphasis on global industries.
- Systemic risks in responsible innovation: Exploring how systemic approaches can help to identify and address risks in responsible innovation.
- Educational perspectives: Investigating the impact of systems thinking on shaping responsible innovation education and training.
- Practical applications and case studies: Showcasing real-world examples where systems thinking has been successfully applied to design responsible and sustainable innovations across different sectors (e.g., AI, energy, water, agriculture, health systems).
- Critical perspectives: Reflecting on the limitations and challenges of applying systems thinking in innovation contexts, including potential barriers to effective implementation and the need for new frameworks or methodologies.
Dr. Ehsan Nabavi
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- systems thinking
- responsible innovation
- sustainable innovation
- governance and regulation
- historical context and theoretical foundations
- systemic risks in responsible innovation
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