Paul Upham | Leuphana University (original) (raw)
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Papers by Paul Upham
Renewable Energy, 2015
ABSTRACT
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UMIST is undertaking an interdisciplinary life ... more The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UMIST is undertaking an interdisciplinary life cycle socio-economic and environmental evaluation of bioenergy scenarios for the UK, to be integrated with a techno-economic evaluation undertaken elsewhere in the SuperGen consortium.2 The first aim is to develop contrasting bioenergy scenarios in consultation with bioenergy experts and stakeholders for three UK regions. These will
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2016
While sociologists of science and technology have long understood technological diffusion and ado... more While sociologists of science and technology have long understood technological diffusion and adoption as processes of social embedding, the psycho-social processes involved have received relatively little attention in the socio-technical transitions literature. Here we consider the value of Moscovici's social representations theory in terms of its potential contribution to a theory of socio-technical change, the multi-level perspective (MLP). Using fracking-derived shale gas as a technology case study and newspaper representations of the technology in Poland, Germany and the UK as data, we address and illustrate connections between the processes of anchoring and objectification that are central to social representations theory and the socio-technical dynamics observed. In so doing, we set out an approach for further work on agency in the MLP and socio-technical change processes generally, informed by a social psychological approach that aligns with structuralist concepts.
Journal of Transport Geography, 2015
The Tools of Policy Formulation, 2015
The Open Geography Journal
Argentina aspires to become the global equivalent of Brazil for biodiesel and is well placed to d... more Argentina aspires to become the global equivalent of Brazil for biodiesel and is well placed to do so. With alarge, efficient and export-focused agricultural sector, Argentina is the world's third largest exporter of soy and sunfloweroils. Growing global demand and, to a far lesser extent, domestic demand for biofuels is contributing to the expansion of soy production and processing in Argentina, much of which is centred around the Paraná River. The Argentine biofuelssector exhibits clustering at both the cultivation and processing levels, but is also ...
Environmental Science & Policy, 2015
ABSTRACT Theory suggests that the influence of science on policy will be greater when scientific ... more ABSTRACT Theory suggests that the influence of science on policy will be greater when scientific discourse is aligned with the language and meaning of wider social concerns. Seeking to assess whether scientists may be guided by such propositions in a controversial environmental policy arena, we examine the language and content of public-facing, UK scientific research grant abstracts on biofuels for the period 2007–2011, comparing these to stakeholder position statements and newspaper articles of the same period. We find that UK scientists have indeed broadly reflected societal concerns about biofuels during this period. However we also find that both science and society have paid less attention to procedural issues. We comment on the implications of the findings for the role of science in environmental policy development.
The Open Geography Journal, 2011
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 2014
Renewable Energy, 2015
ABSTRACT
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UMIST is undertaking an interdisciplinary life ... more The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UMIST is undertaking an interdisciplinary life cycle socio-economic and environmental evaluation of bioenergy scenarios for the UK, to be integrated with a techno-economic evaluation undertaken elsewhere in the SuperGen consortium.2 The first aim is to develop contrasting bioenergy scenarios in consultation with bioenergy experts and stakeholders for three UK regions. These will
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2016
While sociologists of science and technology have long understood technological diffusion and ado... more While sociologists of science and technology have long understood technological diffusion and adoption as processes of social embedding, the psycho-social processes involved have received relatively little attention in the socio-technical transitions literature. Here we consider the value of Moscovici's social representations theory in terms of its potential contribution to a theory of socio-technical change, the multi-level perspective (MLP). Using fracking-derived shale gas as a technology case study and newspaper representations of the technology in Poland, Germany and the UK as data, we address and illustrate connections between the processes of anchoring and objectification that are central to social representations theory and the socio-technical dynamics observed. In so doing, we set out an approach for further work on agency in the MLP and socio-technical change processes generally, informed by a social psychological approach that aligns with structuralist concepts.
Journal of Transport Geography, 2015
The Tools of Policy Formulation, 2015
The Open Geography Journal
Argentina aspires to become the global equivalent of Brazil for biodiesel and is well placed to d... more Argentina aspires to become the global equivalent of Brazil for biodiesel and is well placed to do so. With alarge, efficient and export-focused agricultural sector, Argentina is the world's third largest exporter of soy and sunfloweroils. Growing global demand and, to a far lesser extent, domestic demand for biofuels is contributing to the expansion of soy production and processing in Argentina, much of which is centred around the Paraná River. The Argentine biofuelssector exhibits clustering at both the cultivation and processing levels, but is also ...
Environmental Science & Policy, 2015
ABSTRACT Theory suggests that the influence of science on policy will be greater when scientific ... more ABSTRACT Theory suggests that the influence of science on policy will be greater when scientific discourse is aligned with the language and meaning of wider social concerns. Seeking to assess whether scientists may be guided by such propositions in a controversial environmental policy arena, we examine the language and content of public-facing, UK scientific research grant abstracts on biofuels for the period 2007–2011, comparing these to stakeholder position statements and newspaper articles of the same period. We find that UK scientists have indeed broadly reflected societal concerns about biofuels during this period. However we also find that both science and society have paid less attention to procedural issues. We comment on the implications of the findings for the role of science in environmental policy development.
The Open Geography Journal, 2011
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 2014