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Researcher
Amalie Bjornavold
- Research Expertise:My past research has principally looked to deepen an understanding of how clean technology pathways are chosen, the way these can get stuck – temporarily, and sometimes even permanently - to the advantage of less sustainable and economically viable solutions. Achieving global sustainability goals will require cleaner and cheaper technologies. While the technologies in use today can deliver significant sustainability improvements, they are insufficient on their own. Moreover, the technologies we do have are often unadapted or too costly for the consumers and users they aim to serve. The pace of change is too slow, and without a major acceleration of innovation, deployment, and social acceptance of sustainable technologies, these goals will not be reached. I am currently co-coordinator on the EU Horizon 2020-funded TransformAr project that aims to develop and demonstrate solutions and pathways to achieve rapid and far-reaching transformational adaptation across the EU. Cross-sectoral and multi-scale innovation packages will support regions and communities in their societal transformation towards climate change resilience. I also lead the project's work package on 'Acceptance, building and exploitation of innovation packages'. In addition, I am coordinator of the BELSPO/FPS Economy co-funded BEvitalise project, which aims to promote circular and climate-conscious consumption patterns through a better understanding of the way in which Belgian consumers make purchasing decisions.
- Keywords:ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS, CLIMATE CHANGE, CIRCULAR ECONOMY, DISCRETE CHOICE EXPERIMENT, Economics and applied economics
- Disciplines:Applied economics, Economic development, innovation, technological change and growth, Agricultural and natural resource economics, environmental and ecological economics
- Research techniques:Better understanding preferences, intentions, and behaviour of actors involved at each stage of technological development is key to improve public policy design. A discrete choice experiment – a quantitative non-market valuation method – has therefore been a core method that I have used to model preferences of key target groups when considering trade-offs between vital components of public policy. Target groups that I have considered in my research include i) industry players, ii) policymakers, iii) farmers, and iv) the general public in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
- Users of research expertise:Researchers; policymakers; relevant stakeholders