Sustainable development involves the strengthening of local firms. The continuous improvement in processes, products and functions to increase value added, that the literature and the policy practice have called firms’ upgrading, is absolutely essential for emerging economies to compete sustainably…
Over the past few years, Mesopartner has been working on different topics in its meso research theme. We have collaborated closely with our clients, fellow researchers and policy makers to develop and experiment with different ideas in an iterative way, constantly switching between research,…
When working to improve the performance of any sector or value chain, we often find a range of meso organisations or programmes designed to support upgrading, skills development and better decision making in small businesses in the targeted sector.
While mapping these organisations is not…
In this interview (and videocast) we will be talking with Prof. Dr Dirk Messner about a question that has been keeping us busy for a while now: In our work, how can we promote a more sustainable and transformative way of territorial development, and what systemic perspectives have to be taken into…
In 2015 the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which provides a framework for peace and prosperity for the planet and its people. 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form the core of the 2030 Agenda. The SDGs demand concerted action in a global partnership to…
Looking at the inefficient and polluting way that energy is produced and used worldwide, it becomes apparent that we are still following the linear economic development model of “take, make, use, lose” (Raworth, 2017): Take the material resources which are necessary to produce a product, make it by…
The global fossil fuel-based economic growth and the mass consumption model has pushed us to the edge of planetary boundaries. The concept of planetary boundaries was developed by world-class scientists and Nobel laureates in 2009 (Rockström et al., 2009). The concept builds on the argument that we…
Under the Systemic Change research theme, we are researching, developing and applying concepts that help development practitioners to catalyse and assess systemic change. In earlier work, we looked at economic evolution and institutions to rethink systemic change in economic development from a…
Development practitioners are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their work is relevant and that it contributes to sustainably addressing key challenges. There are many different ways to capture and report achievements. The focus is most often on reporting achieved results in the form of…