Analyzing innovation
The new issue is about "the new". Few things just stay as they are, transformation is ubiquitous - but what exactly are the conditions of emerging newness? Innovations, whether in institutions or in technologies, seem to occur spontaneously. Inventions for everyday life depend on coincidences. Nonetheless, are there consistent patterns for innovation? This is what the WZB research unit Cultural Sources of Newness wanted to find out in the last seven years, and this question is the September issue's focus.
The articles present different cultural techniques. Ignacio Farías accompanied an artist in her project trips. He is able to show how places and spaces shape the creative process. Disturbing routines can open new ways of thinking - this is Ariane Berthoin Antal's discovery in analyzing artistic interventions in enterprises. Several texts deal with changing values and norms in different social contexts. Members of the research group Science Policy Studies investigate framework conditions for scientific innovation.
Outside the focus theme, the September issue presents articles on inclusive schooling, on interdisciplinarity and on the role of experts in politics. Most articles are in German language.