Browsing by Author "Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)"

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Open Access
Analysis and agent-based modelling of lifestyle aspects influencing the residential energy demand in France and Germany
(2013) Hauser, Wolfgang; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
This captures differences in energy relevant behavior of households and analyzes the impact of sociodemographic variables and lifestyle aspects on it. Towards this aim, a standardized postal-survey has been conducted in France (Lyon) and Germany (Stuttgart) in order to collect data about lifestyle, socioeco- nomic conditions, the type and age of the building one lives in, and the levels of provision with different household-appliances, as well as their usage. Besides the statistical analysis, this data has been used to parametrize an agent-based model of energy relevant household behavior which has been developed in the run of this project and produces simulated household load-curves. This approach has been chosen, because the provision of electricity in an AC-grid demands the matching of demand and supply at all times in order to keep the frequency constant; the timely resolution of the statistical analysis is therefore too grainy for engineering needs. The resulting load-curves showed that the differences between households grouped by sociodemographic variables are mainly in regard to the height of the load-curve - and thus concerning only the amount of electricity consumed over the day - while households grouped by lifestyle variables tend to differ more in regard to the overall shape of the load curve - and thus show differences in the distribution of electricity demand over the hours of the day.
Open Access
Consumer behavior, social influence, and smart grid implementation
(2016) Li, Huijie; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
To achieve the goals of German energy transition especially in renewable energy shares, the smart grid will play a key role in managing the demand able to match more volatile supply and optimizing the entire electricity system. Even though the system transformation is technically feasible, the successful transition cannot live without end users willing to transform their way of using energy. This thesis has explored possible roles of individual consumers in the smart grid implementation and in detail analyzed their influential factors. An online survey was conducted to capture preferences and behaviors of energy consumers during the time period of November 2013 to January 2014. The three roles of private electricity consumers - as consumers consuming electricity through appliances, as citizens holding attitudes towards smart grid applications, and as potential producers of electricity - are targeted. Constructs from the theory of planned behavior were tested by using a sample of 517 German citizens. Structural equation models of individual’s electricity saving behavior, their intention to participate in smart grid applications and investment behavior in solar panels were built. It was found that determinants of attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavioral control together explain 32%-56% of the variance in the three behaviors. Attitude was found to be the most influential factor of individual electricity saving behavior, as well as of citizens’ intentions to participate in smart grid applications. For solar panel investment, it is perceived behavioral control that has the highest impact on the behavior. As the smart grid concept is not well understood by common people, education program and information campaigns are needed, in which social norm marketing is worth more attention, ascribable to the considerable impact caused by the diffusion of norms through social networks. To examine this social influence effect, empirically founded agent-based models for the above-mentioned three behaviors were created to estimate possible behavior changes brought by social norms at the aggregate level. Simulation results show that a reduction of total consumptions by 20% could be achieved in the virtual community due to behavior conformity induced by identified adopters. The potential impact of social norms on home generation and load shift are also promising.
Open Access
Cyber risks and cybersecurity : risk communication and regulation strategies in the United States and Germany
(2021) Ulmer, Kathrin; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
The dissertation explores and analyzes political communication and regulatory processes related to cyber risks and cybersecurity in the United States and Germany in the time period from 2007 to 2016 with a focus on cybersecurity-related risks for critical infrastructure. The dissertation follows a qualitative-interpretative research design based on Reiner Keller’s Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD) that is innovatively adapted by integrating frames and regulatory styles. The study proceeds in three steps: First, a context mapping reveals the institutional roles and responsibilities of the executive branches in both countries in the young field of cybersecurity policy. Second, official cybersecurity discourses in both countries are analyzed in order to identify which frames the respective executive actors use in their communication. Two overarching frames are found for each country: For the United States, a homeland security frame and a technological leadership frame can be identified; for Germany, a security of supply frame as well as a moderation frame are found. Third, the study sheds light on regulation in the field of cybersecurity, understood as discourse effect. Therefore, one regulatory example is examined for each country in order to assess its consistency with the traditional regulatory style of the respective country. In the case of the United States, the Cybersecurity Framework following executive order 13636 is examined; for Germany, the IT Security Law is selected as regulatory example.
Open Access
Emergency response volunteers’ flood risk perception under climate change and flood hazard and risk maps acceptance behavior : a comparative study between Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and Guangdong, China
(2022) Wu, Tong; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
Emergency response volunteers (ERV) are considered as one of the most important groups in emergency management. With a combination of local experience as well as skills and knowledge from training regarding emergency response, ERV can rapidly respond to local emergencies by participating in rescue and relief work. Floods are among the most frequent natural hazards in both Germany and China, and ERV often face risk during their flood emergency response operations. The response of volunteers to flood risk is important for the safety of their lives and performance during flood emergency response operations. In this thesis, based on an online survey of 580 respondents (including 382 from Germany and 198 from China) conducted among emergency response volunteers from Baden- Württemberg state in Germany and Guangdong province in China, three flood risk related topics are explored: First, to answer the question “How different is flood risk perception among emergency response volunteers between Germany and China and what are the factors that significantly influence flood risk perception?”, by using data collected from the survey, multiple regression and bootstrapping analysis were applied. The results show that direct experience with floods, physical location, trust in the authorities, and training are important factors affecting volunteers’ risk perception. It is found that volunteers in Germany show a higher level of controllability of flood risk compared to China. Meanwhile, volunteers in China exhibit more worry about the adverse consequence of floods, including financial loss and personal injury. The second topic investigates how the perceived impact of climate change on flood risk by ERV is influenced by previous flood experience and perceived flood risk, and how it is associated with climate change perceptions. By using multiple regression and mediation analysis, the results show that when ERV perceive higher local flood risk, they tend to believe that climate change will have a more significant effect on local flood risk. In addition, three aspects of climate change perceptions (perceived local vulnerability, uncertainty over climate change, and perceived effect of climate change mitigation actions) are affected by physical location and the perceived impact of climate change on flood risk. The third topic aims to detect the factors influencing the acceptance intention of online flood hazard and risk maps, which are useful risk communication tools for emergency planning and response. An extended Technology Acceptance Model incorporated four external constructs (Information quality, Trust in information, Internet self-efficacy, and Enthusiasm of new information technology) was applied to explain and predict the acceptance behavior intention. By using the Structural Equation Model - Artificial Neural Network approach for hypotheses testing, the main findings indicate that Perceived Usefulness and Trust in information are essential factors of the intention to accept flood maps in both countries. As few studies focusing on emergency response volunteers regarding flood risk in both Germany and China were conducted, this thesis fills this gap and provides insights for future risk communication and management concerning flood hazards and climate change.
Open Access
Factors that enable or hinder sustained access to sustainable and effective cooking energy services : the case of the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya
(2020) Mbungu, Grace Kageni; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
Access to sustainable and effective energy services is central to every challenge and opportunity that humanity and the planet face today. As a result, there is unprecedented consensus that the ways in which energy is produced, distributed, and consumed can have major positive or negative consequences for humans, the environment, and the broader ecosystem, and therefore, a direct or indirect effect on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and complying with the Paris Agreement. The situation in the developed and middle-income countries is such that most households have sustained and effective access to cooking energy services. In contrast, almost 80-90% of household in developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, lacks such access or face constant interruptions due to financial insecurities, and unreliable or insecure energy services. Technological development has widely been viewed and supported as the solution to these challenges. However, while technological development is an important element in addressing this challenge, the central role of individual and societal factors in influencing the acceptance, sustainable access, and effective uses of technologies is often overlooked. Nevertheless, technological processes are negotiated, developed, implemented, and used within social contexts. The objective of this thesis is to understand and contextualize the factors that facilitate or hinder sustainable and effective access to cooking energy services within households in the informal settlement of Kibera, with a focus on biomass improved cookstoves (ICSs). Guided by the needs-opportunity-ability model (NOA), this thesis first examines the needs that households seek to fulfil through cooking energy services. It then assesses the state of abilities and opportunities in order to understand the limitations and opportunities available and accessible to households to meet their desired needs. Lastly, the role of individual and societal factors are examined at the micro, meso, and macro levels in enabling or hindering sustainable access and effective use of the cooking energy services sought and desired by households. This approach is especially important because it recognizes that energy access processes are also shaped by a broad spectrum of influences that lie outside the households’ direct control or the nature of technological outcomes. The findings of this thesis show that households have multiple and diverse needs that they seek to fulfil through cooking energy services. Moreover, the findings confirm, as emphasized in the NOA model, the influential and interconnected roles of factors at the micro and macro levels in influencing consumer behavior and outcomes. Furthermore, it is found that meso-level factors also have significant influence on sustained access and effective use of cooking energy services, and might even exert stronger influence than macro-level factors, due to their immediacy and direct connection to the user and their day-to-day activities and livelihoods. This thesis concludes that, rather than household resistance to embracing sustainable and effective cooking energy services, the most persistent barriers to the adoption of sustainable and effective cooking energy services relate to how user needs are understood or fail to be understood, and the lack of appropriate and secure abilities and opportunities. Therefore, while several opportunities to address the challenges of access to clean and effective cooking energy services were identified, a range of individual and structural challenges would also need to be overcome to facilitate sustainable and effective progress. To overcome these challenges in Kibera, a range of options are proposed to improve and strengthen sustained access and effective use of cooking energy services. These recommendations emphasize the need for ongoing and holistic understanding of households' needs and realities, as well as the central role played by interacting forces at the micro, meso, and macro levels in influencing access conditions and outcomes for humans and the environment of advocated cooking energy services. More specifically, the recommendations call for greater attention to the social and contextual dimensions and dynamics of cooking energy production, distribution, and consumption processes, as demonstrated in the ‘landscape’ of cooking energy access that is one of the major outcomes of this thesis.
Open Access
Gesellschaftlicher Umgang mit Risiken : Fallstudie zur Steuerungsleistung gesellschaftlicher Institutionen in Bezug auf Bewältigung von Unsicherheit (Risk Governance)
(2017) Bonneck, Sabine; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
Als im Jahr 2002 die von IARC als "wahrscheinlich krebserregend" eingestufte Substanz Acrylamid in Lebensmitteln entdeckt wurde, wurden viele Ressourcen in die Erforschung von Risiko und Reduktionsmöglichkeiten investiert. Nach mehr als zehn Jahren gibt es nur wenig neue Erkenntnisse zum Risiko. Die Acrylamidgehalte können in vielen Produkten reduziert werden, allerdings gibt es keine Belege dafür, dass eine Reduktion tatsächlich stattgefunden hat. Die Risikosteuerung hat weitgehend unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit stattgefunden. Verbraucher wurden kaum einbezogen und internationale Vorgaben zur Risikosteuerung außer Acht gelassen. Ein Risikorat hätte ein systematischeres Vorgehen sicherstellen können.
Open Access
Das Gruppendelphi : eine diskursive Methode zur Ermittlung von Expert*innenurteilen
(2020) Kuhn, Rainer; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
Das Gruppendelphi stellt eine innovative und diskursive Methode dar, die auf Grundlage des klassischen Delphiverfahrens weiterentwickelt wurde. Die Methode wird zur Erhebung von Expert*innenurteilen eingesetzt, um eine Ermittlung von Handlungsempfehlungen, eine Ein-schätzung zu (politischen) Leitbildern und Rahmenbedingungen sowie eine Bewertung von konkreten Maßnahmen zu erzielen. Diese Methode bildet den Untersuchungsgegenstand die-ser Arbeit. Da sich ein Gruppendelphi im Vergleich zum klassischen Delphiverfahren durch die Integration von diskursiven Elementen auszeichnet, wird besonders die Frage danach verfolgt, ob die Qualitätsmerkmale handlungsleitender Diskurse von der Methode des Gruppendelphis eingelöst werden können. Um diesen methodischen Ansatz zu legitimieren, sind sowohl eine theoretische Grundlage als auch ein Bemessungskriterium für die Qualität der Ergebnisse dieser Methode notwendig, die mittels der Theorieklasse mentaler Modelle, dem Linsenmodell aus der Social Judgment Theory sowie der Theorie des kommunikativen Handelns geschaffen werden. Das daraus resultierende Testdesign besteht aus vier Dimensionen: (1) Evidenz, (2) Verständlichkeit, (3) normativen Angemessenheit und (4) grundlegende Funktionslogik. Die-ses Testdesign dient der Überprüfung der Fragestellung anhand von fünf Fallbeispielen einer konkreten empirischen Anwendung der Methode innerhalb verschiedener Forschungsprojekte. So soll diese Arbeit nicht nur eine theoretische Fundierung des Gruppendelphis erzielen und eine Überprüfung der Funktionsweise der Methode ermöglichen, sondern eine Einordnung möglicher Einsatzfelder vornehmen und zu einer verbesserten praktischen Anwendung beitragen.
Open Access
Informationsbedürfnisse und Verhaltensintentionen der Öffentlichkeit bei Terroranschlägen mit radiologischen und biologischen Stoffen
(2016) Sellke, Piet; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
Die Bedrohung der westlichen Welt durch terroristische Anschläge kam wie nie zuvor in das Bewusstsein der Öffentlichkeit durch Anschläge wie 9/11 (New York und Washington, 2001), 11-M (Madrid, 11. März 2004) und 7/7 (London, 7. Juli 2005). Die neue Qualität dieser Anschläge bestand darin, dass ganz bewusst der Alltag der Menschen angegriffen wurde mit dem Ziel, so viele Menschen wie eben möglich zu töten und das ökonomische und soziale Leben schwer zu stören. Nicht zuletzt die Kaltblütigkeit und auch die perfide Planung der Anschläge machte die Nutzung von radiologischen und / oder biologischen Stoffen für weitere Anschläge denkbar, wenn nicht sogar wahrscheinlich. Wie die Öffentlichkeit auf solche Anschläge reagiert wird dabei helfen, das Ausmaß der medizinischen, ökonomischen und sozialen Auswirkungen zu bestimmen. Das Verständnis darüber, wie die Öffentlichkeit in einem Fall solcher Attacke verhalten wird, ist jedoch nur eingeschränkt. Wird es spontane Evakuierungen geben? Sind die Menschen bereit, in Massenbehandlungszentren zu gehen? Werden Menschen, die gar nicht betroffen sind sich ebenfalls in Behandlungszentren begeben? Werden die Menschen Gegenden vermeiden, auch wenn sie wieder als sicher gelten? Über diese Fragen ist unser Wissen bisher begrenzt. Notfallpläne und Simulationen gehen bisher von einer eher willigen Bevölkerung aus, mit leicht verständlichem Verhalten. Frühere Situationen weisen jedoch eher darauf hin, dass die Realität anders sein könnte. Die vorliegende Arbeit folgt dabei drei grundlegenden methodischen Schritten. Erstens, in einer Reihe von Fokusgruppen werden zufällig ausgewählte Bürger mit fiktiven Zeitungs- und TV-Nachrichtenbeiträgen konfrontiert, die von einem Terroranschlag mit Pockenviren bzw. mit einem Radiological Embedded Device (RED) berichten, der sich in unterschiedlichen Stufen verschlimmert. Die Teilnehmer dieser Fokusgruppen bekommen nur sehr eingeschränkte Informationen, so dass die Informationsbedürfnisse deutlich zum Vorschein treten. Zweitens, in einem repräsentativen CATI-Survey werden Verhaltensintentionen der deutschen Bevölkerung insgesamt gemessen, um die qualitativen Daten zu validieren und zu ergänzen. Drittens, die Ergebnisse der ersten beiden Schritte werden dazu verwendet, den Informationsinput in einer weiteren Runde von Fokusgruppen mit anderen Teilnehmern zu testen. Dabei wird deutlich werden, ob ein veränderter Informationsinput die Verhaltensintentionen der Bevölkerung verändern kann.
Open Access
Narratives of climate change : outline of a systematic approach to narrative analysis in cultural sociology
(2015) Arnold, Annika; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
This study addresses in particular research gaps in cultural sociology and in the analysis of climate change communication. Narratives have long played a significant role in cultural sociological analysis of empirical data. However, a systematic approach to social stories has yet to be developed and presents a gap in recent research in the realm of young cultural sociology. Following among others Smith’s model of genre an integrated model of cultural narrative analysis aims at integrating vital elements of narrative theory to construct a systematically advanced analysis tool. Thus, this study provides a possibility to make narrative analysis fruitful for cultural sociology by acknowledging and integrating the binary structure of social discourse as paradigm of cultural sociology. It thus pays tribute to the understanding of culture as an independent variable in the analysis of social phenomena. It shows how narrative analysis can benefit from cultural sociology’s understanding of culture. This model is applied to the discourse about climate change. The debate about the ecological crisis has found its way into research programs of social sciences for some time now and the concept of narratives is embedded in various existing studies. However, these studies often focus on either media coverage of climate change and here often on the perception of climate policies or the perception of climate change in the eyes of laypeople. With its methodical and theoretical design this study addresses this gap in climate communication research by focusing on the messenger’s perspective and by emphasizing the cultural structures beneath climate change talk. In the first place, this study aims at answering the following research questions: 1. What does a systematic approach to narrative analysis in a cultural sociological perspective look like? 2. How can narrative analysis advance our understanding of climate change communication? The first research question aims at contributing to the development of cultural sociology by providing a systematic approach to narrative analysis which acknowledges cultural sociology’s paradigms and understanding of culture. The second question focuses on the empirical interest of this study, i.e. to advance our sociological understanding of climate change communication and which role culture structures play here. Narratives are resolved into their three main spheres: structure, content, and form and even further into the single characters and settings inside and outside the narrative with the idea that each sphere contributes in its own way to the presentation of the topic. The explorative, qualitative research design allows for including the empirical multitude of the data, i.e. the possible topics in climate change discourse. 15 narrative, problem centered interviews with climate advocates were conducted. This is how the study focuses on the perspective of the messenger. Instead of analyzing public perceptions or media articles, here the stories told by people who are - professionally or otherwise - involved in climate change activities are at the center of the analysis. Against the backdrop of an expert sphere, i.e. shared perceptions of a global phenomenon such as climate change and to avoid stereotypical national stories climate advocates from both the U.S.A. and Germany were interviewed; where appropriate, national specifics were addressed in the analysis. This leads for example to the narrative of climate change as a partisan distinction as a typical U.S. American narrative. All in all 5 main narratives could be identified: one narrative with the sole focus on the environment as a value in itself, another narrative placing climate change in the scene of humanity and solidarity, another narrative that deals with historical responsibility; the remaining two narratives are further divided into two more sub-narratives: the fight against climate change as an economic topic is seen with positive consequences on the one hand and negative consequences on the other, and lastly, climate change as political topic plays a role both as a tool for partisan distinction and as a way to reflect on the role of a nation. The topics of these narratives are not just derived from a simple content analysis, but are a result of the interplay between structure, content and form of the narratives. The hierarchies between characters, the distribution of power among them, the setting between the characters within the narrative (hero - villain - victim) and that between those outside the narrative (storyteller - audience) constitute the topic of a story. The analysis shows how narratives exist in different settings simultaneously in one actor-group, and how the same set of characters can change their role depending on the structure of a particular narrative. This study shows how the, sometimes highly emotional, discourse about a social phenomenon can be reduced to its core structures, thus allowing the analysis to uncover cultural meanings beneath these stories. This could provide further research, on the one hand in the realm of climate change communication it could be interesting to see how the developed analysis model can be applied to media coverage as a form of “closed” stories. On the other hand, transferring the approach of this study to other social topics could help to advance the model itself and to allow for an even more systematic and comprehensible understanding of narratives.
Open Access
Risikomündigkeit bei Naturrisiken : eine Analyse der Risikomündigkeit im Umgang mit Naturrisiken im Kontext des Klimawandels in Deutschland
(2018) Gerlach, Viola; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
Die Promotion untersucht Risikomündigkeit im Umgang mit Naturrisiken im Kontext des Klimawandels in Deutschland. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie sich Risikomündigkeit im Umgang mit Naturrisiken in Deutschland beschreiben lässt, und welche Konsequenzen sich daraus für die Risikokommunikation ergeben.
Open Access
Vulnerabilität und Resilienz als Trends der Risikoforschung : eine Rekonstruktion ihrer quantitativen und qualitativen Entwicklung und Verbreitung in der Risikoforschung und in ihren Perspektiven von 1973 bis 2017 auf der Basis einer disziplinübergreifenden Internetanalyse
(2020) Norf, Celia; Renn, Ortwin (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.)
Die Konzepte Vulnerabilität und Resilienz stehen im Fokus der wissenschaftlichen und praktischen Diskussion um Risiko und (Un-)Sicherheit. Jedoch ist man sich bis jetzt seitens der Risikoforschung und auch des Risikomanagements uneinig über ihre inhaltliche Bedeutung und ihren Nutzen für eine problemgerechte Risikobehandlung. Bisherige Aufbereitungen der Konzept-Karrieren sowie der unterschiedlichen Verständnisse und Anwendungen in Forschung und Management beziehen sich allein auf einzelne Anwendungsfelder, wie z.B. Katastrophenvorsorge und Klimawandelanpassung und gehen auf quantitative und inhaltliche Entwicklungen der Konzepte nicht detailliert ein. Diese Forschungslücken adressierend, führt diese Dissertation die quantitativ-zeitliche und qualitativ-inhaltliche Diffusion von Vulnerabilität und Resilienz als Trends der Risikoforschung und ihren Perspektiven von 1973 bis 2017 detailliert und systematisch zusammen. Dies erlaubt zudem den Vergleich der quantitativen und qualitativen Diffusion der Konzepte in den verschiedenen Risikoperspektiven sowie die Untersuchung des Einflusses externer katastrophaler Ereignisse und allgemeiner wissenschaftlicher Trends wie Interdisziplinarität, Transdisziplinarität und Formalisierung auf diese Diffusion sowie der Einflussnahme von einigen Perspektiven auf die Konzept-Diffusion in anderen. Diese Dissertation unterstützt die Risikoforschung und das Risikomanagement insbesondere im Kontext der zunehmenden Inter- und Transdisziplinarität von Risikobetrachtungen. Zum einen bietet sie wissenschaftlichen und praktischen Akteuren für die Konzepte Vulnerabilität und Resilienz eine systematische Orientierung innerhalb ihrer konzeptionellen Komplexität, ein verbessertes Verständnis ihrer quantitativen und qualitativen Entwicklung und Verbreitung in den verschiedenen Risikoperspektiven sowie Möglichkeiten für ihre lösungsorientierte Nutzung und praktische Umsetzung. Zum anderen deutet diese Dissertation Grundmuster von Diskursverläufen an, deren Verständnis auch den Umgang mit zukünftigen Trends im Bereich von Risiko und Sicherheit verbessern kann.