Dr. Niko Schäpke

Schäpke, N. A., Singer-Brodowski, M., & Wanner, M. (2026). Advancing Practicality, Reflexivity and Credibility? An Introduction to Real-World Laboratories as Inspiration for Psychological Research. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 20(8). https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.70156

Schroeder, H., Beyers, F., Schäpke, N. A., Mar, K. A., Wamsler, C., Stasiak, D., Lueschen, T., Fraude, C., Bruhn, T., & Lawrence, M. (2025). The role of trust in the international climate negotiations. Environmental Policy and Governance, 35(2), 328–343. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.2144

Frank, L., Feola, G., & Schäpke, N. (2024). Assessing regime destabilisation through policy change: An analysis of agricultural policy in the United Kingdom during Brexit. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2024.100810

Ives, C. D., Schäpke, N., Woiwode, C., & Wamsler, C. (2023). IMAGINE sustainability: integrated inner-outer transformation in research, education and practice. Sustainability Science, 18(6), 2777–2786. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-023-01368-3

Mar, K. A., Schäpke, N., Fraude, C., Bruhn, T., Wamsler, C., Stasiak, D., Schroeder, H., & Lawrence, M. G. (2023). Learning and community building in support of collective action: Toward a new climate of communication at the COP. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.832

McCrory, G., Holmén, J., Schäpke, N., & Holmberg, J. (2022). Sustainability-oriented labs in transitions: An empirically grounded typology. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 43, 99–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2022.03.004

Fraude, C., Bruhn, T., Stasiak, D., Wamsler, C., Mar, K., Schäpke, N., Schroeder, H., & Lawrence, M. (2021). Creating space for reflection and dialogue: Examples of new modes of communication for empowering climate action. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 30(3), 174–180. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.30.3.9

Fazey, I., Schäpke, N., Caniglia, G., Hodgson, A., Kendrick, I., Lyon, C., Page, G., Patterson, J., Riedy, C., Strasser, T., Verveen, S., Adams, D., Goldstein, B., Klaes, M., Leicester, G., Linyard, A., McCurdy, A., Ryan, P., Sharpe, B., et al. (2020). Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth: Visions of future systems and how to get there. Energy Research and Social Science, 70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101724

Wamsler, C., Schäpke, N., Fraude, C., Stasiak, D., Bruhn, T., Lawrence, M., Schroeder, H., & Mundaca, L. (2020). Enabling new mindsets and transformative skills for negotiating and activating climate action: Lessons from UNFCCC conferences of the parties. Environmental Science and Policy, 112, 227–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.06.005

Wanner, M., Hilger, A., Westerkowski, J., Rose, M., Stelzer, F., & Schäpke, N. (2018). Towards a Cyclical Concept of Real-World Laboratories: A Transdisciplinary Research Practice for Sustainability Transitions. Disp, 54(2), 94–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/02513625.2018.1487651

Schäpke, N., Bergmann, M., Stelzer, F., & Lang, D. J. (2018). Labs in the real world: Advancing transdisciplinary research and sustainability transformation: Mapping the field and emerging lines of inquiry. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 27, 8–11. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.27.s1.4

Schäpke, N., Stelzer, F., Caniglia, G., Bergmann, M., Wanner, M., Singer-Brodowski, M., Loorbach, D., Olsson, P., Baedeker, C., & Lang, D. J. (2018). Jointly experimenting for transformation?: Shaping real-world laboratories by comparing them. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 27, 85–96. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.27.s1.16

Schäpke, N., & Wagner, F. (2018). Strengthening the transformative impulse while mainstreaming real-world labs: Lessons learned from three years of BaWü-Labs. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 27(2), 262–264. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.27.2.19

Caniglia, G., Schäpke, N., Lang, D. J., Abson, D. J., Luederitz, C., Wiek, A., Laubichler, M. D., Gralla, F., & von Wehrden, H. (2017). Experiments and evidence in sustainability science: A typology. Journal of Cleaner Production, 169, 39–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.05.164

Luederitz, C., Schäpke, N., Wiek, A., Lang, D. J., Bergmann, M., Bos, J. J., Burch, S., Davies, A., Evans, J., König, A., Farrelly, M. A., Forrest, N., Frantzeskaki, N., Gibson, R. B., Kay, B., Loorbach, D., McCormick, K., Parodi, O., Rauschmayer, F., et al. (2017). Learning through evaluation – A tentative evaluative scheme for sustainability transition experiments. Journal of Cleaner Production, 169, 61–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.09.005

Schäpke, N., Omann, I., Wittmayer, J. M., van Steenbergen, F., & Mock, M. (2017). Linking transitions to sustainability: A study of the societal effects of transition management. Sustainability (Switzerland), 9(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/su9050737

Schäpke, N., Stelzer, F., Bergmann, M., Lang, D. J., Wagner, F., Miller, E., & Schneidewind, U. (2017). Real-world laboratories and transformation research. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 26(1), 55–57. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.26.1.12

Schäpke, N., Stelzer, F., Marg, O., Bergmann, M., Miller, E., Wagner, F., & Lang, D. J. (2017). Urban BaWü-Labs: Challenges and Solutions when Expanding the Real-World Lab Infrastructure. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 26(4), 366–368. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.26.4.19

Wagner, F., Schäpke, N., Stelzer, F., Bergmann, M., & Lang, D. J. (2016). BaWü-labs on their way: Progress of real-world laboratories in Baden-Württemberg. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 25(3), 220–221. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.25.3.21

Rauschmayer, F., Bauler, T., & Schäpke, N. (2015). Towards a thick understanding of sustainability transitions - Linking transition management, capabilities and social practices. Ecological Economics, 109, 211–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.11.018

Schäpke, N., Singer-Brodowski, M., Stelzer, F., Bergmann, M., Lang, D. J., & Schneidewind, U. (2015). Creating space for change: Real-world laboratories for sustainability transformations. the case of Baden-Württemberg. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 24(4), 281–283. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.24.4.17

Wittmayer, J. M., & Schäpke, N. (2014). Action, research and participation: roles of researchers in sustainability transitions. Sustainability Science, 9(4), 483–496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-014-0258-4

Wittmayer, J. M., Schäpke, N., van Steenbergen, F., & Omann, I. (2014). Making sense of sustainability transitions locally: how action research contributes to addressing societal challenges. Critical Policy Studies, 8(4), 465–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2014.957336

Schäpke, N., Beecroft, R., Wanner, M., Wagner, F., Rhodius, R., Laborgne, P., & Parodi, O. (2024). Gaining deep leverage? Reflecting and shaping real-world lab impacts through leverage points. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 33, 116–124. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.33.s1.17

Schäpke, N., Wagner, F., Beecroft, R., Rhodius, R., Laborgne, P., Wanner, M., & Parodi, O. (2024). Impacts of real-world labs in sustainability transformations. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 33, 4–9. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.33.s1.2

Caniglia, G., Luederitz, C., von Wirth, T., Fazey, I., Martín-López, B., Hondrila, K., König, A., von Wehrden, H., Schäpke, N.A., Laubichler, M.D., & Lang, D.J. (2021). A pluralistic and integrated approach to action-oriented knowledge for sustainability. Nature Sustainability, 4(2), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00616-z

McCrory, G., Schäpke, N., Holmén, J., & Holmberg, J. (2020). Sustainability-oriented labs in real-world contexts: An exploratory review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123202

Fazey, I., Schäpke, N., Caniglia, G., Patterson, J., Hultman, J., van Mierlo, B., Säwe, F., Wiek, A., Wittmayer, J., Aldunce, P., Al Waer, H., Battacharya, N., Bradbury, H., Carmen, E., Colvin, J., Cvitanovic, C., D’Souza, M., Gopel, M., Goldstein, B., et al. (2018). Ten essentials for action-oriented and second order energy transitions, transformations and climate change research. Energy Research and Social Science, 40, 54–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.11.026

Grabs, J., Langen, N., Maschkowski, G., & Schäpke, N. (2016). Understanding role models for change: a multilevel analysis of success factors of grassroots initiatives for sustainable consumption. Journal of Cleaner Production, 134, 98–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.10.061