ICS Working Paper Nº1/2018

ICS W O R K I N G P A P E R S 2018 10 Similar reasoning as above can be applied to the transformative role of CBIs, as these can be potential sense-making actors who structure the unknown, creating narratives of value change and influencing discourse (Deborah, 2012), that may play a pivotal role in the redefinition of current unsustainability path- dependency, if they proactively engage with the objective and inter-objective dimensions of value change. CBIs’ role and positioning in wider dynamics of societal change is nevertheless far from consensual. Let us revisit Göpel’s emphasis on the interdependencies of the niche level with the neighboring system (Figure 2). Figure 2: Mind-sets and multilevel interactions in societal transformations (Source: Göpel, 2016: 47) Göpel (2016: 22) argues that the niche is a test tube for alternative forms of social organization, but only insofar as it doesn’t interact too heavily with the dominating system structures. This can be observed by the apparent isolation of the micro/niche level from the tightly interwoven, multilevel web of interactions between all other system parts (see Figure 2). This argument is somewhat contradictory. We agree with Göpel’s rationale. Yet, if niche CBIs are to help trigger wider societal change, they need to make their ideas and practices visible, introduce them into the public debate, ultimately facilitating their wider societal acceptance (Henfrey and Penha-Lopes, 2018). In