Katrin Martens defended her PhD thesis on Social Innovation Processes in Rural Areas

Congratulations to Katrin Martens, who successfully defended her PhD thesis titled „Governing Social Innovation in Rural Areas: The Role of Member Based Organizations“. Martens investigates how social innovation processes in rural areas function and how they can be promoted. Three peer-reviewed studies were published that examine the topic from different perspectives. All three publications focus on the local level. They deal with membership-based organizations and their members in rural communities. Two publications explore the social innovation process and the third publication focuses on the outcomes of social innovation. Katrin Martens identifies essential characteristics and processes of social innovation. These findings are promising for both the promotion of membership-based organizations and the study of sustainable transformation pathways.