Table 1 Amplification frameworks

Strategies for social innovation

Social innovations research (Westley et al. 2006)

Social innovations, i.e. “initiative, product, program, platform or design that challenges, and over time changes, the defining routines, resource and authority flows, or beliefs of the social system in which the innovation occurs” (Moore et al. 2015, p. 69).

To “achieve systemic impacts” and “large systems change” (Moore et al. 2015, p. 69). The latter requires combining different types of scaling (Table 2).

Seeds of a good Anthropocene

Social-ecological transformations research (Gunderson and Holling 2002)

Seeds, i.e. “initiatives (social, technological, economic, or social–ecological ways of thinking or doing) that exist, at least in prototype form, and that represent a diversity of worldviews, values, and regions, but are not currently dominant or prominent” (Bennett et al. 2016, p. 442).

To “have transformative impacts beyond initial localities and sectors” (Bennett et al. 2016, p. 443).

Scale dynamics

Social-ecological transformations research (Gunderson and Holling 2002) and socio-technical transitions research (Grin et al. 2010)

Grassroots innovations, i.e. “networks of activists and organizations generating novel bottom-up solutions for sustainable development; solutions that respond to the local situation and the interests and values of the communities involved. […] [G] rassroots initiatives operate in civil society arenas and involve committed activists experimenting with social innovations as well as using greener technologies.” (Seyfang and Smith 2007, p. 585).^a

To “enact transformative change across scales and have a wider impact beyond the people directly involved in their initial development.” (Hermans et al. 2016, p. 285).

Acceleration mechanisms

Socio-technical transitions research (Grin et al. 2010)

Transition initiatives, i.e. “locally-based (…) actor-networks that start-up, adopt and/or engage with new practices, technologies and experiments that seek to profoundly change established unsustainable routines and perceptions towards more sustainable ones.” (Gorissen et al. 2018, p. 172).

To “accelerate sustainability transitions [in city-regions]” (Gorissen et al. 2018, p. 173).

Transition management

Socio-technical transitions research (Grin et al. 2010)

Transition experiments, i.e. innovation projects “with a societal challenge as a starting point for learning aimed at contributing to a transition.” (van den Bosch and Rotmans 2008, p. 12).

To “make a potentially large innovative contribution to a transition process” (Loorbach 2010, p. 176). This encompasses changing “established ways of thinking (culture), doing (practices) and organizing (structure)” (van den Bosch and Rotmans 2008, p. 5).

Strategic niche management

Socio-technical transitions research (Grin et al. 2010)

Transition experiments, i.e. “inclusive, practice-based and challenge-led initiative designed to promote system innovation through social learning under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity” (Sengers et al. 2019, p. 161).

To “scale-up and diffuse innovative solutions” in order to increase “the potential of the niche to influence the current regime and eventually achieve a transition.” (Naber et al. 2017, p. 344).