The Idea of a Green New Deal in a Quintuple Helix Model of Knowledge, Know-How and Innovation

Introduction

Because of stagnating economical growth in established democracies, the climate change and the worldwide economical and financial crisis we should begin to think in new solutions. The climate change hereby seems to become exceptionally serious (UNDP, 2007). This change in climate will be the challenge of our age since it will not only make a dramatic difference to our daily life, but will also incur tremendous cost and impact the free market economy. These challenges can at the moment not be anticipated, but will in consequence increase the danger of a generally increasing social disparity (see Stern, 2009, p. 8; Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009, pp. 245-248). In addition we face the loss of biodiversity, the global environmental damage and the exploitation of and accompanying shortage of resources (Le Monde diplomatique, 2005, pp. 60-61, 2009, pp. 72-75). It is therefore time for mankind for a rethinking and acting in sustainability.

This article is about the effects and implications of a Green New Deal plan for the scientific disciplines in an “advanced democracy”¹ on a national level and in conclusion, what has to follow on an international level. Because of the climate change a new responsibility and solutions for the future are needed to regain the balance with nature and to allow prospective generations living a life on earth in plurality and variety. This rethinking towards more “sustainable development” is scientifically discussed as a Green New Deal (see, for example, Müller & Niebert, 2009; Green New Deal Group, 2008; Barbier, 2009). The main task of a Green New Deal plan is to give a new sense to the economically stagnating industrial states, which are in the most cases “high-quality democracies” (see Campbell & Pölzlbauer, 2010, pp. 10-12; Carayannis & Campbell, 2010, p. 56; Barth, 2009, pp. 63, 91).

Were under the ambition towards „wealth of nations“ the creation of quantitative economical growth used to be the sense of political, economical and social actions (Smith, 2007/1776), the new sense - in the age of universally generated prosperity in advanced democracies, globalisation and the transformation to a knowledge economy or „democracy of knowledge“ - is the pursuit towards sustainability through production of knowledge, creativity and know-how (see Carayannis & Campbell, 2009; 2010).

In fact, this article is about the potential of a democracy in the 21^st century: The explicit question to be asked today is hence not, whether a democracy can be described as a democracy or not, but what the quality of an existing democracy is? (Campbell & Barth, 2009, p. 210) In times of new global crises and change it is important to define democracies with new tasks and to give them an advanced sense through more quality (see Campbell, 2008, 41). This new democratic quality management is based on the creation of knowledge, know-how and innovations in accordance with “nature” (Carayannis & Campbell, 2010, pp. 59, 62).² It seems, that only under this aspects a “sustainable development” and quality of life conservation can be ensured for advanced democracies today as well as in future: The “Quintuple Helix” as a model of “non-linear” innovation combining knowledge, know-how, innovations and the natural ecological system to a “interdisciplinary” und “transdisciplinary” framework can give us a theory to scientifically understand a possible Green New Deal and to assist “sustainable development” (ibid., p. 42).