Barbara van Mierlo

Barbara van Mierlo works as a sociologist in the field of ‘management of innovations, environment and ecology’ at Communication and Innovation Studies, Wageningen University. Her main interest is in processes of (system) innovation towards a sustainable development by means of innovation projects. In her work she focuses on communicative processes like network formation, negotiating and learning in relation to change of practices, joint action and institutional change.
Another interest is in the role of communication in environmental policy, which is also the main topic of the course Environmental Communication and Innovation she teaches.

For more than ten years she was a senior consultant and researcher at an environmental research centre connected to the University of Amsterdam: IVAM Environmental Research. Here she did research on the social acceptance of sustainable technologies; developed projects to enhance learning around new technologies and supported and evaluated projects in which local residents work to improve the quality of living of their neighbourhood or village.  In 2002, she finished her dissertation on the way in which pilot projects can contribute to the societal embedding of new sustainable technologies. These topics continue to be important in her most recent work in the domains of agriculture, water and energy.

Full CV in Dutch

• Processes of (system) innovation around sustainable technologies
• Learning in social networks 
• Management and Monitoring and Evaluation of (system) innovation projects and programmes.

Current and recent projects

• Reflexive Monitoring in Actie (RMA), various projects
• Facing integrated water resource management challenges under poverty and illiteracy conditions with adaptive eco-discovery learning: Case studies from Benin (co-supervision PhD thesis A. Kouevi)
• Building innovation and opportunities’ expansion through water management in rice farming systems for the development of smallholder farmers in south of Benin (co-supervision PhD thesis E. Totin)
• Historical and future transitions in agriculture and food. Niche development in green house and pig farming
• Learning in two NIDO programmes and NIDO’s role as systemic instrument. (finished in 2005)
• Transit (finished in 2005)

Selected publications

• Van Mierlo, Barbara (2012), Convergent and divergent learning in photovoltaic pilot projects and subsequent niche development. In: Sustainability, Science, Practice, & Policy: accepted October 2011. » view Pdf
• Kouevi, T.A., Mierlo, B. van & Leeuwis, C. (2011). Repetitive discrepancy between espoused and in-use action theories for fishery intervention in Grand-Popo, Benin. International Journal of Learning and Change, 5(2), 114-138.
• Elzen, B.; Geels, F.; Leeuwis, C.; Mierlo, B. van (2011). Normative contestation in transitions ‘in the making’: Animal welfare concerns and system innovation in pig husbandry. Research Policy 40 (2). p. 263 - 275.
• Mierlo, B.C. van; Arkesteijn, M.C.M.; Leeuwis, C. (2010). Enhancing the Reflexivity of System Innovation Projects With System Analyses. American Journal of Evaluation 31 (2). p. 143 - 161. 
• Mierlo, B.C. van; Leeuwis, C.; Smits, R.; Klein Woolthuis, R. (2010). Learning towards system innovation: Evaluating a systemic instrument. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 77 (2). p. 318 - 334. 
• Mierlo, B.C. van; Regeer, B.; Amstel, M. van; Arkesteijn, M.C.M.; Beekman, V.; Bunders, J.F.G.; Cock Buning, T. de; Elzen, B.; Hoes, A.C.; Leeuwis, C. (2010). Reflexive Monitoring in Action. A guide for monitoring system innovation projects. Wageningen/Amsterdam: Communication and Innovation Studies, WUR; Athena Institute, VU.
• Loeber, A, B. van Mierlo, J. Grin & C. Leeuwis (2007). The practical value of theory. Conceptualising learning in the pursuit of a sustainable development. In: A. Wlas (Ed.) Social learning towards a sustainable world. Wageningen, Wageningen Academic Publishers.
• Karin de Grip, Barbara van Mierlo, Ben Klein Swormink, Jos Verstegen, Frank Wijnands (2005). TRANSIT. Handreiking voor projectmatige ondersteuning van een transitie naar duurzame landbouw. Theorie en praktijk verbinden. Pilot versie. Wageningen/Lelystad: WUR, juni 2005.
• Mierlo, B. van. Kiem van maatschappelijke verandering. Verspreiding van zonnecelsystemen in de woningbouw met behulp van pilotprojecten. [The seed of change in society. Diffusion of solar cell systems in houding by means of pilot projects] PhD Study. ISBN 90 5260 082 1. Amsterdam: Aksant, December 2002 (summary) (samenvatting)