Gesa Marken
Research Associate | Economy and Civil Society
03362 793-208
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Since March 2026, Gesa Marken is a research associate in the Research Area “Economy and Civil Society”. She is involved in the Research Area's Lead Project “Caring – Valuating – Transitioning”. The project also provides the basis for her doctoral project.

Previously, she worked as a research associate at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW). There, she implemented transdisciplinary projects on alternative economies, climate protection, circular economy, biodiversity, and digitalization together with actors from industry, politics, associations, and civil society.

She completed her master's degree in economics in 2022 at the Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung (HfGG), where she specialized in the political economy of socio-ecological transformation. She studied environmental sciences at Leuphana University Lüneburg for her bachelor's degree.

As a qualitative social scientist, her methodological expertise lies in conducting qualitative interviews and focus groups as well as implementing discourse analysis and transdisciplinary methods.

Projects

Ongoing Lead Projects

Lead project 01/2026 - 12/2029
Caring – Valuing – Transitioning

In times of polycrisis, collective actors are developing alternative forms of economic activities and social interactions. These include, for example, collective enterprises, cooperatives, or other shared ownership models, which are emerging in response to societal challenges in local niches. Through innovative organisational structures and practices, they contribute to solving social challenges. The project "Caring – Valuating – Transitioning" examines how these novel forms of economic activity and social interaction contribute to broader societal transitions and how the underlying values are negotiated and legitimised. To this end, the researchers collaborate with local initiatives and organisations. more info