In this chapter I survey key theories and concepts that provide substance to the workings of Transformative Social-Ecological Innovation (TSEI). A number of relevant theories and concept have already been mentioned in the previous chapters, such as Social Contract theory (Sect. 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec1), and in Sects. 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec8 and 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec13, including resilience theory and social-ecological systems (Sect. 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec8), quintuple helix innovation model (Sect. 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec13), as well as institutional change and the structure-agency debate (Sect. 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec13), and several economic theories (Sects. 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec2 and 10.1007/978-3-030-67130-3_3#Sec3). In this chapter I will start with providing a conceptual discussion and definition on Transformative Social-Ecological Innovation (Sect. 4.1), and devote more attention to various theories and approaches that are relevant for TSEI, such as transition studies (Sect. 4.2), institutional design principles for governing the commons (Sect. 4.3), design principles from nature (Sect. 4.4), complex adaptive systems (Sect. 4.5), adaptive, reflexive, and deliberative approaches to governance, management, and planning (Sect. 4.6), social learning, policy learning, and transformational learning (Sect. 4.7), shared value, multiple value creation, and mutual gains approach (Sect. 4.8), effective cooperation (Sect. 4.9), transdisciplinary cooperation, living labs, and citizen science (Sect. 4.10), and the art of co-creation: approaches, principles and pitfalls (Sect. 4.11).
