Pub Date : 2024-11-15DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100933
Yuhao Ba, Sreeja Nair, Mohnish Kedia
Cross-sector collaborations—partnerships between organizations from multiple sectors (e.g., the public and nonprofit and voluntary sectors)—are key to sustainability transitions yet remain understudied. In this study, we assess the readiness of nonprofit organizations for engaging in collaborative sustainability efforts. We develop and empirically validate a theoretical framework focusing on three key dimensions of readiness: awareness, capacity, and actions. Using an important yet less-studied empirical context of Singapore, and informed by evidence from thirty-nine in-depth interviews, our findings reveal that nonprofits in Singapore are generally aware of sustainability transition challenges and opportunities and possess important capacities such as organizational agility and digital adaptability. However, proactive actions remain limited, partially due to the predominant role of the state in sustainability action. Our research contributes to understanding the role of nonprofit and voluntary actors in collaborative efforts for sustainability transitions, offering valuable insights for strengthening a collaborative approach to sustainability transitions.
{"title":"Cross-sector collaboration, nonprofit readiness, and sustainability transitions","authors":"Yuhao Ba, Sreeja Nair, Mohnish Kedia","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100933","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100933","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cross-sector collaborations—partnerships between organizations from multiple sectors (e.g., the public and nonprofit and voluntary sectors)—are key to sustainability transitions yet remain understudied. In this study, we assess the readiness of nonprofit organizations for engaging in collaborative sustainability efforts. We develop and empirically validate a theoretical framework focusing on three key dimensions of readiness: awareness, capacity, and actions. Using an important yet less-studied empirical context of Singapore, and informed by evidence from thirty-nine in-depth interviews, our findings reveal that nonprofits in Singapore are generally aware of sustainability transition challenges and opportunities and possess important capacities such as organizational agility and digital adaptability. However, proactive actions remain limited, partially due to the predominant role of the state in sustainability action. Our research contributes to understanding the role of nonprofit and voluntary actors in collaborative efforts for sustainability transitions, offering valuable insights for strengthening a collaborative approach to sustainability transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100933"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142651330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-14DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100930
Andreas Skriver Hansen, Jesper Manniche, Karin Topsø Larsen
The paper examines local sustainable transition processes related to the introduction of large-scale sustainable energy infrastructure projects in peripheralized areas, with a specific focus on understanding their role and complex development considerations, potentials, and dilemmas. Experiences are reported from the Danish `Energy Island Bornholm´, where a 3,8 GW offshore wind farm field is planned, potentially presenting new, local business and innovation opportunities, whilst raising concerns about local preparedness and capacity levels when undertaking a host role in such a massive project. The empirical base consists of qualitative data (observations and interviews) from a local development project running 2022–2023. Findings are analysed and discussed based on theoretical insights from literature on sustainable transition and peripheralization processes, resulting in four analytical dimensions: Local economic opportunities and green paths; Demography and work force dilemmas; Democracy and involvement; Governance and capacity building. The paper urges more comprehensive, comparative, and critical place-specific research on transition processes.
{"title":"Navigating sustainable transition processes at the local level: The case of Energy Island Bornholm","authors":"Andreas Skriver Hansen, Jesper Manniche, Karin Topsø Larsen","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100930","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100930","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The paper examines local sustainable transition processes related to the introduction of large-scale sustainable energy infrastructure projects in peripheralized areas, with a specific focus on understanding their role and complex development considerations, potentials, and dilemmas. Experiences are reported from the Danish `Energy Island Bornholm´, where a 3,8 GW offshore wind farm field is planned, potentially presenting new, local business and innovation opportunities, whilst raising concerns about local preparedness and capacity levels when undertaking a host role in such a massive project. The empirical base consists of qualitative data (observations and interviews) from a local development project running 2022–2023. Findings are analysed and discussed based on theoretical insights from literature on sustainable transition and peripheralization processes, resulting in four analytical dimensions: Local economic opportunities and green paths; Demography and work force dilemmas; Democracy and involvement; Governance and capacity building. The paper urges more comprehensive, comparative, and critical place-specific research on transition processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100930"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142651375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-02DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100928
Maria Tomai , George Papachristos , Shyama V. Ramani
This paper examines the role of transition factors in the emergence, upscaling, and diffusion of niche innovations in developing countries and juxtaposes them with the case study of a Waste-to-Energy socio-technical niche in the ongoing green transition of Ghana's waste management and energy systems. A systematic literature review of the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and the Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) transition frameworks applications to developing countries identifies twenty-four categories of influential factors and produces four main inferences: (i) niche innovations and experiments that are often non-technological and are driven by urgent local needs, remain understudied; (ii) landscape factors strongly shape the selection, development, and spread of innovations; (iii) regimes are multimodal, with co-existing, interconnected technologies, rules, structures, and roles, causing tensions; and (iv) innovation systems rely heavily on external sources, and they lack cohesive selection, monitoring, and assessment mechanisms. This review is followed by the case study constructed using academic literature, government and programme documents as well as interviews with key stakeholders. The inferences of the literature review are validated and additionally the role of the twenty-four categories of transition factors is examined. Key landscape, regime and innovation system function factors are found to play both a positive and negative role in the green transition. Landscape factors are the strongest drivers, but the most challenging barriers can be from other levels too. A cooperative governance model at local and regional levels, with maximal access to knowledge for redesigning of technologies to local conditions and continuous communication with key stakeholders and communities is essential for successful transition.
{"title":"The dynamics of change towards sustainability in developing countries: Evidence from Ghana's Waste-to-Energy transition","authors":"Maria Tomai , George Papachristos , Shyama V. Ramani","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100928","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100928","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the role of transition factors in the emergence, upscaling, and diffusion of niche innovations in developing countries and juxtaposes them with the case study of a Waste-to-Energy socio-technical niche in the ongoing green transition of Ghana's waste management and energy systems. A systematic literature review of the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and the Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) transition frameworks applications to developing countries identifies twenty-four categories of influential factors and produces four main inferences: (i) niche innovations and experiments that are often non-technological and are driven by urgent local needs, remain understudied; (ii) landscape factors strongly shape the selection, development, and spread of innovations; (iii) regimes are multimodal, with co-existing, interconnected technologies, rules, structures, and roles, causing tensions; and (iv) innovation systems rely heavily on external sources, and they lack cohesive selection, monitoring, and assessment mechanisms. This review is followed by the case study constructed using academic literature, government and programme documents as well as interviews with key stakeholders. The inferences of the literature review are validated and additionally the role of the twenty-four categories of transition factors is examined. Key landscape, regime and innovation system function factors are found to play both a positive and negative role in the green transition. Landscape factors are the strongest drivers, but the most challenging barriers can be from other levels too. A cooperative governance model at local and regional levels, with maximal access to knowledge for redesigning of technologies to local conditions and continuous communication with key stakeholders and communities is essential for successful transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100928"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142573317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100927
Jussi Ahokas , Paavo Järvensivu , Tero Toivanen
The ideas that experts share and draw on shape policies across various spatial and temporal contexts. In this study, we use document analysis and expert interviews to examine the views and beliefs of one important group of experts, economists, on mission-oriented innovation policy and sustainability transition in Finland. As a result, we outline the epistemic landscape that for its part conditions the progress of transformative innovation policy in Finland. While sustainability scholars have been intrigued by the promises of mission-oriented thinking, our findings suggest that they should acknowledge the epistemic limits of communities of economists regarding missions and transformative innovation policy as political vehicles to advance sustainability transition.
{"title":"Ideas behind transformative innovation policy: Economists confronting missions and sustainability transition in Finland","authors":"Jussi Ahokas , Paavo Järvensivu , Tero Toivanen","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100927","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100927","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ideas that experts share and draw on shape policies across various spatial and temporal contexts. In this study, we use document analysis and expert interviews to examine the views and beliefs of one important group of experts, economists, on mission-oriented innovation policy and sustainability transition in Finland. As a result, we outline the epistemic landscape that for its part conditions the progress of transformative innovation policy in Finland. While sustainability scholars have been intrigued by the promises of mission-oriented thinking, our findings suggest that they should acknowledge the epistemic limits of communities of economists regarding missions and transformative innovation policy as political vehicles to advance sustainability transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100927"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142573301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100926
Godwin Opinde , Christine Majale , Ivan Nygaard
Off-grid solar devices enables a transition to green energy. With this transition however, there is generation of electronic waste and concerns about its management. Currently most solar e-waste ends up 'hibernating' or stored at home, while only a minor share is recycled. Through a mixed method approach, this paper addresses underlying causes of hibernation. It develops a new framework to shed light on elements at the interplay between economic, emotional and symbolic reasoning explaining off grid solar e-waste hibernation in rural homes in Kenya. It finds that 72 % of waste hibernates and that the hibernation potential increases with decreasing economic value and with increasing symbolic and emotional meanings. Hibernation period is anticipated to increase with an ageing stock of devices. Thus, while better products, repair and recycling are long-term solutions, hibernation offers an 'unintended' intermediate solution to the problem of broken devices, which might otherwise be disposed of.
{"title":"Hibernation of off-grid solar e-waste in Kenya: An unintended response to an emerging waste issue","authors":"Godwin Opinde , Christine Majale , Ivan Nygaard","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100926","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100926","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Off-grid solar devices enables a transition to green energy. With this transition however, there is generation of electronic waste and concerns about its management. Currently most solar e-waste ends up 'hibernating' or stored at home, while only a minor share is recycled. Through a mixed method approach, this paper addresses underlying causes of hibernation. It develops a new framework to shed light on elements at the interplay between economic, emotional and symbolic reasoning explaining off grid solar e-waste hibernation in rural homes in Kenya. It finds that 72 % of waste hibernates and that the hibernation potential increases with decreasing economic value and with increasing symbolic and emotional meanings. Hibernation period is anticipated to increase with an ageing stock of devices. Thus, while better products, repair and recycling are long-term solutions, hibernation offers an 'unintended' intermediate solution to the problem of broken devices, which might otherwise be disposed of.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100926"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100929
Madeline Taylor, Paige Street
The daunting task of swiftly transitioning to sustainable modes of living presents a formidable challenge, particularly at individual and household levels, where entrenched consumption and disposal systems exhibit strong path dependency. This research investigates how individuals and households can contribute to sustainability transitions through grassroots innovations. Specifically, we ask: How do digital gift economies facilitate changes in household consumption practices and contribute to broader sustainability transitions? To address this question, we present an instructional case study of the Buy Nothing Project (BNP), a globally scaled yet locally focused digital gift economy, as a grassroots innovation enabling citizen agency within domestic spaces. BNP is a socio-technical network of hyperlocal, digital gift-giving groups that advocate for community reliance and generosity to reduce household consumption and waste and build neighbourhood bonds. Our analysis reveals that BNP's most revolutionary aspect lies in the embedded everyday sustainability practices it facilitates, particularly the social learning to reduce consumption at individual, household, and community levels through group participation and ongoing membership. We argue that this grassroots innovation enables citizen agency within domestic spaces, contributing significantly to sustainability transitions. Paradoxically, the ordinariness of these practices, combined with the gendered composition of members and that acquiring and disposing of household goods is usually considered “women's work”, may hinder recognition of BNP's potential as a powerful catalyst for sustainable transitions. This study contributes to our understanding of how digital platforms can support household-level innovations in sustainability practices and highlights the importance of recognising and valuing diverse forms of contribution to sustainability transitions.
{"title":"Learning to (not quite) buy nothing: Digital gift economies and household innovations reducing consumption","authors":"Madeline Taylor, Paige Street","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100929","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100929","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The daunting task of swiftly transitioning to sustainable modes of living presents a formidable challenge, particularly at individual and household levels, where entrenched consumption and disposal systems exhibit strong path dependency. This research investigates how individuals and households can contribute to sustainability transitions through grassroots innovations. Specifically, we ask: How do digital gift economies facilitate changes in household consumption practices and contribute to broader sustainability transitions? To address this question, we present an instructional case study of the Buy Nothing Project (BNP), a globally scaled yet locally focused digital gift economy, as a grassroots innovation enabling citizen agency within domestic spaces. BNP is a socio-technical network of hyperlocal, digital gift-giving groups that advocate for community reliance and generosity to reduce household consumption and waste and build neighbourhood bonds. Our analysis reveals that BNP's most revolutionary aspect lies in the embedded everyday sustainability practices it facilitates, particularly the social learning to reduce consumption at individual, household, and community levels through group participation and ongoing membership. We argue that this grassroots innovation enables citizen agency within domestic spaces, contributing significantly to sustainability transitions. Paradoxically, the ordinariness of these practices, combined with the gendered composition of members and that acquiring and disposing of household goods is usually considered “women's work”, may hinder recognition of BNP's potential as a powerful catalyst for sustainable transitions. This study contributes to our understanding of how digital platforms can support household-level innovations in sustainability practices and highlights the importance of recognising and valuing diverse forms of contribution to sustainability transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100929"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142553541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
As energy transitions progress from formative to growth or acceleration phases, issues related to resource formation increase in importance. In this paper we address a type of resource formation that has received scant attention in the sustainability transitions literature to date: developing the industrial capacity to manufacture and deliver key complementary assets (i.e. components and services) to large energy projects. Such supply chain elements constitute a significant share of investment, are crucial for the upscaling of low-carbon technologies, and offer important job and value creation opportunities for different regions and countries. Empirically we study the build-up of industrial capacity to supply key complementary assets to the European offshore wind power market in the 2000–2019 period through three phases (formative, take-off, growth) of development. We provide explanations to observed spatio-temporal patterns of industrial capacity development by considering 1) industry life-cycle dynamics, 2) pre-existing assets and industrial relatedness, and 3) home market opportunities.
{"title":"Developing the industrial capacity for energy transitions: Resource formation for offshore wind in Europe","authors":"Markus Steen , Tuukka Mäkitie , Jens Hanson , Håkon Endresen Normann","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100925","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100925","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As energy transitions progress from formative to growth or acceleration phases, issues related to resource formation increase in importance. In this paper we address a type of resource formation that has received scant attention in the sustainability transitions literature to date: developing the industrial capacity to manufacture and deliver key complementary assets (i.e. components and services) to large energy projects. Such supply chain elements constitute a significant share of investment, are crucial for the upscaling of low-carbon technologies, and offer important job and value creation opportunities for different regions and countries. Empirically we study the build-up of industrial capacity to supply key complementary assets to the European offshore wind power market in the 2000–2019 period through three phases (formative, take-off, growth) of development. We provide explanations to observed spatio-temporal patterns of industrial capacity development by considering 1) industry life-cycle dynamics, 2) pre-existing assets and industrial relatedness, and 3) home market opportunities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100925"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100923
Lena Kramer , Tobias Stern , Michael Kriechbaum
While there is growing research about the roles of organisations in the transition to a post-growth society, activities in the market economy and the roles of businesses have received little attention so far. In this study, we address this gap by exploring the extent to which post-growth aspects have been considered by sustainability-oriented SMEs in the German speaking fashion industry. By drawing on the concepts of alterity and socio-technical niches, we analyse the framing strategies the companies use to position their alternative approaches in the context of the growth debate. We identify two narratives that show different degrees of oppositionality towards the established “mainstream” practices of the fashion industry: the “grow when it's good” narrative and the “less (growth) is more” narrative. Despite their antagonistic perspectives towards the relationship between sustainability and growth, these narratives can play complementary roles in a post-growth transition. At the same time, they represent the opposite ends of a continuum rather than distinct categories, which underlines the multidimensional nature of businesses’ perceptions of growth.
{"title":"Framing the limits to growth: Narratives in the sustainable fashion industry","authors":"Lena Kramer , Tobias Stern , Michael Kriechbaum","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100923","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100923","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While there is growing research about the roles of organisations in the transition to a post-growth society, activities in the market economy and the roles of businesses have received little attention so far. In this study, we address this gap by exploring the extent to which post-growth aspects have been considered by sustainability-oriented SMEs in the German speaking fashion industry. By drawing on the concepts of alterity and socio-technical niches, we analyse the framing strategies the companies use to position their alternative approaches in the context of the growth debate. We identify two narratives that show different degrees of oppositionality towards the established “mainstream” practices of the fashion industry: the “grow when it's good” narrative and the “less (growth) is more” narrative. Despite their antagonistic perspectives towards the relationship between sustainability and growth, these narratives can play complementary roles in a post-growth transition. At the same time, they represent the opposite ends of a continuum rather than distinct categories, which underlines the multidimensional nature of businesses’ perceptions of growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100923"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142446091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100918
M. Iakovleva, J. Rayner
Much of the research on technological innovation, especially in the context of sustainability transitions, has focused on the early stages of innovation. Much less work has been done on successful acceleration of technological change after pre-development and take-off. Filling this gap is important for improving the chances of successful deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). Recent work on sustainability transitions has focused on the importance of "intermediaries". These are actors and platforms that sustain the momentum of transitions by linking actors, activities, and resources. Their role in the acceleration phase is less well understood and SMRs provide a compelling case study of the challenges. This paper uses document, web, and interview data to analyze the role of intermediaries in Canadian SMR deployment, focusing particularly on the intermediaries needed for successful social innovation; identifies gaps; and evaluates the role of public policy in supporting the development of these critical relationships.
{"title":"Accelerating the deployment of SMRs in Canada: The importance of intermediaries","authors":"M. Iakovleva, J. Rayner","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Much of the research on technological innovation, especially in the context of sustainability transitions, has focused on the early stages of innovation. Much less work has been done on successful acceleration of technological change after pre-development and take-off. Filling this gap is important for improving the chances of successful deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). Recent work on sustainability transitions has focused on the importance of \"intermediaries\". These are actors and platforms that sustain the momentum of transitions by linking actors, activities, and resources. Their role in the acceleration phase is less well understood and SMRs provide a compelling case study of the challenges. This paper uses document, web, and interview data to analyze the role of intermediaries in Canadian SMR deployment, focusing particularly on the intermediaries needed for successful social innovation; identifies gaps; and evaluates the role of public policy in supporting the development of these critical relationships.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100918"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142442072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-13DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100922
Wikke Novalia , Megan Farrelly , Rob Raven
Transforming critical infrastructure systems, such as water and energy, is crucial to achieving global sustainability and climate change targets in many cities. Whilst experimentation has been studied extensively in urban sustainability scholarships, there have been no large-N cross-sector comparative studies. Existing research is potentially blind to different patterns of urban experiments across multiple sectors. This is particularly relevant to advancing deep transitions thinking, which has increasingly foregrounded the notion of multi-system alignment across socio-technical domains. Our research aims to fill this knowledge gap using a database to characterise urban experiments across water and energy domains while integrating sectoral and place-based perspectives. We analysed 40 experiments across Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia. Our results show that on a collective level, these experiments skew towards technological interventions, while their transfer and impact trajectories are underpinned by distinct territorial and sectoral logics. We show that cross-sectoral analysis can reveal plurality in urban experiments across multiple systems and places while offering a more refined understanding of multi-system alignment requirements for deep transitions.
{"title":"Place-based and sectoral patterns in urban experimentation: Implications for deep transitions research","authors":"Wikke Novalia , Megan Farrelly , Rob Raven","doi":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100922","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eist.2024.100922","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Transforming critical infrastructure systems, such as water and energy, is crucial to achieving global sustainability and climate change targets in many cities. Whilst experimentation has been studied extensively in urban sustainability scholarships, there have been no large-N cross-sector comparative studies. Existing research is potentially blind to different patterns of urban experiments across multiple sectors. This is particularly relevant to advancing deep transitions thinking, which has increasingly foregrounded the notion of multi-system alignment across socio-technical domains. Our research aims to fill this knowledge gap using a database to characterise urban experiments across water and energy domains while integrating sectoral and place-based perspectives. We analysed 40 experiments across Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia. Our results show that on a collective level, these experiments skew towards technological interventions, while their transfer and impact trajectories are underpinned by distinct territorial and sectoral logics. We show that cross-sectoral analysis can reveal plurality in urban experiments across multiple systems and places while offering a more refined understanding of multi-system alignment requirements for deep transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54294,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100922"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142432204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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