Policies for climate change in the liong run: Wiring up the innovation system for eco-innovation
Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › Research
Policies for climate change have never received as much attention worldwide as now. At the same time another key policy trend is an increasing synthesis between environmental and innovation policy, a synthesis, it is here suggested, that is captured by the “eco-innovation” concept. This paper suggests that the innovation system frame based on evolutionary economic theory may guide the development of these new eco-innovation policies in important ways. The paper seeks to uncover the theoretical underpinnings and new rationales associated with these policies.
The paper argues that the eco-innovation approach represents a shift in rationale from the traditional regulatory approach within environmental research and policy making towards an evolutionary market based approach to achieve climate and wider sustainability goals; not only in putting more emphasis on the market but also shifting the representation of the economy towards a more dynamic one. Rather than pursuing immediate environmental goals in climate policy making the paper suggests a long run policy for wiring up the national innovation system for ecoinnovation.
This paper has claimed that a innovation systems perspective represents a potential new evolutionary environmental policy rationale in fundamentally viewing the economy as a long run process subjected to path- and time dependencies. The new rational is particularly clear in two ways:
1) In treating the company as (eco-)innovator rather than as polluter
2) In adapting a strong knowledge approach.
The innovation system policy approach strives to mould the innovation system so as to make it easy and attractive to engage in eco-innovation for firms as well as knowledge institutions (and to lesser degree consumers). The five pillar strategy suggested reduces the friction to eco-innovation. There is however, a need to identify, through innovation system empirical analysis, the specific charactheristic and 2 innovation conditions as well as system failures to eco-innovation in the given innovation system.
The innovation system frame is only beginning to be caught up in environmental analysis and mainly from the so-called “functional “ perspective; this paper suggests that the “organisational” approach is more needed. Overall, we need to link up micro-oriented innovation policy with the macro-oriented climate policy so as to align short run targets with the long run target of wiring up national innovation systems for eco-innovation.
The paper argues that the eco-innovation approach represents a shift in rationale from the traditional regulatory approach within environmental research and policy making towards an evolutionary market based approach to achieve climate and wider sustainability goals; not only in putting more emphasis on the market but also shifting the representation of the economy towards a more dynamic one. Rather than pursuing immediate environmental goals in climate policy making the paper suggests a long run policy for wiring up the national innovation system for ecoinnovation.
This paper has claimed that a innovation systems perspective represents a potential new evolutionary environmental policy rationale in fundamentally viewing the economy as a long run process subjected to path- and time dependencies. The new rational is particularly clear in two ways:
1) In treating the company as (eco-)innovator rather than as polluter
2) In adapting a strong knowledge approach.
The innovation system policy approach strives to mould the innovation system so as to make it easy and attractive to engage in eco-innovation for firms as well as knowledge institutions (and to lesser degree consumers). The five pillar strategy suggested reduces the friction to eco-innovation. There is however, a need to identify, through innovation system empirical analysis, the specific charactheristic and 2 innovation conditions as well as system failures to eco-innovation in the given innovation system.
The innovation system frame is only beginning to be caught up in environmental analysis and mainly from the so-called “functional “ perspective; this paper suggests that the “organisational” approach is more needed. Overall, we need to link up micro-oriented innovation policy with the macro-oriented climate policy so as to align short run targets with the long run target of wiring up national innovation systems for eco-innovation.
Original language | English |
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Publication date | 2008 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Externally published | Yes |
Event | DIME workshop "Innovation, sustainability and policy" - Bordeaux, France Duration: 11 Sep 2008 → 13 Sep 2008 |
Workshop
Workshop | DIME workshop "Innovation, sustainability and policy" |
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Country | France |
City | Bordeaux |
Period | 11/09/2008 → 13/09/2008 |
ID: 368842287