This is a clear and comprehensive summary of the course 'Innovation & Transformation' of Wageningen University. It got me an 8.5 for the individual assignment and an 8.1 for the group assignment.
Good luck with studying!
Introduction
• Some key points about innovation:
o Innovation is commonly defined as an invention that was turned into a marketable
product, but it can also refer to new services, processes, and institutional/social
arrangements (so not just products).
o Innovation is considered as economically important → competitive advantage and
economic growth come from innovation
o Sustainability transitions are thought to depend on innovation
• Difference between transformation and transition:
o Transformation = large-scale, long-term changes in society (often contains several
transitions, e.g. transport transformation = mobility transition + energy transition)
o Transition = changes in societal sub-systems (processes whereby technical
innovations interact with social and institutional changes)
• Linear model of innovation: to get innovations into society, we need to invest in basic research
(research to help understand the world). We just need scientists to do good science.
Problems with the linear model:
o Big distinction between science and society
o Oversimplification of reality
o Technological determinism (naïve belief that
technology will drive change in society no matter what)
o Lack of engagement with users
o Environmental concerns are neglected
• Examples of unforeseen consequences of innovations:
o Green revolution promised economic growth and poverty alleviation through
agricultural modernization → pesticides and insecticides worked, but after decades
their effects started to decline // GMO plants seemed great, but led to environmental
and social problems (dependence on it, health issues, unsustainable monocultures) //
fairtrade revenue eventually barely went to precarious workers.
• How can we govern the future effects of innovation and transformation?
o Inclusion of society | transdisciplinary collaboration | regulation of new technologies |
linking research and innovation funding to societal challenges | reflection of scientists
and developers on the societal impacts of their work. So basically RRI.
• Innovation seen as evolution:
o Innovation involves concomitant change at multiple levels of a system (co-evolution).
o Innovations that demonstrate their advantage over existing practices, attract attention
and support and are selected based on their performance and adaptability (natural
selection).
o Some innovations become dominant and persist over time because they are better
adapted to the prevailing socio-technical conditions (survival of the fittest).
, Multi-level perspective
• Multi-level perspective (MLP) helps to structure socio-technical transitions for analysis and
intervention. It has three levels:
o Niches - spaces where novelties develop
▪ Initiated by social movements, science, governments, entrepreneurs, and the
meat industry
o Regime: dominant technologies, markets, infrastructures, policies, culture, etc
▪ Some regime actors work against a certain niche (barriers) and some regime
actors are helpful for the niche (carriers)
o Landscape – external developments (demography, environmental disasters, health
crises, political system changes)
• Incumbent actors try to capture niches (gain control over niche innovations and shape them to
their interests). Example: established car companies focusing the discourse around the
sustainable mobility transition solely on electric vehicles, intentionally ignoring alternatives
such as public transport and car sharing, such that the companies’ revenue won’t decrease. By
having the industrial values aligned with political and economic interests, a discursive lock is
created in which the policymakers won’t advocate against the industry, which limits the
exploration of the other solutions.
o Niche absorption by incumbent actors → pro: can bring a sector from niche to
mainstream, con: they can buy niche companies to essentially shut them down, or to
put all the focus on that one niche in order to direct the attention away from other
niches.
o Governments can choose to protect niches by providing resources or taking policy
measures -→ pro: premature exposure to the regime would eliminate the niche
innovation, con: niche protection may artificially keep an innovation alive that would
not survive in the regime.
• Discursive dynamics (how language/communication shapes social/political/cultural contexts)
is important in systemic transitions.
o Argumentative Discourse Analysis (ADA): focuses on discourses (specific sets of
ideas and concepts) and storylines (condensed statements used as arguments /
narratives in discussion). Discourse coalitions are groups of actors attracted to specific
storylines.
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