Innovation and institutional change: the transition to a sustainable ...

6 Chapter 1
and be a member of nature conservation groups, on the other hand we may
travel across the globe to consume and enjoy unspoilt nature. Changing
behavioural patterns, lifestyles, and associated values then form a crucial
part of systems change (Spaargaren et al., 2002). Moving toward
sustainability is not just about fulfilling existing needs more efficiently, it
involves also changing these needs and the way these are socially embedded
(Shove, 2004). Understanding how these behavioural patterns are embedded
in specific modes of provision and systems of production may provide clues
for this (Van Vliet, 2002; Spaargaren, 2000).
The technological approach assigns a central role to technological change in
systems change to sustainability. Developing and diffusing new technologies
with radically better performance is the main challenge. For example,
Grübler et al. (1999) identify technological change as a major driving force
in the decarbonisation of the global energy system. Improved performance
and reduced costs are seen as the major factor for new energy technologies
replacing old ones (Grübler et al., 1999). The focus on technological
solutions has also a strong footing in Dutch policy approaches towards
solving major environmental and energy problems (VROM, 1993, 1996;
Arentsen and Hofman, 1996; Hofman, 1997; Hofman and Marquart, 2001).
Broadening the focus on technical and economic aspects with a focus on
social aspects of technological change has taken place from 1990 on, as the
Dutch Commission for Long-Term Environmental Policy concluded that
conventional innovation processes could not deliver the large environmental
gains necessary for sustainable development. What was required were
innovation processes designed from a long-term time perspective, with
sustainability considerations incorporated from the onset, and understood as
co-evolution of social and technological change (Weaver et al., 2000;
Hofman and Schrama, 2003). This can be seen as a precursor to the current
‘transition approach’ which seeks, in time frames up to fifty years,
fundamental shifts in the way particular functions (energy, transport,
agriculture) in society are fulfilled (Rotmans et al., 2000; VROM, 2001).
The governance approach focuses on the nature of institutional arrangements
that may hamper, facilitate and/or lead the process towards sustainable
development. Hardin’s (1968) ‘tragedy of the commons’ can serve as a
classic example of this approach with the tragedy being that individuals
maximizing their utilities may cause overexploitation of freely accessible
resources. In response, numerous cases of successful long-term local selfgovernance
of common property resources have been identified (Ostrom,
1990). However, the effectiveness of arrangements may erode due to social,