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

50 Chapter 2
materials, and the problems faced in establishing trajectories of
improvement. This may imply a change of mindset for the bulk of
technological community members who involved in technology programs
towards acceptance of the potential of new product/technology or changes in
the composition of selection boards altogether. It may also imply different
roles of actors or key involvement of different types of actors in projects,
related to the nature (or projected future design) of the technologies, such as
a stronger role for municipalities to support local-based small scale energy
technologies that replace or complement the existing central oriented system
for electricity supply. In Table 2.5 we give an indication of the types of
institutional change that may be necessary to facilitate radical innovations
and further evolution into transitions.
Table 2.5 Possible institutional changes to facilitate radical innovations, and
transitions
Knowledge Market Policy/regulat Societal
network network ory network network
Micro (actor- Produce Establishing Establishing Changing user
technology level) knowledge new routines rules and behaviour,
regarding new for old or new standards for e.g.
technologies; actors new
communal
new foci in
technologies, electricity
education and
building new generation
research
capacities for
policy actors
Meso (industry, Create new Establishment Changing Changing
technological field, knowledge of new networks roles and
network-level) flows and supplier- involved in networks for
networks, producer-user policy societal
develop relations formulation actors,
appropriate
and
interfaces for
intermediary
implementatio facilitating
infrastructure
n, adapting legitimacy
policy, styles, and
roles to
emerging
technological
design
acceptance
Macro (national, Adaptation of Changing Changing New ways of
system level) national industrial modes of perceiving,
system of relations, governance, using and
innovation to emergence of changing producing
design, new industry, links between electricity,
knowledge services, new administrative changing
requirements types of levels lifestyles
of new regime organisation