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

Analytical framework 65
interaction processes lead to structural elements such as a particular
industrial organisation, knowledge infrastructure, policy organisation, and
material infrastructure. A central point we make therefore is that
sociotechnical systems, such as the electricity system, are embedded in
larger societal structures such as the knowledge structure, economic
structure, political structure, and societal structure (the dimensions we
referred to earlier). This is illustrated in Figure 3.2. These are not fully
external structures, as continuous processes of mutual adjustment between
the sociotechnical system and the broader societal structures are underway,
such as the translation of public goals to strategies of actors within a system,
and a focus of public funds (R&D) towards needs of the system. Table 3.1
provides basic aspects of the linkages of these wider societal structures to
sociotechnical systems of production and consumption.
Figure 3.2 Sociotechnical systems embedded in wider societal structures
Knowledge
infrastructure
Economic
structure
Technologies
Actors
Networks Institutions
Practices
Linkages
Political
structure
Societal
structure
Together, in a re-ordered sequence, they form the so-called LASTPIN
approach, with the name also indicating how changing the last pin in the
system may start a sequence of changes through all elements that can
ultimately lead to transformation of a system of production and
consumption.