Towards sustainable innovation: analysing and dealing with systemic problems in innovation systems

Technological Innovation System (TIS) perspective became a popular tool to analyse and understand the diffusion of particular, mostly renewable, technologies and their contribution to sustainability transitions. The core of the current TIS studies comprise of the analyses of the emergent structural configuration (actors, networks, technology, institutions) and major processes (functions) that support the development of innovations. The approach is used to identify system problems and propose systemic policy and instruments to address them.

The approach and the related empirical studies, however, suffer from a number of flaws. This thesis aims to contribute to the TIS literature by addressing four specific gaps. Firstly, it conceptualises and empirically underpins the notion of the system problems and systemic instruments. Secondly, it argues that the use of both concepts in combination with a coupled structural and functional analysis enhances and specifies the policy advice. Thirdly, the thesis demonstrates how the national delimitation of the system and a lack of explicit recognition of the spatial context in which innovations and transitions occur, impacts the definition of the problems and the related policy advice. Fourthly, it goes beyond the focus on emerging technological systems by studying problems of and policy for less developed, juvenile system.

Its overall objective is to contribute to sustainable innovation through the definition and identification of systemic problems and instruments in renewable energy innovation systems that are in various stages of development and of differing geographical delimitation. Two empirical domains: aquatic biomass and offshore wind are used to illustrate the theoretical claims.