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Innovation policy as an instrument for driving transformation – lessons from practice

Author

Listed:
  • Avdeitchikova, Sofia

    (Lund University)

  • Schwaag Serger, Sylvia

    (Lund University)

Abstract

In recent years, countries, regions, municipalities and the EU Commission have introduced a significant number of innovation policy initiatives under the banner of ‘missions’, ‘societal challenges’, sustainability and ‘transformation’, or systemic change. In parallel, there has been a rapidly growing body of literature seeking to analyze or assess these real-world manifestations of attempts to pivot innovation policy towards environmental and societal challenges. The aim of this chapter is to provide a reflexive overview of state of the art of the knowledge on transformative innovation policy design and implementation. To contribute real-world, real-time learning for planned or ongoing policymaking, we also synthesize lessons and insights from recent policy initiatives in Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, with the purpose of distilling them into policy-relevant observations. Based on these, we draw conclusions on what recent experiences from trying to design and implement transformative innovation policies in the respective national and institutional contexts tell us about the role of innovation policy, and implicitly, the role of the state, in driving transformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Avdeitchikova, Sofia & Schwaag Serger, Sylvia, 2024. "Innovation policy as an instrument for driving transformation – lessons from practice," Papers in Innovation Studies 2024/1, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2024_001
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Florian Wittmann & Miriam Hufnagl & Ralf Lindner & Florian Roth & Jakob Edler, 2021. "Governing varieties of mission-oriented innovation policies: A new typology," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 48(5), pages 727-738.
    2. Matthijs J. Janssen & Jonas Torrens & Joeri H. Wesseling & Iris Wanzenböck, 2021. "The promises and premises of mission-oriented innovation policy—A reflection and ways forward," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 48(3), pages 438-444.
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    5. Sylvia Schwaag Serger & Bernhard Dachs & Paula Kivimaa & David Lazarevic & Jani Lukkarinen & Lennart Stenberg & Matthias Weber, 2023. "Transformative innovation policy in practice in Austria, Finland and Sweden: What do the Recovery and Resilience Plans tell us about linking transformation and innovation policy?," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers 156, OECD Publishing.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    innovation policy; transformation; societal challenges; public policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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