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Pathways to transformative innovation?
Authored by Iacopo Gronchi
25 October 2024
Pathways to transformative innovation? Examining the administrative micro-foundations of net-zero missions across 14 OECD countries | UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) Working Paper Series: IIPP WP 2024-16
Authors:
- Iacopo Gronchi | PhD Student | UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
Abstract:
In the face of climate change, governments are committing plentiful resources to ‘net-zero missions’: ambitious industrial & innovation strategies that aim to accelerate dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, there is confusion among researchers and practitioners on missions’ ability to yield the promised results. Against this background, this paper leverages a new theoretical framework and original survey data to lead a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 35 net-zero missions implemented in 14 OECD countries. By doing so, it compares the administrative micro-foundations of their strategies to assess: first, whether net-zero missions entail relevant changes in management, governance, and policy practice; and second, whether these are linked with intended outcomes. The exploratory analysis shows that, while there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ blueprint for net-zero missions, two generalizable ‘pathways' to transformative innovation are detected: interventionist (grounded in relationships of dynamic accountability between the public and the private sector) and facilitative (grounded in policy incentives for the formation of innovation commons). However, both pathways imply that effective industrial strategy is always underpinned by a public management able to empower dynamics of ‘strategic learning’ within their organisation – thus bolstering net-zero missions’ ability to cope with uncertainty by embedding experimentation throughout their implementation.
Reference:
This working paper can be referenced as follows: Gronchi, I. (2024). Pathways to transformative innovation? Examining the administrative micro-foundations of net-zero missions across 14 OECD countries. UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, Working Paper Series (IIPP WP 2024-16). Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/WP2024-16