Tracing technological development trajectories: A genetic knowledge persistence-based main path approach

The aim of this paper is to propose a new method to identify main paths in a technological domain using patent citations. Previous approaches for using main path analysis have greatly improved our understanding of actual technological trajectories but nonetheless have some limitations. They have high potential to miss some dominant patents from the identified main paths; nonetheless, the high network complexity of their main paths makes qualitative tracing of trajectories problematic. The proposed method searches backward and forward paths from the high-persistence patents which are identified based on a standard genetic knowledge persistence algorithm. We tested the new method by applying it to the desalination and the solar photovoltaic domains and compared the results to output from the same domains using a prior method. The empirical results show that the proposed method overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks defining main paths that are almost 10x less complex while containing more of the relevant important knowledge than the main path networks defined by the existing method.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Climate change and radical energy innovation: the policy issues

Although the impacts of greenhouse gas build-up remain uncertain, they have the potential to be very serious and possibly catastrophic. If the outcomes are serious then neither improving energy efficiency nor adaptation policies will cope with the problems of warming. Reducing climate impacts without impeding economic development will require new low or zero emissions energy carriers and associated technologies. This paper argues that current innovation policy initiatives aim at only limited dimensions of energy technology: they either promote incremental change in existing technologies, or improving performance in existing renewable alternatives. They will neither induce fundamental innovation in carrier technologies, nor change the basic technological regime of hydrocarbon production, distribution and use. For this, more radical „mission-oriented? programmes are necessary. In turn, these will require new policy instruments and methods, new roles for government, and new dimensions of international collaboration and global governance of innovation strategies.

Green growth, technology and innovation

The paper explores existing patterns of green innovation and presents an overview of green innovation policies for developing countries. The key findings from the empirical analysis are: (1) frontier green innovations are concentrated in high-income countries, few in developing countries but growing; (2) the most technologically-sophisticated developing countries are emerging as significant innovators but limited to a few technology fields; (3) there is very little South-South collaboration; (4) there is potential for expanding green production and trade; and (5) there has been little base-of-pyramid green innovation to meet the needs of poor consumers, and it is too early to draw conclusions about its scalability. To promote green innovation, technology and environmental policies work best in tandem, focusing on three complementary areas: (1) to promote frontier innovation, it is advisable to limit local technology-push support to countries with sufficient technological capabilities -- but there is also a need to provide global technology-push support for base-of-pyramid and neglected technologies including through a pool of long-term, stable funds supported by demand-pull mechanisms such as prizes; (2) to promote catch-up innovation, it is essential both to facilitate technology access and to stimulate technology absorption by firms -- with critical roles played by international trade and foreign direct investment, with firm demand spurred by public procurement, regulations and standards; and (3) to develop absorptive capacity, there is a need to strengthen skills and to improve the prevailing business environment for innovation -- to foster increased experimentation, global learning, and talent attraction and retention. There is still considerable progress to be made in ranking green innovation policies as most appropriate for different developing country contexts -- based on more impact evaluation studies of innovation policies targeted at green technologies.Environmental Economics&Policies,E-Business,ICT Policy and Strategies,Technology Industry,Climate Change Mitigation and Green House Gases

Grassroots Innovation Systems for the Post-Carbon World: Promoting Economic Democracy, Environmental Sustainability, and the Public Interest

This article uses a sociotechnical systems approach to advocate for an alternative way of thinking about the role of innovation in international development efforts, specifically those focused on environmental sustainability and a post-carbon world. This approach views technology and society as inextricably linked, highlighting how particular values, norms, individual rights and responsibilities, social practices and relationships, and aspects of political culture are embedded in the design, development, implementation, and use of technology. Using the example of clean cookstoves, this article argues that technologies customarily deployed to achieve international development goals are embedded in particular values, assumptions, and social structures that together make up a “dominant approach to innovation.” This dominant approach, which reflects Western attitudes towards science, technology, and markets, is often inappropriate for developing world circumstances. This article suggests that two grassroots innovation systems developed in India—by the Honeybee Network and the Self-Employed Women’s Association—provide us with some clues as to how we might rethink innovation to achieve development in lower income contexts. These grassroots innovation systems encourage technological development among lower income, often socially marginalized individuals with limited formal education, suggesting that these technologies might be more useful for the local public interest. They also encourage widespread dissemination of these innovative ideas in order to facilitate implementation and encourage innovation within the community. By challenging our traditional understandings of innovation, innovators, and the relationship between technology and societal benefit, these grassroots innovation systems offer a viable path to engage lower income communities in successful innovation for a post-carbon world

Formative Phase Lengths for a Sample of Energy Technologies Using a Diverse Set of Indicators

The objective of this research is to identify historical patterns in the formative phase of energy technologies. This period designates the early stage of development (i.e., between the invention and the up-scaling phase) that sets up the conditions for the technology to emerge and prepare for widespread growth. This investigation aims to develop an operational definition of formative phase to enable comparative technology analysis. A review of the literature, particularly the technological innovation system one, reveals a set of formative processes which are then connected to a common set of indicators for characterizing the development of new technologies. The results show that "2.5% market potential" is a good metric of the completion of the formative phase as early demand helps to reduce uncertainties (technology, market and institutions) and improve performances. This phase is often long, taking at least a decade in the more optimistic estimates. It can be shortened in the case of less disruptive innovations or by a simultaneous promotion of technology supply and demand

When and why does it pay to be green?

Environmental policy; innovation; Porter hypothesis; environmental regulation; pollution; capital market; green products.

When and why does it pay to be green ?

The conventional wisdom about environmental protection is that it comes at an additional cost on firms imposed by the government, which may erode their global competitiveness. However, during the last decade, this paradigm has been challenged by a number of analysts. In particular, Porter (Porter, 1991; Porter and van der Linde, 1995) argues that pollution is often associated with a waste of resources (material, energy, etc.), and that more stringent environmental policies can stimulate innovations that may compensate for the costs of complying with these policies. This is known as the Porter hypothesis. In fact, there are many ways through which improving the environmental performance of a company can lead to a better economic or financial performance, and not necessarily to an increase in cost. To be systematic, it is important to look at both sides of the balance sheet.First, a better environmental performance can lead to an increase in revenues through the following channels: i) a better access to certain markets; ii) the possibility to differentiate products and iii) the possibility to sell pollution-control technology. Second, a better environmental performance can lead to cost reductions in the following categories: iv) regulatory cost; v) cost of material, energy and services (this refers mainly to the Porter hypothesis); vi) cost of capital, and vii) cost of labour. Although these different possibilities have been identified from a conceptual or theoretical point of view for some time (Reinhardt, 2000; Lankoski, 2000, 2006), to our knowledge, there was no systematic effort to provide empirical evidences supporting the existence of these opportunities and assessing their “magnitude”. This is the objective of this paper. For each of the seven possibilities identified above [i) through vii)], we present the mechanisms involved, a systematic view of the empirical evidence available, and a discussion of the gaps in the empirical literature. The objective of the paper is not to show that a reduction of pollution is always accompanied by a better financial performance, it is rather to argue that the expenses incurred to reduce pollution can sometime be partly or completely compensated by gains made elsewhere. Through a systematic examination of all the possibilities, we also want to identify the circumstances most likely to lead to a “win-win” situation, i.e., better environmental and financial performance.ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY;INNOVATION;PORTER HYPOTHESIS;ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION;POLLUTION;CAPITAL MARKET;GREEN PRODUCTS

Comparing the International Knowledge Flow of China’s Wind and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Industries: Patent Analysis and Implications for Sustainable Development

Climate-relevant technologies, like wind and solar energy, are crucial for mitigating climate change and for achieving sustainable development. Recent literature argues that Chinese solar firms play more active roles in international knowledge flows, which may better explain their success in international markets when compared to those of Chinese wind firms; however, empirical evidence remains sparse. This study aims to explore to what extent and how do the international knowledge flows differ between China’s wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) industries? From a network perspective, this paper develops a three-dimensional framework to compare the knowledge flows in both explicit and tacit dimensions: (i) inter-country explicit knowledge clusters (by topological clustering of patent citation network); (ii) inter-firm explicit knowledge flow (patent citation network of key firms); and, (iii) inter-firm tacit knowledge flow (by desktop research and interviews). The results show that China’s PV industry has stronger international knowledge linkages in terms of knowledge clustering and explicit knowledge flow, but the wind power industry has a stronger tacit knowledge flow. Further, this study argues that the differences of global knowledge links between China’s wind and solar PV industries may be caused by technology characteristics, market orientation, and policy implementation. This suggests that these industries both have strong connections to global knowledge networks, but they may involve disparate catch-up pathways that concern follower-modes and leader-modes. These findings are important to help us understand how China can follow sustainable development pathways in the light of climate change

Contemporary Innovation Policy and Instruments: Challenges and Implications

In this paper we review major theoretical (neoclassical economics, evolutionary, systemic and knowledge-based) insights about innovation and we analyse their implications for the characteristics of contemporary innovation policy and instruments. We show that the perspectives complement each other but altogether reveal the need to redefine the current general philosophy as well as the modes of operationalisation of contemporary innovation policy. We argue that systemic instruments ensuring proper organisation of innovation systems give a promise of increased rates and desired (more sustainable) direction of innovation.systemic instruments, innovation policy, innovation theory, policy mix, innovation system, sustainability