Workshop 2 on innovation:
“Innovation and path dependency. Institutions for the management of diversity in innovation systems”

16-17 April 2007, Zurich
Organised by Bernhard Truffer (EAWAG) and Harald Rohracher (IFZ)

Recent research on system innovation and transition management has focused on socio-technical transformation processes, which might lead to more sustainable technologies, products or even entire sectors. One of the key problems in transition management that needs further elaboration is how to identify necessary and sufficient conditions for certain socio-technical trajectories to develop and at the same time to maintain a sufficient level of openness and diversity with respect to alternative technological and institutional pathways. The workshop addressed this issue by setting the concepts of “technological systems of innovation”, “path dependency” and “diversity” at centre stage.

Further information:

  • Call for papers
  • Programme
  • Participants

    • Programme and presentations

    I. Innovation systems and transitions

    Welcome and introductory notes
    Bernhard Truffer (Eawag, Cirus), Jan-Peter Voß (Öko-Institut)
    download presentation (509 kb)

    IS and multi-level approaches: towards a shared framework
    Jochen Markard (Eawag, Cirus) download presentation (502 kb)

    Breaking path dependence in the energy sector
    Staffan Jacobsson, Chalmers University Gothenburg download presentation (89 kb)

    The need for complementary perspectives
    Fred Steward, Brunel University London download presentation (816 kb)

    Comment and Discussion
    Kornelia Konrad (Eawag, Cirus) download presentation (307 kb)

    II. Path creation and institutional stabilization processes

    Dynamics of innovation systems
    Markko Hekkert, University of Utrecht download presentation (240 kb)

    Doing institutional analysis of IS
    Harald Rohracher (Inter-University Research Centre Graz), Bernhard Truffer (Eawag, Cirus), Jochen Markard (Eawag, Cirus) download presentation (297 kb)

    Variation in innovation systems through communities
    Raimund Bleischwitz (Wuppertal Institute) download presentation (4.823 kb)

    Local negotiation and alignment of expectations
    Rob Raven (Energy Research Center ECN) download presentation (794 kb)

    Emerging hydrogen and CCS innovation systems
    Philip Vergragt (MIT, Cambridge US) download presentation (2.048 kb)

    Comment and Discussion Adrian Smith (SPRU)

    III. Institutional structures, diversity and transitions

    Path creation, societal embedding and socio-technical transitions
    Johan Schot, Gijs Mom, Frank Geels (University of Eindhoven) download presentation (94 kb)

    Beyond path dependency: oil companies and sustainable fuels
    Jan Strobel (Free University Berlin) download presentation (494 kb)

    Technology and sectoral change
    Ulrich Dolata (University of Bremen) download presentation (144 kb)

    Innovation regimes and institutional reflexivity
    Daniel Barben (University of Arizona) download presentation (67 kb)

    Global innovation networks
    Christian Zeller (University of Berne) download presentation (3.189 kb)

    Comment and Discussion
    Philipp Späth (Inter-University Research Centre Graz)

    IV. Governing Transition Processes

    Pathways, politics and diversity in the governance of techn. transitions
    Andy Stirling (SPRU, Brighton) download presentation (874 kb)

    Where the action is: economic sustainability in Asia
    Frans Berkhout (Vrije Universiteit) download presentation (906 kb)

    Lessons for Transition Theory
    Frank Geels, University of Eindhoven

    Lessons for Innovation Systems Research
    Matthias Weber, Austrian Research Centres