Some challenges in researching Technological Innovation Studies, using my Irish case study

1. S L I P P E RY S U B J E C T S :
L O C AT I N G P R O C E S S E S : C AT C H U P, R O L L
O U T A N D T R A N S I T I O N I N I R I S H W I N D
C I A N O ’ D O N O VA N | S P R U D P H I L D AY | M AY 2 0 1 4
c . o - d o n o v a n @ s u s s e x . a c . u k
@ c i a n
Thanks
Instead of pretending I know what I’m talking about

2. < 1 >

3. This is historical research
I’m going to start with an historical event

4. WA R

5. W H AT

6. I S

7. I T

8. G O O D

9. F O R ?

10. ( A B S O L U T E LY
N O T H I N G )

11. The point here is:
We have all these lovely frameworks, That very smart people in other countries have come up with
but when we go abroad, we find out that, things work a little bit differently
!
This is a slippery issue
These frameworks don’t come with warning signs
This isn’t just about geographers having certain buttons to push

12. Installed wind capacity (W per capita)
1998 2013
800
0
Source Eurostat 2014
The problem?
Important because
1 we want to solve climate change
2 we want energy security
3 Most important, most countries aren’t leaders: They have to play catch-up
!
!
COMMENT: Coordination could be important herb That’s why these countries do well

13. < / 1 >

14. < 2 >
Quality
I’m going to introduce a framework

15. A T E C H N O L O G I C A L I N N O VAT I O N S Y S T E M
Why TIS
Martin Bell, catch up, capabilities and technology transfer
—focus on the tech system
—there’s focus there from policy makers as it is
—Not neo classical diffusion
—Acknowledges the public good element of sustainability
!
Systems: Actors | Institutions | Technology | Cumulative causation

16. A L L
T H E
T H I N G S
Systems: Actors | Institutions | Technology | Cumulative causation
!
Ideally we’d like to see a well functioning system
One that creates,diffuses and utilises new technology

17. But I want to look at this in the context of Europe?
!
— A highly qualitative approach
— What is the quality of legitimation
— Where does the legitimation come from
!
— Where do we bound the system?
— And where do functions come from?
I NEED TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

18. Introducing
Binz and Truffer’s nice paper on social network analysis
!
TOUCHING DOWN

19. T H E S E G U Y S A R E L I N K I N G U P
F I N D I N G 1
What does the Touch down process look like
!

20. How do functions
and capabilities
explain the
touching down of
a TIS in Ireland?
Well the TIS literature suggests that these different functions are important
Here we see new actors
We see entrepreneurial activity
Positive externalities
knowledge creation and diffusion
!
— So far, so reductionist
!
We typically identify these functions using event history analysis
Or process theories

22. These are the foreign ones

23. ISSUES OF
QUANTITY AND
QUALITY
Slippery subject:
!
Legitimacy is important, who provides it
Does this make a difference?
How are visions set
How do particular visions favour certain actors
What about the institutional quality, plan led vs project led

24. < / 2 >

25. < 3 >

26. IWEA formed
Demonstration
project
(THERMIE)
1999 Green
Paper
Institutional
entrepreneurs
EC Directive on
electricity
markets 1996
Market incentive
schemes
(AER I, III)
RESG
Entrepreneurial
projects:
Planning apps
Entrepreneurial
projects:
Planning apps
Entrepreneurial
projects: project
applications
Investment
roadshows
2000 Planning
Act
Moratorium
European vision:
EC RE Directive
2001
P2/3
REFIT 1 / 2
Institutional change directed from EU
+F5 Coalition building
+F5 New actors in TIS
F3: Early entrepreneurial activity
F5: New actors entering TIS
+F5 Location for visions
+F2 Influence the direction of search
Knowldege diffusion
New actors in TIS
Lets build up the TIS
Through process tracing, historical narratives, analytic chronologies
Increasingly look at a turning point scheme, rather than event histories

27. EU Structural
Funds
Wind farms
emerge on West
coast
Certain actors
privileged
Project-led
institutional
approach
F6
resource
m
obilisationF5 legitimation
F5 Visions shaped and created
F6 resource mobilisation
F4 market formation
F8 Materialisation
Danish turbines
F6resourcemobilisation
Local market
creation policies
SYSTEM
FLAVOURS
EMERGE
EU structural funds influence the market creation policies
Our institutional setting
!
In this case we then get to ask:
- Who sets these visions?
- In whose interests?
SYSTEM BARRIERS
These can be useful
institutional void in Ireland, if the govt don’t legitimise tech, who does, what tech?

28. < / 3 >

29. S U M M A R I S I N G
F R A M E W O R K V S
C O N T E X T
S Y S T E M F L AV O U R S
& FAV O U R S
Q U A L I T Y O F
F U N C T I O N S
[Final slide]
FINDINGS What’s in the country before hand
War or peace / Knowledge or power
This shapes actor capabilities
!
FINDINGS: QUALITY VISION
Specific visions are created and reinforced as a result of EU and other global functions
Push farms to west coast
!
Sustainability in whose interests:
What enables the entrepreneurs, the
!
FINDINGS: FLAVOUR
policy actors strategically open space for system actors
National capabilities (cute hoors) combine with institutional setting (project led)
to create a system flavour
!

30. T H A N K S
c . o - d o n o v a n @ s u s s e x . a c . u k
@ c i a n
T
T
T