Inter-generational transitions in socio-technical systems: The case of mobile communications

Many technology studies have conceptualized transitions between technological generations as a series of S-curve performance improvements over time. Surprisingly, the interregnum between successive generations has received little attention. To understand what happens in the interregnum, we study the transition from 2G to 3G in mobile communications. Our study identifies the presence of forces for both change and continuity across heterogeneous social and technical elements shaping an uneven transition between 2G and 3G mobile communications technology platforms. Unanticipated misalignments and asynchronies that emerged during the journey shifted the incentives of the various actors involved to participate. Based on these observations, we offer several conjectures as to the dynamics that can give rise to temporal discords during inter-generational technological transitions.     

Ontologies, socio-technical transitions (to sustainability), and the multi-level perspective

Using recent criticisms and suggestions regarding the multi-level perspective as stepping stones, the article aims to enhance the reflexivity in transition debates regarding social theories. To that end, the article discusses seven social science ontologies (rational choice, evolution theory, structuralism, interpretivism, functionalism, conflict and power struggle, relationism), their assumptions on agency and causal mechanisms, and their views on socio-technical transitions and environmental sustainability. The second goal is to position the multi-level perspective on transitions with regard to these ontologies and to identify directions for theoretical extensions. The MLP is characterized not as a grand or unifying theory, but as a middle range theory that makes crossovers to some ontologies and not to others.     

Mapping and navigating transitions—The multi-level perspective compared with arenas of development

Transitions of socio-technical systems imply the reconfiguration of institutions and politics making made evident the need to understand and intervene in existing patterns of growth and socio-technical practices in more sustainable directions. In recent decades, theories of transitions have been introduced, which include the multi-level approach indicating ways to govern transitions through understanding the interactions between niches, regimes and landscapes. An alternative approach is suggested, which takes its outset in arenas of development and increased awareness of actors and their way of interpreting context and performing interventions.Building on three cases covering aspects of transitions since the 1970s, the article compares the two approaches based on three concerns in relation to transition studies. The first concern reflects that conflicts are important elements of change helping actors to navigate. The second concern builds on the observation that actors engage at all levels in society including visions, institutions, and innovations. The third concern addresses the role of academic theories and advice regarding governance of transition processes in which they function as entrenched actors.The article ends by emphasising the need to help actors navigate in a field in flux. The study of arenas of development may help interpret transitions in the making, and provide a background of information about how different actors can navigate and perform strategic interventions that support sustainable transitions.     

Innovation studies and sustainability transitions: The allure of the multi-level perspective and its challenges

Sustainable development is prompting a re-assessment of innovation and technological change. This review paper contributes three things towards this re-assessment activity. First, it considers how the history of innovation studies for sustainable development can be explained as a process of linking broader analytical frameworks to successively larger problem framings. Second it introduces an emerging framework whose allure rests in its ability to capture the bigger picture: the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions (MLP). Whilst burgeoning researcher networks and literature suggests this policy-relevant theory is attractive, it is not without its challenges. The third purpose of this paper is to elaborate these challenges as areas for further research and development. We do this by drawing upon contributions to this special section and the wider literature.     

The co-evolution of policy mixes and socio-technical systems: Towards a conceptual framework of policy mix feedback in sustainability transitions

Understanding how policymaking processes can influence the rate and direction of socio-technical change towards sustainability is an important, yet underexplored research agenda in the field of sustainability transitions. Some studies have sought to explain how individual policy instruments can influence transitions, and the politics surrounding this process. We argue that such individual policy instruments can cause wider feedback mechanisms that influence not only their own future development, but also other instruments in the same area. Consequently, by extending the scope of analysis to that of a policy mix allows us to account for multiple policy effects on socio-technical change and resultant feedback mechanisms influencing the policy processes that underpin further policy mix change. This paper takes a first step in this regard by combining policy studies and innovation studies literatures to conceptualise the co-evolutionary dynamics of policy mixes and socio-technical systems. We focus on policy processes to help explain how policy mixes influence socio-technical change, and how changes in the socio-technical system also shape the evolution of the policy mix. To do so we draw on insights from the policy feedback literature, and propose a novel conceptual framework. The framework highlights that policy mixes aiming to foster sustainability transitions need to be designed to create incentives for beneficiaries to mobilise further support, while overcoming a number of prevailing challenges which may undermine political support over time. In the paper, we illustrate the framework using the example of the zero carbon homes policy mix in the UK. We conclude with deriving research and policy implications for analysing and designing dynamic policy mixes for sustainability transitions.     

Information systems and sustainable supply chain management towards a more sustainable society: Where we are and where we are going

The objectives of this study are to identify and systematize scholarly articles on the use of information system to support sustainable supply chain management and to suggest future research opportunities. Therefore, a structured literature review was conducted. The most relevant studies identified were classified and categorized into seven dimensions: research context, research focus, research method, sector analyzed, information system (IS) beneficiaries, relationship between IS and green supply chain practices, and performance benefits. The main authors and articles on this particular topic were identified. In addition, it was concluded that IS is an important support tool for sustainable supply chain management practices since it brings benefits to the organization, suppliers, and customers. Furthermore, IS positively influences the operational, financial, and environmental performance of the organization. However, further advances in the literature are still needed. The major contribution of this research is related to the recommendations that provide opportunities for future research.     

The structuration of socio-technical regimes—Conceptual foundations from institutional theory

In recent years, socio-technical transitions literature has gained importance in addressing long-term, transformative change in various industries. In order to account for the inertia and path-dependency experienced in these sectors, the concept of the socio-technical regime has been formulated. Socio-technical regimes denote the paradigmatic core of a sector, which results from the co-evolution of institutions and technologies over time. Despite its widespread acceptance, the regime concept has repeatedly been criticized for lacking a clear operationalization. As a consequence, empirical applications tend to depict regimes as too ‘monolithic’ and ‘homogenous’, not adequately considering persistent institutional tensions and contradictions. These are however crucial for assessing transition dynamics. In this paper, we revisit two concepts from institutional theory that enable an explicit identification of socio-technical regimes and more generally a specification of the ‘semi-coherence’ of socio-technical systems. First, we will show that ‘levels of structuration’ can be conceptualized as degrees of institutionalization, thereby treating institutionalization as a variable with different effects on actors, the stability of the system and thus the potential for change. Secondly, we draw on the institutional logics approach to characterize the content of various structural elements present in a system and to trace conflicts and contradictions between them. We illustrate this approach with an empirical in-depth analysis of the transformation of the Australian urban water sector since the 1970ies.     

In search of systemic innovation for sustainable development: A design praxis emerging from a decade of social learning inquiry

Processes of designing for systemic innovation for sustainable development (SD) through the lens of three long-term case studies are reported. All case studies, which originated from the SLIM (Social Learning for the Integrated Management and Sustainable Use of Water at Catchment Scale) Project, funded within the EU Fifth Framework Program (2001–2004), constitute inquiry pathways that are explored using a critical incident approach. The initial starting conditions for each inquiry pathway are compared; significant pathway dependencies are identified which foster the development of social learning processes locally, but constrain their uptake and embedding across the wider system of interest. In the first case study, in England & Wales, promising developments in the application of social learning approaches to river basin planning over an initial 3-year period were subsequently marginalised, only to resurface towards the end of the 10-year period of study. In the second, South African case study, significant spaces for social learning and innovation in integrated water resources management were opened up over a five year period but closed down again, primarily as the result of lack of policy support by national government. The third, Italian, case study was designed to assess options for adapting to climate change by opening up new learning spaces between researchers, stakeholders and policy makers. A case for investing in local level systemic innovation through social-learning praxis design approaches and in learning processes around well contextualised case-studies is supported. However, concomitant investment by policy makers in social learning as an alternative, but complementary, governance mechanism for systemic innovation for SD is needed.     

巴马养生旅游可持续发展研究

以"世界长寿之乡"著称的巴马,大打"养生旅游""绿色、健康"招牌,旅游产业不断壮大,吸引了一大批各地的游客在此长居,成为中国最热门的养生旅游之地。文章阐述了巴马具有丰富的养生旅游资源,分析和总结巴马养生旅游发展过程中存在的问题,探讨巴马养生旅游可持续发展对策,使巴马的养生旅游长胜不衰。     

‘Energy regions’: The transformative power of regional discourses on socio-technical futures

‘Guiding visions’ play an important role in the transition management approach as a central means of mobilizing social actors and the co-ordination of dispersed agency.‘Energy regions’ in Austria are an interesting example for the strategic promotion of such guiding visions in the context of regional development. We describe the case of Murau, an alpine district in which a strong actor network has been built around a vision of systematically exploiting renewable energy sources and at the same time saving the region from economic decay. The vision gained much authority and has been institutionalised at various levels of regional governance. It furthermore was supported by and played an important role for regime level attempts to influence socio-technical change.Development and social propagation of such visions are inherently political and contested processes involving much strategizing and anticipation of conflict. We describe particular discursive strategies applied in niches - such as the combination and translation of sentiments into localised visions and demonstrations of feasibility. These strategies can be understood as systematic attempts to support discursive shifts at regime level by means of local activities, and aim to modify rather durable power structures.We suggest ways to analyse such discursive practices in order to orient strategic action in the course of such processes: analysing ‘guiding visions’ and their interference with other emerging trends; extending analyses across spatial scales (e.g. translations) and across thematic fields (e.g. convergence of agendas); and focusing on processes of stabilisation, institutionalisation and mutually reinforcing developments.     

基于可持续发展的邮政客户管理体系研究

本文从完善邮政企业客户管理体系建设入手,通过客户管理模式的设计,分析客户营销、营投服务、客户服务与支持、业务创新与客户挖掘、数据管理平台等环节的实施,协助企业获取和积累客户知识,以提升邮政企业客户的满意度和忠诚度,提高邮政通信企业的效率和效益,促进今后邮政通信的可持续发展。     

On the governance of information: Introducing a new concept of governance to support the management of information

Information governance as an approach to better govern the use of information within and outside an organization is rapidly gaining popularity. A common and scientific ground for this approach has not yet been formulated. In this article the authors describe a definition for information governance, extending the common, one-dimensional approach into a more generic statement. Starting from the well-known principles of IT governance the authors further explore the aspects of both information and governance. Four hypotheses are proposed to give ground to the use of information governance. These hypotheses will be the basis for further research.     

Rethinking the multi-level perspective of technological transitions

In recent years numerous articles have been published which advocate a multi-level perspective (MLP) for the analysis of long-term technological transitions. This paper reviews current transitions research and considers the limitations of the MLP which need to be addressed to enhance understanding of processes of innovation affecting the transformation of technology and society. The paper suggests ways in which the MLP may be effectively rethought, based on more thoroughgoing application of a co-evolutionary concept of technological transitions.     

Destination unknown: Pursuing sustainable mobility in the face of rival societal aspirations

A growing volume of scholarship and policy practice focuses on developing societal capacity to guide transitions of socio-technical systems toward more sustainable alternatives. Because several prominent modes of transportation are widely regarded as systemically problematic, the notion of sustainable mobility has received considerable attention from the standpoint of system innovation. Sustainability though constitutes only one of many contemporary political objectives and public commitment to goals consistent with such a future is highly equivocal. A related challenge arises from the ambivalence that sustainability champions often harbor on an individual level. It is probable that efforts to facilitate sustainable mobility will need to be reconciled with rival societal aspirations such as the pursuit of faster and more convenient forms of travel. Drawing on insights from the multi-level perspective, this article contrasts the relatively static automobility system with its more dynamic aeromobility counterpart and explores why evidence of an incipient transition is more apparent within the realm of aviation. In particular, the diffusion of “personal aeromobility” involving the use of small airplanes for on-demand, point-to-point air travel raises perplexing questions for the governance of sustainable mobility.     

从"运动型"治理到"可持续型"治理——中国公共治理模式嬗变的逻辑与路径

"运动型"治理的逻辑根源在于对中国传统治理模式的依赖、对自上而下行政运行体制的遵循以及将短期政绩作为政府治理目标的错位,最终表现出治理效果不明显、公共权力异化、政府公信力下降等弊端。"可持续型"治理作为一种替代性的治理模式,遵循既定的制度、规则和程序,涵盖了制度治理、依法治理、参与治理和长效治理等理念。实现"运动型"治理向"可持续型"治理转变,确保公共治理绩效的可持续改进,是转型期中国公共治理模式嬗变的路径与方向。     

Evolutionary approaches for sustainable innovation policies: From niche to paradigm?

Fostering technological innovation is considered as an important element of policies towards sustainable development. In the past 10 years, evolutionary policy approaches have been increasingly advocated. For several reasons, they seem well equipped to underpin sustainable innovation policies. They focus on dynamics of change and their drivers, they allow for a substantive perspective on technologies beyond mere input-output relations, taking into account trajectories and different characteristics of innovation, and they are able to describe circumstances under which established technologies might persist even when they are to some extent inferior to their new competitors (lock-in). However, the policy effectiveness of evolutionary approaches in cases in which radical or systemic changes are involved is not yet proven. In this paper we assess the theoretical rationale, instrumental aspects and the coping with policy constraints of three evolutionary policy approaches which have also been used in empirical studies: strategic niche management, transition management and time strategies. Each approach has its strengths and specific problems and all three have to be further developed and tested out but they hold promise for contributing to non-incremental change with economic and environmental benefits, by shaping processes of variation, selection and retention, with the outcomes feeding back into policy. They may also be used in other areas in which innovation direction is important, for instance health care or food.     

Evolutionary theorizing and modeling of sustainability transitions

This paper argues that evolutionary thinking and modeling can contribute to the emerging research on sustainability transitions and their management. Evolutionary theory provides a range of concepts and mechanisms that are useful in making existing theorizing about transitions more precise and complete. In particular, we will discuss how the multi-level, multi-phase, co-evolutionary, and social learning dynamics underlying transitions can be addressed in evolutionary models. In addition, evolutionary theorizing offers suggestions for extending current theoretical frameworks of transitions. Group selection provides a good example. We review the small set of formal evolutionary models of sustainability transitions, and show that existing formal evolutionary models of technological, social and institutional change can provide useful inputs to transition research and management.     

Emergence of creativity in IS development teams: A socio-technical systems perspective

Despite the crucial role of creativity in the dynamic and intricate practice of Information Systems Development (ISD), our understanding of its emergence in ISD teams is limited. Prior research has focused on isolated interventions into the people, structure, task, and technology components of ISD practices. However, the synergistic interactions between these components are often overlooked, resulting in interventions that may be ineffective or counterproductive. Drawing on Leavitt’s Socio-Technical Systems (STS) theory, this paper explores creativity as a synergistic outcome of interactions within and between the people, structure, task, and technology components. Our qualitative study at a multinational banking software provider reveals that creativity emerged from within-component interactions when innovators and facilitators in ISD teams interact empathetically during idea generation and evaluation, visualize ideas using technologies for representation and collaboration, and align their creative styles with the organization's formal and informal structures. Additionally, we found that interactions between the STS components in ISD team practices created stimulating environments for creativity to emerge. Our study advances an STS perspective on the emergence of creativity in ISD teams, emphasizing synergistic interactions between people, structure, task, and technology rather than isolated interventions. Practically, our findings provide insights into how IS professionals can nurture creativity by fostering empathetic leadership, aligning creative styles with organizational structures, and balancing tensions between control and drift.     

发展循环经济促进中小企业可持续发展

发展循环经济,建设资源节约型和环境友好型社会是党和国家提出的一项重大战略决策。企业作为发展循环经济的微观主体,中小企业又是我国企业的主要组成部分,是实现循环经济的主力军。文章在循环经济的理论基础上分析了我国中小企业发展循环经济的必要性,探讨了中小企业发展循环经济中存在的问题,并据此给出了中小企业发展循环经济的几点建议。     

Science, risk and governance: Radical rhetorics and the realities of reform in food safety governance

An historical framework for the analysis of the role of science in public policy is outlined and then applied to analyse a series of institutional reforms that have emerged in 8 separate institutional settings, using as examples the ways in which risks to public health and environmental conditions from food and agriculture are assessed and managed. The discussion explores the extent to which patterns of reform that have been consequent on food safety scares in the late 1990s and early years of this decade have matched the rhetorics in terms of which they were justified, and solved the problems of legitimation that they had highlighted.