628 research outputs found
Are tradable green certificates a cost-efficient policy driving technical change or a rent-generating machine? Lessons from Sweden 2003-2008
No full textIn the European policy debate, tradable green certificates (TGC) have been suggested to be a superior regulatory framework for promoting the diffusion of renewable electricity technologies. The purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of the Swedish TGC system, contributing to the European debate on the suitability of different types of frameworks. The expectations of the TGC system were that it would: (a) be effective in terms of increasing the supply of "green" electricity; (b) do this in a cost effective manner (from both a social and a consumer perspective): (c) generate an equitable distribution of costs and benefits and (d) drive technical change. So far, it has performed adequately in terms of effectiveness and social cost effectiveness. However, consumer costs have been substantially higher than expected, very large rents are generated and, at best, it contributes marginally to technical change. Thus. a TGC framework should be selected if the overriding concern is to minimize short term social costs of reaching a certain goal with a high degree of predictability. However, it cannot be expected to also drive technical change, keep consumer costs down and be equitable. Such trade-offs need to be revealed and not obscured by analysts.Original Publication:Anna Bergek and Staffan Jacobsson, Are tradable green certificates a cost-efficient policy driving technical change or a rent-generating machine? Lessons from Sweden 2003-2008, 2010, ENERGY POLICY, (38), 3, 1255-1271.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.11.001Copyright: Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam.http://www.elsevier.com
Universities and industrial transformation: An interpretative and selective literature study with special emphasis on Sweden
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to make a selective and interpretative review of the literature on university-industry relations, with the aim of identifying questions for further research. We provide the 'bare bones' of an analytical framework for approaching university-industry relations, where we conceptualise the role of universities in the innovation and diffusion process as one of the providers of a range of functions in an innovation system. We proceed by addressing three themes with a strong bearing on science and educational policy, focussing on Sweden. These are: (1) how to measure the size and performance of academic research, (2) how to assess the value of academic R&D, and (3) how to improve the value of the academic sector where we deal with the issue of 'responsiveness'. We conclude by specifying a set of questions that need further research.university-industry relations, innovation, diffusion, R&D, Sweden
Transforming the Energy Sector : The evolution of technological systems in renewable energy technology
No full textThis paper analyses the development and diffusion of technologies that utilize renewable energy sources in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.The analysis enlarges the life cycle model of industry evolution to one where the focus is on the formation and evolution of new technological systems. Particular focus is on explaining success and failures in shifting from a formative phase into one characterized by positive feedbacks. A set of challenges is identified for policy makers attempting to influence the process of transforming the energy sector.This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Industrial and corporate change following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version:Staffan Jacobsson and Anna Bergek, Transforming the Energy Sector: The evolution of technological systems in renewable energy technology, 2004, Industrial and corporate change, (13), No. 5, 815-849.is available on-line at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icc/dth032Copyright: Oxford University Pres
'Legitimation' and 'development of positive externalities' : Two key processes in the formation phase of technological innovation systems
No full textResponding to the climate change challenge requires a massive development and diffusion of carbon neutral technologies and, thus, emergence and growth of new socio-technical systems. This paper contributes to an improved understanding of the formative phase of new technological innovation systems (TIS) by outlining a framework for analysing TIS dynamics in terms of structural growth and key innovation-related processes ("functions") and by discussing two of these functions at some depth: "legitimation" and "development of positive externalities". Empirical examples are provided from case studies on renewable energy technologies. We highlight the problematic role of technology assessment studies in shaping legitimacy and the importance of early market formation for the emergence of "packs of entrepreneurs" that may contribute to legitimation, and discuss how exploitation of overlaps between different TISs may create positive externalities, opening up for a powerful "bottom-up" process of system growth. Associated policy and management challenges are identified.This is an electronic version of an article published in:Anna Bergek, Staffan Jacobsson and Björn Sandén, 'Legitimation' and 'development of positive externalities': Two key processes in the formation phase of technological innovation systems, 2008, Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, (20), 5, 575-592.Technology Analysis & Strategic Management is available online at informaworldTM: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09537320802292768Copyright: Taylor & Francishttp://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.as
A framework for guiding policy makers intervening in emerging innovation systems in 'catching up' countries
No full text This paper presents a framework for guiding policy-makers intervening in emerging innovation systems in 'catching-up' countries. The process whereby the central policy issues are identified rests on the notion that there are seven key processes, or 'functions', involved in the formation of such systems and that these processes can be empirically studied. A 'functional approach' is argued to be helpful in finding 'system weaknesses' that can act as focusing mechanisms for policy-makers. An illustrative case from Germany is followed by an analysis of emerging innovation systems in catching-up countries, in particular Brazil, Korea and Chile.This is an electronic version of an article published in:Staffan Jacobsson and Anna Bergek, A framework for guiding policy makers intervening in emerging innovation systems in 'catching up' countries, 2007, European Journal of Development Research, (18), 4, 687-707.European Journal of Development Research is available online at informaworldTM: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09578810601094902Copyright: Taylor & Francishttp://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.as
Dialogue with valuable nature: a study of the Environmental Ethics of Knud LØgstrup, Holmes Rolston III and Hans Jonas
No full textThe book is in Swedish, but there is an English summary of 6-8 pages, which is what is in this file.This is the English summary section from the book written by Staffan Kvassman about Holmes Rolston (and two others). The book was originally his Swedish doctoral dissertation published in 1999
Technical Change and Technology Policy: The Case of Numerically Controlled Lathes in Argentina
No full textThis paper addresses the question: Under what conditions will the recent rapid technical change in products in the machine tool sector increase the technological gap between the developed countries and the Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs)? The technical change referred to is the trend towards the substitution of standard machine tools by Numerically Controlled (NC) machine tools. The specific task will be to analyze the conditions under which the leading Argentinian lathe producer will be able to move from the design and production of standard lathes to numerically controlled lathes
The Use and Production of Numerically Controlled Machine Tools in Argentina
No full textWith the development of the microprocessor, the electronics sector has become regarded as a key technological sector in the OECD countries. Massive government intervention programs have been designed, not only for the production of these integrated circuits, but also for their incorporation into products e.g. robots and for the diffusion of microelectronic controlled processes. It is the all-pervasive character of the chip that has justified these programs. In particular, it is the microprocessor\u27s low cost, high reliability, speed and flexibility in information processing; these attributes have been perceived to have broken down some technical and economic barriers to automation in many industries and services
Transforming the energy system - the evolution of the German technological system for solar cells
No full textTo improve our understanding of processes involved in the formation and growth of new technological systems in the energy sector and to identify the associated key challenges for policy makers managing the transformation process, we examine the development of the German technological system for solar cells over the past twenty-five years. We use a 'technological system' approach in which we will trace the evolution of actors, networks and institutions that have a bearing on the generation and diffusion of solar cells. An initial preparatory stage lasted until about 1989 and was mainly characterised by knowledge build up induced by a Federal RDD programme. This was followed by a second stage characterised by political struggle over the regulatory framework and subsequently the beginning of a virtuous circle for solar cells. In the concluding discussion, we emphasise four key features of the evolution of the technological system: (1) the role of a coalition of system builders which successfully influenced the regulatory framework so that markets could be formed: (2) the considerable length of the learning period and the large number of actors which need to learn; (3) the importance of policies which form early markets (not only early niche markets, but beyond those) as only markets may induce firms to enter and learn, and (4) the need to run market formation policies simultaneous to policies which maintain technological variety.new technology, growth and formation, solar cells, Germany
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