A Typology of Innovation Policy Change

Résumé du livre

Green emerging industries develop with the support of public policy which may experience much change. Most existing theories of policy change fail to consider the complicated interdependence and feedback between policies and the socio-technical system. Nor do they distinguish the change process of different types of policies. This paper therefore explores the questions: How does the socio-technical system of an emerging industry shape innovation policy change? Is there distinction among different types of policies? Drawing insights from China's new energy vehicle (NEV) industry between 1999 and 2015, this paper finds that different types of NEV policies evolve with distinct driving factors and policy learning modes. In addition, industrial leapfrogging turns to be the most prominent driving force of NEV policy. This paper contributes by revealing a typology of policy change process which enriches and generalizes an existing compulsive policymaking model. Another contribution lies in demonstrating industrial leapfrogging as an important policy goal of sustainability transition in emerging economies. Empirically, this study offers for the first time a very intensive investigation of China's nearly 20-year policy for clean mobility, which provides a foundation for future research.