Innovation in Governance:

Transcription

1 Innovation in Governance: Technical cooperation and partnerships for sustainable development Dr. Carsten Mann Technische Universität (TU) Berlin; Center for Technology & Society High-level Capacity Building Workshop, Yerevan, 8-10 October 2014

2 Outline 1. Governance for sustainable development 2. Technical cooperation & partnerships New forms of governance for innovation 3. Ambivalences & challenges of innovation Uncertain developments 4. Innovating socio-technical systems A multilevel perspective 5. Guiding sustainability transitions Transition management 2

3 1. Governance for Sustainable Development Sustainable development demands for system innovations! Institutions Administration: Often not sustainable - Technocratic, ineffective, static, not integrated, undesirable outcomes Environment Social Sustainable Development Shift: From government to governance Principles: New forms of coordination, shared responsibility, alliances, learning Example: Cooperation & partnerships Economy 3

4 2. Cooperation & partnerships for system innovation Governance structures / forms* (institutions) Hierarchy/ Bureaucracy Market Self-organised network Governance mechanisms* (coordination) Hierarchical (order / instruction) Non-hierarchical (price) Non-hierarchical (trust) Organisations / actors (orientation) Public (common/welfare orientation) Private (individual interests) Intra-/transgovernmental; Private-Private; Public-Private Promises: flexible, productive (knowledge, support), trade-offs, strategic Shift: centralized => distributed/shared responsibility * ideal-typical governance forms/mechanisms seldom exist, but hybrids/mixes 4

5 3. Ambivalences and challenges of system innovations Innovation is more than extra smart problem-solving! Problem of uncertainty! Functional promises vs. unpredictable outcomes (non-linear!) Unknown societal and political impacts (unintended) Unfold after implementation (repair work!) Problem of autonomous innovation! Heterogeneity of actors/interests (science, policy, engineers ) Strategies for action ( political dimension of lock-ins) Dominant innovation = most sustainable? (doubts!) Expl. of lock-in VHS vs. Betamax video Monsanto s RR GM soybean Windows software 5

6 3. Ambivalences and challenges of system innovations Needed is responsible innovation: A transparent, interactive process by which societal actors and innovators become mutually responsive to each other (with a view to the ethical acceptability, sustainability and societal desirability of the innovation process and its products) (Van Schomberg 2011). time multiple diverging directions of innovations Anticipate effects: In interaction with situational contexts; evolutionary understanding Explicate and discuss variation: Which direction, why, for whom? Careful appraisal: As a matter of multiple perspectives 6

7 4. Innovating socio-technical systems for sustainability Making a difference is not a matter of brute force but of intelligent intervention! Precondition: 1) Understanding socio-technical systems System levels, sub-systems, influences Role of different actors 2) Understanding innovation/transition dynamics Interactions/co-evolution/uptake/stabilization/change For dealing and supporting transition processes! Multi level perspective model (Geels 2002) 7

8 Figure: Multi-level-perspective (Geels 2002)

9 5. Guiding transitions to sustainability Transition management (Kemp et al. 2007; Loorbach 2010) Design of transition process: searching/learning/experimentation Strategic: Provision of experimental spaces Tactical: Focus frontrunner/change agents (niches) Operational: Variation & selection of innovations by experiments Reflexive: Evaluation & learning (=> Adaptation of/to system (Figure: Loorbach 2010) 9

10 5. Guiding transitions to sustainability: A way forward Cooperation & partnerships bear high potential to introduce and foster system innovations (but no panacea for all problems!) Government is only one actor in the system, but has a special responsibility and role (collective goods & services!) => Need to provide framework conditions for system innovations! Therefore spaces and resources for experiments needs to be provided => systematic monitoring + learning, & coordination Only societally embedded innovations, which work by / for the people in contexts, can be sustainable! => System innovations shall be done in a reflexive and open (i.e. participatory) way 10

11 Thank you!

12 References Geels, F. W. (2002): Technological transitions as evolutionary reconfiguration processes: a multi-level perspective and a case-study. Research Policy 31 (8/9), Kemp, R., Loorbach, D., Rotmans, J. (2007): Transition Management as a Model for Managing Processes of Co-Evolution towards Sustainable Development. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 14(1): Loorbach, D. (2010): Transition Management for Sustainable Development: A Prescriptive, Complexity-Based Governance Framework. Governance 23(1):