Title: Using transition management concepts for the evaluation of intersecting policy domains ('grand challenges'): the case of Swedish, Norwegian and UK biofuel policy

Authors: Paul Upham; Antje Klitkou; Dorothy Sutherland Olsen

Addresses: Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Communication (INFU), Leuphana University Lüneburg, Scharnhorststraße 1, D-21335 Lüneburg, Germany ' NIFU Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education, Dep. for Studies in Research and Innovation, P.O. Box 2815 Tøyen, 0608 Oslo, Norway ' NIFU Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education, Dep. for Studies in Research and Innovation, P.O. Box 2815 Tøyen, 0608 Oslo, Norway

Abstract: The notion of 'grand challenges' (GC) is increasingly used in international research and innovation discourse, but risks being used rhetorically to justify business as usual policy approaches. We draw on a study that maps the characteristics of policy problems and proposals referred to in association with 'GC', showing how transition management fits well as a response to these characteristics. We then use the transition management perspective to evaluate prevailing research and innovation policy for an exemplar policy sector (biofuels), in countries with differing policy histories for that sector (the UK, Norway and Sweden). We argue that transition management functions well as a means of highlighting not only policy shortcomings in a sector, but also policy directions appropriate to the scale of GC.

Keywords: biofuels; critical approaches; governance; grand challenges; innovation policy; normative approaches; RD&D; R&D; research and development; transition management; Sweden; Norway; UK; United Kingdom; biofuel policy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFIP.2016.078326

International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy, 2016 Vol.11 No.1/2/3, pp.73 - 95

Received: 20 Nov 2014
Accepted: 14 Jul 2015
Published online: 15 Aug 2016 *

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