Sustainability Transitions and Industrial Transformation Multi-Sector Dynamics and Policy Perspectives

This Open Access book illuminates the significant transformation processes brought about by economy-wide shifts towards sustainable modes of production, distribution, and consumption. In particular, the accelerating industrial transformations towards sustainability, in response to global warming and planetary boundary constraints, bring a range of new research challenges.

By integrating perspectives from the interdisciplinary fields of innovation, policy, and sustainability transitions studies, the chapters offer novel conceptual and empirical insights into these complex processes, including on multi-system dynamics and digitalization. An essential read for both researchers and policymakers seeking to understand ongoing industrial transformations towards sustainability.

Markus Steen is Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Technology Management (research group Innovation and Sustainability) in SINTEF Digital. He holds a PhD in economic geography from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Geography, where he is also Associate Professor II. His research focuses on sustainability transitions, innovation, policy, industrial transformation and regional development.

Taran Thune is Professor of Innovation at the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture at the University of Oslo and director of research centre INTRANSIT. Taran is particularly interested in policy questions and has published widely on research and innovation policy topics.

Teis Hansen is Full Professor at the Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, and Senior Research Scientist at the Department of Technology Management, SINTEF, Trondheim. He is also a member of the Danish Government’s expert group on the role of research in the green transition, and a Semper Ardens Accomplish grant holder of the Carlsberg Foundation. His research interests are located at the intersections of geography, innovation, sustainability and policy.

Tuukka Mäkitie is Research Scientist at SINTEF Digital, and holds a PhD in innovation studies from University of Oslo, Norway. His research interests include sustainability transitions and green innovation in energy, transport and manufacturing sectors. He is particularly interested in the processes of novel value chain formation as a key part of the acceleration phase of sustainability transitions.

Koen Frenken is Full Professor in Innovation Studies at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. His research interests include evolutionary economics, institutional sociology and complexity theory. He works on breakthrough innovation, economic geography, platform economy and innovation policy.