Fostering sustainable technologies – a framework for analysing the governance of innovation systems

The authors propose a heuristic framework to bridge the gap between governance research and technological innovation systems (TIS). By integrating the TIS approach with the multi-level perspective (MLP) on socio-technical transitions, the framework allows researchers to analyse the causal relationship between governance arrangements—defined by who governs, how they govern, and what is governed—and the functionality of an innovation system over time. The authors argue that the effectiveness of governance depends on the TIS's stability and its alignment with existing socio-technical regimes.

• The authors identify a critical gap in existing literature regarding the connection between governance arrangements and the functionality of technological innovation systems (TISs), specifically how governance affects the degree to which system functions are served.
• The proposed framework uses a three-dimensional heuristic to analyse governance arrangements: 'who governs' (actors and interests), 'how do they govern' (instruments, mechanisms, and rules), and 'what is governed' (the target functions, actors, and technologies).
• TIS functionality is treated as the dependent variable and is measured by the performance of seven key functions: knowledge development and diffusion, influence on the direction of search, entrepreneurial experimentation, market formation, legitimation, resource mobilisation, and the development of positive externalities.
• The framework integrates the multi-level perspective (MLP), asserting that the influence of governance on a TIS is conditioned by landscape factors, the stability of TIS rules, and the alignment between the TIS and the dominating socio-technical regime.
• Governance mechanisms are categorised along a scale from coercive regulation (such as standards, bans, and taxes) to market-oriented measures and network-based approaches (such as public-private partnerships and voluntary processes).
• The authors argue that sustainable technologies are particularly suitable for this framework because they often face high externalities, compete with established incumbent technologies, and lack existing niche markets, thereby necessitating active governance.
• The framework suggests that governance can trigger different types of rule changes: cognitive (shared understanding), normative (values and beliefs), or regulative (formal rules and procedures).

APA

Hillman, K., Nilsson, M., Rickne, A., & Magnusson, T. (n.d.). Fostering sustainable technologies – a framework for analysing the governance of innovation systems. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Projects/Rethinking-development/Hillman_et_al_2009.pdf

Chicago

Hillman, Karl, Måns Nilsson, Annika Rickne, and Thomas Magnusson. Fostering sustainable technologies – a framework for analysing the governance of innovation systems. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Projects/Rethinking-development/Hillman_et_al_2009.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hillman |first1=Karl |last2=Nilsson |first2=Måns |last3=Rickne |first3=Annika |last4=Magnusson |first4=Thomas |title=Fostering sustainable technologies – a framework for analysing the governance of innovation systems |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Projects/Rethinking-development/Hillman_et_al_2009.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hillmanndfostering, author = {Hillman, Karl and Nilsson, Måns and Rickne, Annika and Magnusson, Thomas}, title = {{Fostering sustainable technologies – a framework for analysing the governance of innovation systems}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Projects/Rethinking-development/Hillman_et_al_2009.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }