Standards and innovation in emerging fields: Pushing breakthrough innovation or enrolling actors? An analysis of eco-district standards in France and Denmark

Standards and norms are central objects for institutional studies. However, their role in innovation and the creation of novelty remain unclear, in particular in new / emerging fields. Accordingly, this paper investigates the relationship between standard setting and innovation, in the context of emerging organizational fields. We consider standardization in emerging fields as a socio-technical process, which must simultaneously promote a certain degree of innovation and enroll actors in order to succeed. We apply this perspective to compare standardization processes in the field of eco-districts, both in France and Denmark. Our analysis reveals different tensions, tradeoffs and priorities, among standards, between enrolment priorities, and the need to push forward technical innovation. We discuss how the two issues of constraints and enrollment can be articulated and combined.