In the discussion on innovations for sustainable development, radical innovations are frequently called for in order that the transformation of society to a system perceived as sustainable can succeed. The reason given for this is the greater environmental efficiency of these innovations. This...

This study focuses on a well-known but yet elusive concept: (technological) lock-in. We summarize what is known about the nature of lock-in and offer a critical view on history- dependent processes based on recent contributions to the literature. We discuss if lock-ins are really inescapable,...

The paper aims to contribute to the longstanding technology-push vs. demand-pull debate and to the literature on renewable energy diffusion and renewable energy policy assessment. We argue that in addition to the traditional push-pull dichotomy, the drivers of technological change must be...

This study analyses the diffusion of renewable energy (RE) technologies. It analyses the transition dynamics as the sector broadens its energy mix and changes its capital stock. This shift is found to be desirable from an environmental, geopolitical and economic perspective. Yet, it greatly...

This paper explores the links between open innovation and the emergence of a phoenix industry - the low carbon vehicles sector - in the UK's traditional automotive heartland, focusing on the West Midlands region. It highlights three major factors in driving the development of this ‘phoenix'...

This paper presents comparative data on innovation in selected climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies in the context of Africa. Such analysis informs policy aimed at encouraging international technology transfer and development of domestic innovation capacities. We present...

The paper investigates empirically the decision of firms to adopt Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based on a comprehensive specification of a "rank model" of technology adoption (complemented by "epidemic effects") using firm-level data for the Swiss business sector. The...

International diffusion of advanced environment and energy-related technologies has received much attention in recent environmental economics studies. As a much needed complement to the "black box" complex numerical modelling, this paper contributes to developing a simple, intuitive analytical...

International diffusion of energy-saving technologies has received considerable attention in recent energy and climate economics studies. As a helpful methodological complement to the existing large-scale CGE/IAM-based modelling for energy and climate policy studies, this paper contributes to a...