Implementing the transformative innovation policy in the European Union: how does transformative change occur in Member States?

ABSTRACT

Despite the emerging theoretical importance of the ‘transformative change’ approach, relatively little is known about how the transition towards this approach is happening in different European contexts, as well as the institutional factors that help explain possible different reform trajectories. To fill this research gap, this article interprets the adoption of the ‘transformative change’ approach in Europe as a paradigmatic case of multi-level policy implementation in the European Union. Taking advantage of an institutional approach drawing on path dependency, it considers how transformative change is happening in two Member States (France and Germany). It does so by focusing on the policy mix adopted to address grand challenges and the type of governance mechanisms mainly used to secure legitimization and coordination. Albeit within the same EU framework, this article shows a diverse development of the innovation policies in the two Member States with the use of a different mix of policy instruments in line with their traditional domestic institutional contexts. Institutional contexts also filtered the early stages of the responses to the COVID-19 crisis. These results have specific implications useful for policy makers and practitioners in the design and implementation of regional innovation policies across different European contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Regional innovation policies
• transformative change approach
• EU multi-level policy implementation
• path dependence
• implementation arrangements

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the editors of European Planning Studies and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable advice and comments on previous versions of this paper. A first stage of this research was conducted as part of the project entitled ‘New forms of public intervention in the economy – The promoting state’ (Casula and Di Mascio 2021), funded by the Institute for Research on Public Administration (IRPA), and ‘Fondazione ASTRID’.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Cf. Interview with a representative from Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau – KfW Research, KfW Group, Team SME and Competitiveness.

2 Cf. Interview with European official, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Directorate A – Policy Development and Coordination Unit A.4 – Analysis and monitoring of national research policies.

3 Cf. Interview with European official, DG Growth, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.

4 Cf. Interview with a representative from Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI).

5 Cf. Interview with European official, DG Growth – Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.

6 Cf. Interview with a representative from the AiF Projekt GmbH, Agency of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

7 Cf. Interviews with European officials, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Directorate A – Policy Development and Coordination Unit A.4 – Analysis and monitoring of national research policies.

8 Cf. Interview with a representative from Caisse de dèpôts et consignations, DG Réseau et Territoires.

9 Cf. Interview with national official, Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation.

10 Cf. Interview with a representative from Bpifrance, Banque Publique d’Investissement.

11 Cf. Interviews with European officials, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Directorate A – Policy Development and Coordination Unit A.4 – Analysis and monitoring of national research policies.

12 Cf. Innovation Policy Platform, Available at: https://www.innovationpolicyplatform.org/www.innovationpolicyplatform.org/frontpage/index.html.

13 Cf. Interviews with European officials, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Directorate A – Policy Development and Coordination Unit A.4 – Analysis and monitoring of national research policies.