Multidimensional relatedness between innovation systems in sustainability transitions

Tuukka Mäkitie, Allan D. Andersen and Jens Hanson

No 1926, Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) from Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography

Abstract: Recent literature in sustainability transition studies has suggested that established industries may provide resources for innovation in low-carbon technologies. This literature, however, has this far not explained why such resource redeployment takes place. Literature in evolutionary economic geography and management studies, however, have discussed such interactions through the notion of relatedness as an underlying factor. Drawing on these literatures we develop an integrated framework for the analysis of multidimensional relatedness between innovation systems in the context of sustainability transitions. Using semi-structured interviews, we study the technological, institutional and network relatedness between the oil and gas industry and the offshore wind power technology in Norway. Our results show that despite the high relatedness in offshore technologies, low relatedness in terms of institutions has challenged the resource redeployment from the Norwegian oil and gas industry to offshore wind power. We thus suggest that relatedness, understood in multiple structural dimensions, can help to understand why resource redeployment from established industries to technological innovation systems may, or may not, take place.

Keywords: multidimensional relatedness; innovation systems; sustainability transitions; oil and gas industry; offshore wind power (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O33 Q55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-09, Revised 2019-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-geo and nep-tid
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