Decline processes in technological innovation systems: Lessons from energy technologies

Nuno Bento, Alejandro Nuñez-Jimenez and Noah Kittner

Research Policy, 2025, vol. 54, issue 3

Abstract: Technology decline is gaining attention in sustainability transitions because it can accelerate the adoption of sustainable alternatives and mitigate the lingering impacts of polluting technologies. However, a systematic analysis of the processes driving the decline of established technologies remains absent. This paper addresses this gap by introducing the concept of “decline functions,” inspired by the functional analysis of technological innovation systems (TIS). While traditional TIS functions make emerging systems thrive, decline functions contribute to the unravelling of faltering systems. Four decline functions are suggested: delegitimation, guidance toward exit, market decline, and resource demobilization. These functions are applied to four energy-technology cases: incandescent light bulbs, oil-based heating, nuclear power and internal combustion engine cars. Data were collected through a directed literature review. Our analysis reveals that all four decline functions were present and played important roles across the cases. These functions offer a systematic framework for analyzing and comparing cases of declining TIS and can provide actionable insights for policymakers to accelerate sustainability transitions.

Keywords: Sustainability transitions; Technological innovation systems; Functions; Decline; Energy technologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O33 O38 Q40 Q55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733325000034
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:respol:v:54:y:2025:i:3:s0048733325000034

DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2025.105174

Access Statistics for this article

Research Policy is currently edited by M. Bell, B. Martin, W.E. Steinmueller, A. Arora, M. Callon, M. Kenney, S. Kuhlmann, Keun Lee and F. Murray

More articles in Research Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().