Reorienting STI policy for transformative change: lessons from and for India

Soutrik Basu

Chapter 23 in Research Handbook on Regions and Transformative Innovation Policy, 2026, pp 383-398 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter examines the extent to which India's science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies are evolving toward a transformative innovation policy (TIP) framework. While India has no formal TIP, the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement has prompted directional shifts in selected policy domains. The chapter analyzes two cases—the National Solar Mission (NSM) and Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)—to assess how TIP principles such as directionality, inclusiveness, societal challenge orientation, and systemic coordination are reflected in practice. NSM, a centrally led mission for renewable energy expansion, has achieved large-scale diffusion but remains limited in inclusiveness and local institutional embedding. ZBNF, an agroecological transition driven by both state and grassroots actors, presents a more radical transformation model, yet with uneven diffusion and fragmented support. The findings suggest that India's innovation system is transitioning selectively toward TIP—not through systemic reform but via fragmented experiments and parallel initiatives. The chapter concludes that mainstreaming TIP in India will require stronger federal coordination, regional institutional capacities, inclusive governance, and learning mechanisms. India's case highlights the potential and the structural constraints of pursuing TIP in large, complex, and emerging economies.

Keywords: Transformative innovation policy; STI policy; National Solar Mission; Zero Budget Natural Farming; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035309924
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035309931.00033 (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 403 Forbidden

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:elg:eechap:22217_23

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().