Abstract
This paper brings together recent conceptual and empirical contributions, to provide new analytical foundations of systemic public policies for the transition towards the green economy. In particular, by acknowledging the inherent complexity of system dynamics, the paper argues that the green transformation of the economies can be conceptualized as the outcome of an emergent system property. In this context, the paper highlights the difficulties related to the development of an integrated framework of policy instruments and the necessity to take into account their mutual interaction in the effort of favoring sustainable transition. Some examples of possible contrasting effects between policies that are crucial for sustaining the transition towards the green economy: innovation policy, environmental and energy policies, and labor policies are discussed. Finally, the paper elaborates on the concept of Green Transition System, suggesting the importance of activating learning and adaptive mechanisms involving private agents, stakeholders, policy makers and scholars interested and involved in the transition process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abrell J, Weigt H (2008) The interaction of emissions trading and renewable energy promotion. Dresden University of Technology, Economics of global warming working papers, WP-EGW-05
Acemoglu D (2002) Technical change, inequality and the labour market. J Econ Lit 40(1):7–72
Anderson PW, Arrow KJ, Pines D (eds) (1988) The economy as an evolving complex system. Addison Wesley, Redwood
Antonelli C (2011) Handbook on the economic complexity of technological change. Elgar, Cheltenham
Antonelli C, Ferraris G (2011) Innovation as an emerging system property: an agent based simulation model. J Artif Soc Soc Simul 14 (2):1. http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/2/1.html
Archibugi D, Filippetti A, Frenz M (2013) The impact of the economic crisis on innovation: evidence from Europe. Technol Forecast Soc Change 80(7):247–260
Arrow K (1962) Economic welfare and the allocation of resources for invention. In: Nelson RR (ed) The rate and direction of inventive activity. Princeton University Press, Princeton, pp 609–625
Arthur WB, Durlauf SN, Lane DA (eds) (1997) The economy as an evolving complex system II. Addison-Wesley, Redwood City
Baumol WJ, Oates WE (1988) The theory of environmental policy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Bleda M, del Río P (2013) The market failure and the systemic failure rationales in technological innovation systems. Res Policy 42:1039–1052
Böhringer C, Koschel H, Moslener U (2008) Efficiency losses from overlapping regulation of EU carbon emissions. J Regul Econ 33:299–317
Borghesi S (2011) The European emission trading scheme and renewable energy policies: credible targets for incredible results? Int J Sustain Econ 3(3):312–327
Borrás S, Edquist C (2013) The choice of innovation policy instruments. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 80:1513–1522
Brock WA, Taylor MS (2005) Economic growth and the environment: a review of theory and empirics. In: Aghion P, Durlauf S (eds) Handbook of economic growth, vol 1, 1st edn. Elsevier, Oxford, pp 1749–1821
CEDEFOP (2013) Skills for a low-carbon Europe. The role of VET in a sustainable energy scenario. Synth Rep
Chennells L, Van Reenen J (2002) Technical change and the structure of employment and wages: a survey of the micro-econometric evidence. In: Greenan N, L’Horty Y, Mairesse J (eds) Productivity, inequality and the digital economy. MIT Press, Cambridge
Copeland BR, Taylor MS (2004) Trade, growth, and the environment. J Econ Lit 42(1):7–71
Costantini V, Crespi F (2008) Environmental regulation and the export dynamics of energy technologies. Ecol Econ 66(2–3):447–460
Costantini V, Crespi F (2013) Public policies for a sustainable energy sector: regulation, diversity and fostering of innovation. J Evol Econ 23(2):401–429
Costantini V, Mazzanti M (2012) On the green and innovative side of trade competitiveness? The impact of environmental policies and innovation on EU exports. Res Policy 41(1):132–153
Costantini V, Gracceva F, Markandya A, Vicini G (2007) Security of energy supply: comparing scenarios from a European perspective. Energy Policy 35:210–226
Costantini V, Crespi F, Martini C, Pennacchio L (2015) Demand-pull and technology-push public support for eco-innovation: the case of the biofuels sector. Res Policy 44:577–595
Croci Angelini E, Farina F, Pianta M (2009) Innovation and wage polarisation in Europe. Int Rev Appl Econ 23(3):309–325
Del Río P (2009) The empirical analysis of the determinants for environmental technological change: a research agenda. Ecol Econ 68:861–878
Dopfer K, Potts J (2008) The General theory of economic evolution. Routledge, London
Edquist C (1997) Systems of innovation approaches-their emergence and characteristics. In: Edquist C (ed) Systems of innovation: technologies, institutions and organizations. Pinter Publishers, London
EEA (2013) Towards a green economy in Europe—EU environmental policy targets and objectives 2010–2050. EEA, Copenhagen
European Commission (2011a) Horizon 2020—the framework programme for research and innovation. COM(808) final, Brussels
European Commission (2011b) Roadmap to a resource efficient Europe. COM(571) final, Brussels
Fankhauser S, Sehlleier F, Stern N (2008) Climate change, innovation and jobs. Clim Policy 8:421–429
Flanagan K, Uyarra E, Laranja M (2011) Reconceptualising the ‘policy mix’ for innovation. Res Policy 40(5):702–713
Freeman C (1987) Technology policy and economic performance: lessons from Japan. Pinter, London
Frondel M, Horbach J, Rennings K (2008) What triggers environmental management and innovation? Empirical evidence for Germany. Ecol Econ 66(1):153–160
Frondel M, Ritter N, Schmidt CM, Vance C (2010) Economic impacts from the promotion of renewable energy technologies: the German experience. Energy Policy 38(8):4048–4056
Gagliardi L, Marin G, Miriello C (2014) The greener the better: job creation and environmentally‐friendly technological change. IEFE WP N. 60, January 2014
Greening LA, Greene DL, Digfiglio C (2000) Energy efficiency and consumption-the rebound effect-a survey. Energy Policy 28:389–401
Harper DA, Lewis P (2012) New perspectives on emergence in economics. J Econ Behav Org 82:329–337
Hoppmann J, Peters M, Schneider M, Hoffmann VH (2013) The two faces of market support—how deployment policies affect technological exploration and exploitation in the solar photovoltaic industry. Res Policy 42(4):989–1003
Horbach J (2010) The impact of innovations activities on employment in the environmental sector e empirical results for Germany at the firm level. J Econ Stat 230(4):403–419
Horbach J, Rammer C, Rennings K (2012) Determinants of eco-innovations by type of environmental impact. The role of regulatory push/pull, technology push and market pull. Ecol Econ 78:112–122
IEA (2011) Interactions of policies for renewable energy and climate. International Energy Agency, Paris
Kallis G, van den Bergh J (2013) A survey of evolutionary policy: normative and positive dimensions. J Bioecon 15(3):281–303
Kates RW, Parris TM, Leiserowitz AA (2005) Do global attitudes and behaviors support sustainable development? Environ Sci Policy Sustain Dev 47(3):8–21
Kemp R (1997) Environmental policies and technical change. A comparison of the technological impact of policy instruments. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
Kuhlmann S, Shapira P, Smits REHM (2010) Introduction. A systemic perspective: the innovation policy dance. In: Kuhlmann S, Shapira P, Smits REHM (eds) The theory and practice of innovation policy. An international research handbook. Edgar Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham
Laleman R, Albrecht J (2014) Comparing push and pull measures for PV and wind in Europe. Renew Energy 61:33–37
Lane D, Pumain D, van der Leeuw S (2009) Complexity perspectives in innovation and social change. Springer, Berlin
Lundvall B-Å (1988) Innovation as an interactive process: from user-producer interaction to the national system of innovation. In: Dosi G, Freeman C, Nelson R, Silverberg G, Soete L (eds) Technical change and economic theory. Pinter Publishers, London, pp 349–367
Mastrostefano V, Pianta M (2009) Technology and jobs. Econ Innov New Technol 18(7–8):729–742
Mazzucato M (2013) The entrepreneurial state: debunking the public vs. private myth in risk and innovation. Anthem, London
Mazzuccato M (2015) Innovation systems: from fixing market failures to creating markets. Intereconomics. Forum industrial policy: which industrial policy does Europe need? 50(3), pp 120–155
Metcalfe JS (1995) Foundations of technology policy—equilibrium and evolutionary perspectives. In: Stoneman P, Dasgupta P, Nelson R (eds) Handbook in the economics of innovation. Blackwell, Oxford
Metcalfe JS (2005) Systems failure and the case for innovation policy. In: Matt M, Llerena P, Avadikyan A (eds) Innovation policy in a knowledge based economy: theories and practises. Springer Verlag, Berlin
Metcalfe JS, Ramlogan R (2005) Limits to the economy of knowledge and knowledge of the economy. Futures 37:655–674
Nelson RR (1959) The simple economics of basic scientific research. J Polit Econ 67:323–348
Nelson RR (1993) National systems of innovation. Oxford University Press, New York
Nemet G (2009) Demand-pull, technology-push, and government-led incentives for non-incremental technical change. Res Policy 38:700–709
Newell RG (2010) The role of markets and policies in delivering innovation for climate change mitigation. Oxf Rev Econ Policy 26(2):253–269
Nill J, Kemp R (2009) Evolutionary approaches for sustainable innovation policies: from niche to paradigm. Res Policy 38:668–680
OECD (2007) Instrument mixes for environmental policy. OECD publishing, Paris
OECD (2010) OECD green growth studies. Taxation, innovation and the environment. OECD Publishing, Paris
OECD (2011) OECD green growth studies. Fostering innovation for green growth. OECD Publishing, Paris
Pianta M (2001) Innovation, demand and employment. In: Petit P, Soete L (eds) Technology and the future of European employment. Elgar, Cheltenham
Pianta M (2005) Innovation and employment. In: Fagerberg J, Mowery D, Nelson R (eds) The Oxford handbook of innovation. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Porter ME, van der Linde C (1995) Toward a new conception of the environment-competitiveness relationship. J Econ Perspect 9(4):97–118
Rammel C, van der Bergh JCJM (2003) Evolutionary policies for sustainable development: adaptive flexibility and risk minimising. Ecol Econ 47:121–133
Rennings K (2000) Redefining innovation—eco-innovation research and the contribution from ecological economics. Ecol Econ 32(2):319–332
Rennings K, Ziegler A, Zwick T (2004) The effect of environmental innovation on employment changes: an econometric analysis. Bus Strategy Environ 13:374–387
Rogge KS, Reichardt K (2013) Towards a more comprehensive policy mix conceptualization for environmental technological change: a literature synthesis. Working paper sustainability and innovation, No. S3/2013
Rotmans J, Kemp R, van Asselt M (2001) More evolution than revolution, transition management in public policy. Foresight 3(1):15–31
Sagar AD, van der Zwaan B (2006) Technological innovation in the energy sector: R&D, deployment, and learning-by-doing. Energy Policy 34(17):2601–2608
Sorrel S, Sijm J (2003) Carbon trading in the policy mix. Oxf Rev Econ Policy 19(3):420–437
Tinbergen J (1952) On the theory of economic policy. North Holland, Amsterdam
Unruh GC (2000) Understanding carbon lock-in. Energy Policy 28:817–830
Unruh GC (2002) Escaping carbon lock-in. Energy Policy 30:317–325
van den Bergh JCJM, Gowdy J (2000) Evolutionary theories in environmental and resource economics: approaches and applications. Environ Resour Econ 17:37–52
van der Berg JCJM, Faber A, Idenburg A, Oosterhuis F (2007) Evolutionary economics and environmental policy, survival of the greenest. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
Vivarelli M, Evangelista R, Pianta M (1996) Innovation and employment in the Italian manufacturing industry. Res Policy 25:1013–1026
Vona F, Marin G, Consoli D, Popp D (2015) Green skills, NBER working paper 21116
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Crespi, F. Policy complexity and the green transformation of the economies as an emergent system property. Environ Econ Policy Stud 18, 143–157 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-015-0131-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-015-0131-4