Strategic Niche Management: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

Innovation systems take a holistic approach to understanding innovation dynamics, emphasizing the role of actors, institutions, and networks as key structural components. These interact to create feedback loops that can either accelerate or hinder innovation. Initially, innovation systems focused on national competitiveness and remained technology-neutral. The introduction of technological innovation systems (TIS), the focus of this chapter, shifted attention to the emergence of specific technologies, particularly sustainable ones that face market barriers. This made TIS a foundational framework in sustainability transitions research. A major milestone in its development was the introduction of TIS ‘functions’, which capture key system dynamics. Over time, TIS has evolved, incorporating factors like geography, policy, and system interactions. Scholars continue to expand the framework, exploring missions, life cycles, and destabilisation. These advancements increasingly integrate technological and social innovation, offering insights into the transition towards more sustainable futures.