TY - JOUR
T1 - Beyond instrumentalism
T2 - Broadening the understanding of social innovation in socio-technical energy systems
AU - Wittmayer, Julia M.
AU - de Geus, Tessa
AU - Pel, Bonno
AU - Avelino, Flor
AU - Hielscher, Sabine
AU - Hoppe, Thomas
AU - Mühlemeier, Susan
AU - Stasik, Agata
AU - de Vries, Gerdien
AU - More Authors, null
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Social innovation is an important dimension of current transformations in energy systems. It can refer to alternative business models, novel policy instruments, financing schemes, participatory governance approaches to energy questions, or new discourses. Its significance for energy systems is often considered in narrow instrumentalist terms, reducing it to a tool serving particular policy objectives. Grounding the concept in social science and humanities insights, this review essay proposes a broadened social innovation understanding. We propose 1) to open up the normative complexity of the concept; 2) to appreciate the multi-actor nature of social innovation; 3) to understand it as an analytical entry point for socio-material intertwinement; and, 4) to understand social innovation as premised on experimentalism-based intervention logics. The proposed social innovation understandings provide a broader imagination and strategizing of structural changes in energy systems.
AB - Social innovation is an important dimension of current transformations in energy systems. It can refer to alternative business models, novel policy instruments, financing schemes, participatory governance approaches to energy questions, or new discourses. Its significance for energy systems is often considered in narrow instrumentalist terms, reducing it to a tool serving particular policy objectives. Grounding the concept in social science and humanities insights, this review essay proposes a broadened social innovation understanding. We propose 1) to open up the normative complexity of the concept; 2) to appreciate the multi-actor nature of social innovation; 3) to understand it as an analytical entry point for socio-material intertwinement; and, 4) to understand social innovation as premised on experimentalism-based intervention logics. The proposed social innovation understandings provide a broader imagination and strategizing of structural changes in energy systems.
KW - Energy transition
KW - Multi-actor perspective
KW - Normativity
KW - Social innovation
KW - Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH)
KW - Transformative governance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088655779&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101689
DO - 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101689
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85088655779
SN - 2214-6296
VL - 70
JO - Energy Research and Social Science
JF - Energy Research and Social Science
M1 - 101689
ER -