How do major shifts in STI policy take place: the making and breaking of STI narratives
Keywords: Science Technology and Innovation Policy, Transformative innovation, Paradigm shift, Narratives.
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Abstract:
Grand societal challenges have prompted calls to reframe innovation policy toward transformative change. Despite this, the Science Technology and Innovation (STI) policy research community is relatively silent on how to do that and its ability to think beyond systemic imperfections and incorporating normative direction is debated. This paper explores how major policy shifts take place with a view to informing how such shifts could happen in the STI policy domain. Drawing on political science theories by Peter Hall (1993) and Deborah Stone (1989), and examining the evolution of innovation policy, including the rise of mission-oriented approaches, we argue that policy narratives play a crucial role in enabling paradigmatic shifts in policy. This suggests that the focus of research should be less about setting direction, and more about creating the capacity within the policy establishment to set direction that reflect broad societal aspirations and create narratives that support this view of the role of innovation in society.
Bio
Dr. Rajesh Gopalakrishnan Nair is an Agricultural Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency. His research interests include technology diffusion and innovation policy, and current research pertains to Australia’s agricultural innovation system. He studied agriculture and development economics and brings experience in public administration to his work.