IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i19p8241-d424448.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Making Use of Evaluations to Support a Transition towards a More Sustainable Energy System and Society—An Assessment of Current and Potential Use among Swedish State Agencies

Author

Listed:
  • Sofie Sandin

    (The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University, P.O. Box 196, 22100 Lund, Sweden)

Abstract

Evaluations hold the potential to support decision-making so that current global challenges related to climate and energy can be addressed; however, as the challenges are becoming increasingly large and complex, new and transformative evaluation approaches are called for. Such transformative evaluation in turn builds on an extended and more deliberate use of evaluations. This study focuses on the current evaluation use practices among Swedish state agencies who are commissioning and/or conducting evaluations within climate and energy-related areas. Building on focus group sessions with four agencies and a structured interview questionnaire answered by representatives at five state agencies, the results shed light on how informants perceive the current practices of using evaluations, following the models of use presented in the evaluation literature. These results show perceived use as mainly instrumental or conceptual, along with showing an overall emphasis on models of use that are deemed constructive for moving towards transformative evaluations. The results also outline key benefits and challenges related to the adoption of a transformative evaluation approach. Such benefits include a more structured planning and use of evaluations, while challenges relate to institutional barriers and mandates to coordinate evaluations on a transformative scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Sofie Sandin, 2020. "Making Use of Evaluations to Support a Transition towards a More Sustainable Energy System and Society—An Assessment of Current and Potential Use among Swedish State Agencies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-26, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:19:p:8241-:d:424448
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/19/8241/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/19/8241/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ben R. Martin, 2016. "R&D policy instruments -- a critical review of what we do and don’t know," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 157-176, February.
    2. Geels, Frank W., 2002. "Technological transitions as evolutionary reconfiguration processes: a multi-level perspective and a case-study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1257-1274, December.
    3. Jakob Edler & Paul Cunningham & Abdullah Gök & Philip Shapira (ed.), 2016. "Handbook of Innovation Policy Impact," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 16121.
    4. Jakob Edler & Jan Fagerberg, 2017. "Innovation policy: what, why, and how," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(1), pages 2-23.
    5. Farla, Jacco & Markard, Jochen & Raven, Rob & Coenen, Lars, 2012. "Sustainability transitions in the making: A closer look at actors, strategies and resources," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 79(6), pages 991-998.
    6. Dave Huitema & Andrew Jordan & Eric Massey & Tim Rayner & Harro Asselt & Constanze Haug & Roger Hildingsson & Suvi Monni & Johannes Stripple, 2011. "The evaluation of climate policy: theory and emerging practice in Europe," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 44(2), pages 179-198, June.
    7. Markard, Jochen & Raven, Rob & Truffer, Bernhard, 2012. "Sustainability transitions: An emerging field of research and its prospects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 955-967.
    8. Jakob Edler & Martin Berger & Michael Dinges & Abdullah Gök, 2012. "The practice of evaluation in innovation policy in Europe," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 21(3), pages 167-182, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jain, Sanjay, 2020. "Fumbling to the future? Socio-technical regime change in the recorded music industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    2. Nina Savela & Jarkko Levänen & Sara Lindeman & Nnenesi Kgabi & Heikki Koivisto & Meri Olenius & Samuel John & Damas Mashauri & Minna M. Keinänen-Toivola, 2020. "Rapid Urbanization and Infrastructure Pressure: Comparing the Sustainability Transition Potential of Water and Energy Regimes in Namibia," World, MDPI, vol. 1(2), pages 1-18, July.
    3. Kuokkanen, A. & Nurmi, A. & Mikkilä, M. & Kuisma, M. & Kahiluoto, H. & Linnanen, L., 2018. "Agency in regime destabilization through the selection environment: The Finnish food system’s sustainability transition," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(8), pages 1513-1522.
    4. Erlinghagen, Sabine & Markard, Jochen, 2012. "Smart grids and the transformation of the electricity sector: ICT firms as potential catalysts for sectoral change," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 895-906.
    5. Jakob Edler & Jan Fagerberg, 2017. "Innovation policy: what, why, and how," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(1), pages 2-23.
    6. Catia Milena Lopes & Annibal José Scavarda & Guilherme Luís Roehe Vaccaro & Christopher Rosa Pohlmann & André Luis Korzenowski, 2018. "Perspective of Business Models and Innovation for Sustainability Transition in Hospitals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, December.
    7. Rakas, Marija & Hain, Daniel S., 2019. "The state of innovation system research: What happens beneath the surface?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    8. Svein Gunnar Kjøde, 2023. "Towards Systemic Innovation Programmes for Sustainability Transitions: A Comparative Study of Two Design-Led Cases," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-21, June.
    9. Sillig, Cécile, 2022. "The role of ideology in grassroots innovation: An application of the arenas of development framework to organic in Europe," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    10. Darren Sharp & Robert Salter, 2017. "Direct Impacts of an Urban Living Lab from the Participants’ Perspective: Livewell Yarra," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-15, September.
    11. Sofiane Laribi & Emmanuel Guy, 2020. "Promoting LNG as A Marine Fuel in Norway: Reflections on the Role of Global Regulations on Local Transition Niches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-17, November.
    12. Aditi Khodke & Atsushi Watabe & Nigel Mehdi, 2021. "Implementation of Accelerated Policy-Driven Sustainability Transitions: Case of Bharat Stage 4 to 6 Leapfrogs in India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-25, April.
    13. Schmidt, Tobias S. & Sewerin, Sebastian, 2019. "Measuring the temporal dynamics of policy mixes – An empirical analysis of renewable energy policy mixes’ balance and design features in nine countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(10).
    14. Smink, Magda & Negro, Simona O. & Niesten, Eva & Hekkert, Marko P., 2015. "How mismatching institutional logics hinder niche–regime interaction and how boundary spanners intervene," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 225-237.
    15. Melissa Jackson & Aleta Lederwasch & Damien Giurco, 2014. "Transitions in Theory and Practice: Managing Metals in the Circular Economy," Resources, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-28, July.
    16. Laatsit, Mart & Grillitsch, Markus & Fünfschilling, Lea, 2022. "Great expectations: the promises and limits of innovation policy in addressing societal challenges," Papers in Innovation Studies 2022/9, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    17. Nhat Strøm-Andersen, 2019. "Incumbents in the Transition Towards the Bioeconomy: The Role of Dynamic Capabilities and Innovation Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-20, September.
    18. Gabriela Almeida Marcon Nora & Anete Alberton & Diego Hernando Florez Ayala, 2023. "Stakeholder theory and actor‐network theory: The stakeholder engagement in energy transitions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 673-685, January.
    19. Steen, Markus & Weaver, Tyson, 2017. "Incumbents’ diversification and cross-sectorial energy industry dynamics," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(6), pages 1071-1086.
    20. Michael P. Schlaile & Sophie Urmetzer & Vincent Blok & Allan Dahl Andersen & Job Timmermans & Matthias Mueller & Jan Fagerberg & Andreas Pyka, 2017. "Innovation Systems for Transformations towards Sustainability? Taking the Normative Dimension Seriously," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-20, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:19:p:8241-:d:424448. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.