Ideas behind transformative innovation policy: Economists confronting missions and sustainability transition in Finland

• Published in: Environmental innovation and societal transitions 2024-12, Vol.53, p.100927, Article 100927
• Main Authors: Ahokas, Jussi, Järvensivu, Paavo, Toivanen, Tero
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Economists; Epistemic community; Mission-oriented innovation policy; Policy ideas; Sustainability transition; Transformative innovation policy
• ISSN: 2210-4224
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100927

•We examine economists as an epistemic community influencing policy.•We analyze the limits of economists’ ideas on transformative innovation policy.•The epistemic landscape, formed in key part by economists, conditions the progress of transformative innovation policy.•The findings suggest that sustainability scholars should acknowledge the limits of economists’ thinking. The ideas that experts share and draw on shape policies across various spatial and temporal contexts. In this study, we use document analysis and expert interviews to examine the views and beliefs of one important group of experts, economists, on mission-oriented innovation policy and sustainability transition in Finland. As a result, we outline the epistemic landscape that for its part conditions the progress of transformative innovation policy in Finland. While sustainability scholars have been intrigued by the promises of mission-oriented thinking, our findings suggest that they should acknowledge the epistemic limits of communities of economists regarding missions and transformative innovation policy as political vehicles to advance sustainability transition.